Still looking for a piece of property that fits 85-90% (or better) of what I’m looking for. Actually found a piece that was hitting all the checkboxes…even has a developed year round spring on it. Sounds awesome, right? Problem is, there are nice neighboring properties that have documented access to use that spring as well. So, my choice is either buy it and have nine neighbors tromping through my property to use the spring, or buy nine neighboring pieces of property, remove the easements, and then sell those nine properties. That’s a bit of a stretch. So..still looking.
But I was thinking about what kind of structure I’d like to put in. I rather like a multistory tower-like structure. My first thought was something along the fire tower or blockhouse design. Here’s some examples:
I liked the idea of a relatively easily securable lower level and the ability to take advantage of the views offered by the presumably remote location. But as I was scrolling through, of all things, Pinterest to see ideas for small cabin-like dwellings I found another family of small, elevated, easily securable buildings – railroad switch/signal buildings:
They are, essentially, the same structure but without the overhanging deck. Again, though, we are back to a strong, easily secured first level while providing a non-bunker-like second level. Most of the ones I’ve been looking at are older, brick designs but they are all just a concrete rectangle with a stick-built structure on top. I would think that creating a windowless concrete rectangle out of ICF would be a great deal easier, in just about every way, than using brick.
Either way, I’m liking the idea of these two types of structures. Their common denominator is that they were built to satisfy the need of observation of the area around them. The fire tower for obvious reasons, and the signal/switch stations to see the rail traffic.
Im sure they have their own logistic or structural downsides, but at the moment I’m rather taken with both of these designs. I’m not saying that anything I’d build would be a copy of these…just the the ideas behind them would probably be a large influence on what I’m thinking of. Inspiration, if you will, for a design that may go in a different direction but still give me the features about these structures that I like.
Would it be feasible to use shipping containers for the lower level, then build a structure on top of that?
Perhaps. I know that from everything I read, weight needs to be distributed on the corners of the container for the most structural strength. But, and I hate to say this, there is a certain aesthetic value that I think the containers lack. I know that form should always follow function, but I rather like the looks of the brick/stone facades.
Weight on the corners- only if you are loading the container to max capacity. As a home little weight is inside. They can stack just about anywhere. Simple weld to tie them together. The second story can also be re-enforced easily with a bit of welding and supporting post. Out side of the container can be modded several ways. Have footings built and build a stone wall, tied to the container with welded on tabs to join them. Containers come in two types- un insulated and insulated. The insulated would be great in really cold areas (or hot like mine- 110 daytime temp remained 76 inside while in direct sunlight), but that comes at a cost- interior space. That is why ICF would be much better (containers are very constrained). Cost of transporting the panels would come into play and limiting size. Concrete block would be much easier. Even better you can design systems for SHTF times. Like inner and outer walls tied together with mass like gravel or rammed earth for insulation and protection from light arms. Easy enough to build the footer just a bit bigger and have what ever you want for the outside wall.
I assume you would have a “out of sight, out of mind” hole somewhere close to bug out to when bad sorts show up admiring your taste in dewellings………..
Agreed. Those fire towers with two stone levels and one wood on top look great.
Shipping containers sweat too much and also outgas chemicals from prior leakage.
Round, tall grain silos? Inexpensive, narrow windows, interior plan up to you. Brick or stone or cement outside at your leisure as well as wet or dry moat. Sets up fast and inexpensive.
That could be kind of cool – a circular staircase (on the inside), a platform hoist in the center to get heavy loads upstairs.
Rather like a lighthouse. And with a roof mounted antenna system for catching the waves.
I think that using the basic design idea and looking at cast reinforced concrete walls and ceiling for the first level and CRC framing for the second floor would meet the bill. My only suggestion would be to watch how much glass is used on the second floor. The insulation factor is as important as the structural factors. Glass is not very bullet and shrapnel resistant and without multi layers has little insulation value. I like the idea of an observation deck around the second floor. You have a good basic design just needs a bit of tweaking. TTFN
I was thinking the same thing in regards to tothe first level being a completely enclosed concrete box, w/ concrete roof.
Don’t forget the murder holes…for historical accuracy.
I’d strongly suggest that the second layer like the frontier tower forts have an overhang and concealed “Murder Holes”.
If a pack of folks got up against the wall and wanted to burn you out those murder holes might be useful.
That and they are not expensive to build in.
you might want to look at these guys: http://www.terra-dome.com
The concrete earth sheltered dome as a base and a small stick built house on top,
The dome load is designed to take it and the owner/engineer has a home like that.
Those are some nice ones though I’ve always leaned towards the old Spanish Mission style if I had a chance to really build what I wanted. Those are the ones built around a center courtyard and the only large windows or entrances being on the inside. Originally designed to help deal with Indian raids.
Yeah, Ive been looking at those two but the footprint is harder to achieve in a region where flat land isnt very prominent.
You need a house like my grandmother grew up in mountain foothills region of Central Europe. Think Amish “bank barn”.
“Ground” floor stored some farm equipment and opened up to a flagstone yarding lot. In winter, the sheep were penned outside, adjacent to the yard and were bedded on the wheat straw thrashings from a huge pile in the lot The floor above the lot held cows Since the site was on a slope the cows could access “ground level” from opposite side of the yarding lot. They were overwintered here. In summer the cows pastured in the foothills. The winter bedding/manure was simply raked/shoveled through floor chutes down to a dump cart on the “ground” floor. In winter they sometimes just let it fall to ground to form a big compost pile that heated up and warmed floor above. Pigs were also kept on this lower level, probably because they enjoyed the muck!
The cheese whey was poured down a drain to the hog troughs.
Above the cows was the residence which was accessed from ground by a covered staircase on the outside
We still have those traditional houses in some communities in my part of the Italian Alps. First floor is of solid stones and was used as a barn for hay and the animals, and as storage space for tools and other farming equipment.
Living quarters were on the first floor, made of wood and usually surrounded by a covered porch/walkway. Google “stadel walser” and you’ll find many pictures.
Daniele
Those adobes are also kind of maintenance experience in other than dry environments – even if made from concrete instead of adobe (good call), you have twice as many walls to maintain, defend, etc.
And you have to have a plan for the zombies who manage to get inside the patio.
Perhaps you already have but if not, get Joel Skousen’s large manual “The Secure Home”. It gives very interestig ideas on new home construction or modifying existing structures especially his design of bulletproof walls that will not break the bank and much more.
A suggestion, look at Jeff Coopers Sconce, the home he built at Gunsite
During my younger days, I spent many summers staffing a fire lookout in the Sierras. It was built atop a cinder block foundation approximately 15′ in height that served as a garage and workshop. The footprint I would guess was 30’x30′ with a large roll-up garage style door that would allow Unimog access.
The living quarters were just like the pictures you showed with with a 6′ walkway on all four outside areas. Lots of windows with steel shutters to secure the windows when not in use, or fire danger. All outside surfaces were covered in steel and super insulated.
The structure had a well and septic, along with full bathroom and kitchen. It was heated with wood and the fridge was propane. I spent three wonderful seasons there and was saddened when I returned to the location and found it was sold for next to nothing with 5 acres and road access. I would’ve paid 10x what it sold for just to relive those wonderful times.
Don’t forget about old age and or physical damage when looking at stairs.
But I guess if its in the hills that may not be a concern, gotta climb anyways?
Plan for an elevator in the interior design. It isn’t hard to allocate 2 closets above one another and add the utilities when you build.
I was thinking the same. Another suggestion, don’t put anything essential on the upper level. Even a couple of steps can be difficult to impossible in certain situations. I know this from experience. 🙁
If you do a 2 story structure like that ya gotta do the wrap around covered deck on top.
You will spend a lot more weekends there having coffee or dinner on the deck than you will shooting raiders.
Just make it of fireproof construction
Im reminded of the tower in the movie the warlord.
Aside from the beautiful aesthetics of the provided examples, it’s usually more cost effective to build “up” rather than “out”. Having a secured bottom story while having a spacious open top story would be the way to go in my opinion. I’m ” solar powered “, so I like having my big windows for the views Montana has to offer. Anyhow, I like your ideas.
Whatever the build the county/city will require a civil engineer to sign off on it for permitting and insurance. Shipping containers included. If one was going to go with fireproof on the bottom floors may as well do the whole thing. Guy I know just built his place and said it was only about 20% more to go with all masonry. Don’t know if that is accurate or not but steel and stone seems way better than wood for the upcoming apocalypse. The walls of my house are slump block, but the top roof is wood so all it takes is a beer bottle full of gasoline to burn this shack down.
ICFs and steel beams are pretty inexpensive. When I built the ranch house (near Swan Lake) I wanted a clear-span basement (shelter), and the steel beams only added around a grand to the total.
And due to a slight miscalculation somewhere, my protection factor got to be in the 10^9 range. I was getting more radiation from the stone in the ground than I would have from a 10000r/hr source at the door
Many areas around the country have no zoning or building permit requirements other than septic and well. This alone might save 30 – 40 percent on building costs.
That was the case when I built the ranch: No permits other than a state septic.
Unfortunately that’s changed.
These structures reminded me of a display at the Army Heritage Center in Carlisle, PA. “Blockhouses” were used in the 1800s, usually as part of a fort, but also alone as an observation post. Here is the link with a picture:
https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/trail/BlockHouse/index.cfm
Matt- If going with that sort of design, concrete Everlogs would be just the thing. They are made from reinforced concrete that look like wooden logs. Made in Montana. Fireproof class A rating and from our testing a 2 foot sample at 100yd.s, bullet resistant (9mm, .45acp, 5.56 & 7.62×39. We didn’t have anything bigger caliber wise at the time).
They used to have a display at the Missoula airport. Not sure if it’s still there. Here is a link for the PDF Brochure.
https://www.everlogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/EverLogs_Brochure.pdf
I prefer a secluded hobbit home. With these, one laser-guided missile or bomb is all it takes, hell even a fire around the structure would suffice.
In general, if you’re getting the attention of a laser guided bomb, no civilian structure is going to do well.
Protection from small arms and fire are doable.
Secluded today is a myth friend. I like to bicycle camp and nowhere I’ve ridden can I not see trash from previous visitors.
One CAN make themselves less of a visible target from gangs and mobs ***Assuming*** that they don’t have guidance from neighbors about where you are.
You know, light control, noise reduction and such.
Almost any night I can see plenty of lights across the valley. When the powers down hear generators.
So please don’t shut down a discussion with tanks arriving to disprove your “castle”.
If they care enough about you to send a missile, they will care enough to send an earth penetrator, which can take out a hardened 100′ below ground level military command post
I like the fire tower cantilever design myself with a stone base for ascetic value. Depending on how rocky and wooded the property is, you could make the base and 2nd floor from stone and logs from your own land., much as the frontier settlers did.
Following. Constructing a domicile with engineering designs to thwart possible attacks from apocalypse raiders is going to be difficult due to evolving tactics and technologies. Battleships obsoleted by carriers. Carriers obsoleted by hyper sonic missles and glide bombs. Tanks obsoleted by drones. The flamethrower drones used to burn wasp nests, or drop a fused incendiary etc. Can “suddenly appear” and torch your shack or general proximity area and depart, un noticed. While you are playing fire marshal Bob with that problem, scurrying about like a Chinese fire drill, a mediocre sniper will have an opening to pick you off. As mentioned above, a basic stout home is enough to dwell in. Build in fire resistance in the materials as you would for weather effects or extremes in those scary climate change scenarios. Have a detached garage shop nearby with a tunnel connecting the two and a small storage or hide hole bunker under it. Instead of sitting out a seige, which will not end well no matter how many gunz ya got, escape and flank them. Patton said something about the folly of defending a fixed position. Tough calls for sure but play out the angles and all eggs in one basket things. Good luck and stay frosty innawoods.
It always pays to have a hidden escape route.
The ranch had a ‘firing range’ under ground, 50′ of 5′ diameter culvert that led to a dry well and escape tunnel.
Were I to do it again, it’d be a 150′ tunnel
Z may have this book already, but for those who want to build a somewhat ‘fortified’ domicile, pick up a copy of ‘The Secure Home’ by Joel M. Skousen. I found it very useful when we built our ‘Villa’.
Wouldn’t be wiser to adopt a gray man approach and just build a structure that doesn’t distinguish itself, at least from the outside, from ony other in the neighborood/region?
A tower like structure on high ground could be visible from afar and would naturally draw unwanted attention.
I once read an article that explained that people are naturally fascinated by castles and fortress-like structures, because our reptilian brain would suggest to us that such places are secure and therefore would draw us to them. It’s an evolutionary trick.
In my humble opinion, you don’t want to be a lone man guarding a tower.
Thanks from Italy,
Danielefgray
Nice for views, as in the forest watch tower type of thing…
And yes it’s good to have the “high ground” so to speak…
But a tower would be difficult to defend, especially against fire,
if the hoards chose to burn you out. Or they could just wait you out, too.
What ever you construct I’d have a water well inside the structure to ensure
your supply. To add, a proper defensive position would have perimeter layered lines of defense…as another commenter stated.. “an escape avenue” would be invaluable too.
A thought: Stairs do not get easier with age.
Just a thought, but if upsy-downsy is a problem with not a lot of flat, why not think about going into the side of a slope with a small “outer” slightly run-down on the outside cabin that actually serves as the entrance to the underground portion of the dwelling. Go vertical with camo-ed skylights for natural lighting and bring in any utilities from the backside making them appear to be old stubbed-off lines. And o’course generator exhaust dumps downhill and away. The interesting thing is that once you get not far below the surface you end up with a pretty stable year round temperature/humidity.
Down side of living in FL – hard to find anyplace to go down very deep without hitting water, heh, heh.
My favorite home was my Grandfather’s in MN. It was at the top of a bluff overlooking a private lake and lower level was built into the slope with upper level entrance at ground level. Rear lake facing side was mostly glass and usable decks to appreciate the views. Well thought out, energy efficient,single level would have been wheelchair accessible. Biggest problem was facing was wood and had to be treated every year to prevent woodpecker damage. The lake access was a small beach with deck and dock but down a 40%slope with 140 stairs.Too bad the Commiecrazies destroyed MN. I have watched this home appreciate in cost to over 1MM but the location and views are worth more.
I would model it off of the Smith Mansion, which isn’t too far down the road from you in Wyoming.
Shape and size. Very reminiscing of a block house from the French and Indian War era. Still some remain. In Ohio and Indiana. Originals were heavy timbers and native slabs of stone. But thick and sturdy enough to stop a 12 pounder from either boat or land.
Almost no above ground construction is Artillery resistant, even antique like 12pounder. Fort construction changed drastically with adoption of field arty.
GMTA.
My plan for Castle Anthrax is a bit more ambitious.
Solid thick curtain wall. Like a continuous retaining wall, made solid outside afterwards. (Crenellations on top edge optional).
Soil filled-in center. (Think man-made small mesa.)
One internally-contained access stair and formidable entry. (Handheld battering rams ain’t getting it done.)
Small cottage house (with basement, now slightly above grade) on top, and well-inset from the curtain wall.
Small garden plot on top, in back.
There’s more details planned, but that’s the broad plan.
If you weren’t invited up, you ain’t getting in, unless you can fast-rope in under fire from a hover, or parachute.
And I don’t have to come down, ever, unless I chose to.
It won’t stop Delta Force, or an Engineer Company with infantry support.
But the local jackboots would be outmatched, heavily disfavored, and delayed for hours to days, while any mere dismounted random mobs would be easy pickings.
A man’s home is his castle, but if he’s serious about that, a castle should be his home.
Videos of dynamic entry teams giving up out of exhaustion are my inspiration.
Knew a guy who built on a island in a small lake with a unmarked fordable entrance, too deep for standard vehicles but a large lift pick up minimum. Otherwise it was boat access only under full fields of fire. He understood it was a full loss as it could never sell to 99% of population but interaction with corrupt local authorities made it reasonable as relocation was not possible. Most likely the mob of zombies you are going to face are wearing blue and waive a piece of paper from a zombie in black robes to kill you and steal everything
The larger plot plan is to dig a fishing pond, curiously in the shape of a moat, too deep to ford, and too wide for dotmil bridge-laying vehicles, to provide deterrence, sustenance, and entertainment, not to mention an easily-swept field of fire. Panfish, trout, and catfish are all good eating, and should reach equilibrium in a short time. That leaves the bulk of the property an island.
I plan a single access causeway, and a blockhouse entry.
Gate and portcullis, yes. No drawbridge.
Just a conex railcar turned into a multi-foot thick solid cross-block.
Officialdom is going to play hob trying to get in, if they even get past the gate at the property line.
It can’t really be besieged (self-sufficient and all), but it could be assaulted.
I figure anything that’d take a battalion of earnest commitment to conquer is proof against anything but that, and thus fairly secure.
Anything more than that requires a defensive company of your own (which isn’t out of the question, if you pick your friends carefully).
At a minimum, a no-knock warrant would be a nightmare for Team Jackboots, and that’s really all you can get for less than Gates/Bezos/Musk prices.
I would go for a Heavy, Reinforced-Concrete Base ‘Blockhouse’ for the first Story, and make it 15 to 20 feet High. NO Windows or Doors, other than some Steel Firing Ports up near the top. Roof this with another 18″ of Reinforced Concrete. Make the Upper Story overhang maybe 8 Feet, Precast Slabs over Steel Beams. Access is by a Folding Stairway (like old-style Fire Escape Stairs) and perhaps a Retractable Ladder on the opposite face of the Building. Upper Story(s) and Roof Steel-Framed and Covered. Windows provided with Steel Shutters, Bullet-resistant. Surface the Concrete with Brick or Stone, and there’s no real indication that it’s a “Fortress”.
To address “Accessibility” for the Old-n-Slow, there are Monorail Chair-Lifts that run on the side of Stairs, and a system like that could easily be added to a Retracting Stairway. Emergency Egress with a Tunnel made of 6-Foot diameter Reinforced Concrete Drainage Pipe, to a standard Manhole Cover, Secured from the Inside.