Hey gang!
We're going to be empty nesters in a few more years (hopefully!) and starting to think about the next property that we'll buy and subsequent house. We'll be looking to move further south, find some property in a wooded, rural area and establish a modest home that's unassuming but tucked back into the woods.
We're in the early stages of becoming more prepared and one of the things I would like to add to the new house is a bunker or underground storage cache that could be used as a temporary shelter in a SHTF event. I don't anticipate this being an extreme long term solution but something hidden to store\hide provisions, valuables, persons if needed. I have been looking at all of the underground bunker designs online and find them 1) expensive and 2) claustrophobic just from judging by the pictures.
Have any of you ever toured any of these round corrugated pipe units or square shipping container units? I would like your thoughts and opinions on the size and livability for short periods of "need" and what you may consider as a tolerable length of stay.
Me personally, I've been thinking about building my own shelter from a corrugated steel building like the one below:
This could be built well below ground level on a concrete pad, reinforced with wire mesh, and a poured concrete outer structure I would think. What I like about this option is 1) price and 2) the interior dimensions would be somewhat taller, wider making it feel less confined than a 10' round pipe or 8' square box. Once erected, enclosed and covered, I could build out the interior much like a traditional home but on a smaller scale with square bedrooms, a bath, and a vaulted living room\kitchen on one end.
My long term vision would be to allow the underground unit to tie into the house water source, sewer system and even have a few solar panels on the roof of the house to drive power to the bunker which would be buried nearby, within walking distance. All of this depends on logistics of this structure in relation to water\septic but I think it could be done.
Does this seem like a doable plan? So many folks build their own structures in secret so not sure if there's a better way to do this or not.
Thanks!
Mike
We're going to be empty nesters in a few more years (hopefully!) and starting to think about the next property that we'll buy and subsequent house. We'll be looking to move further south, find some property in a wooded, rural area and establish a modest home that's unassuming but tucked back into the woods.
We're in the early stages of becoming more prepared and one of the things I would like to add to the new house is a bunker or underground storage cache that could be used as a temporary shelter in a SHTF event. I don't anticipate this being an extreme long term solution but something hidden to store\hide provisions, valuables, persons if needed. I have been looking at all of the underground bunker designs online and find them 1) expensive and 2) claustrophobic just from judging by the pictures.
Have any of you ever toured any of these round corrugated pipe units or square shipping container units? I would like your thoughts and opinions on the size and livability for short periods of "need" and what you may consider as a tolerable length of stay.
Me personally, I've been thinking about building my own shelter from a corrugated steel building like the one below:
This could be built well below ground level on a concrete pad, reinforced with wire mesh, and a poured concrete outer structure I would think. What I like about this option is 1) price and 2) the interior dimensions would be somewhat taller, wider making it feel less confined than a 10' round pipe or 8' square box. Once erected, enclosed and covered, I could build out the interior much like a traditional home but on a smaller scale with square bedrooms, a bath, and a vaulted living room\kitchen on one end.
My long term vision would be to allow the underground unit to tie into the house water source, sewer system and even have a few solar panels on the roof of the house to drive power to the bunker which would be buried nearby, within walking distance. All of this depends on logistics of this structure in relation to water\septic but I think it could be done.
Does this seem like a doable plan? So many folks build their own structures in secret so not sure if there's a better way to do this or not.
Thanks!
Mike