For those times when ‘my house’ needs to become ‘Pavlov’s house’

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.

I have a lot of guns. I normally dont give out an exact number, but in terms of put-together-and-not-parts guns we’re looking at somewhere between 100-200. That takes up a bit of space. A good chunk of those guns, though, are packed for storage and the Deep Sleep. Packed away like this or this. But there’s also a certain amount of guns I don’t pack away because a) I want to shoot them every so often and b) I need to keep a certain amount of certain firearms in a ‘ready’ condition just in case Red Dawn kicks off.

So, whats a survivalist to do? Well, after staring at their link in my bookmarks toolbar for years, and drooling over their offerings, I emailed the guys at Gallowtech. I said, look, I’ve got this much wall to work with…here’s the dimensions. What sort of combination of hangars, trim, and panels will give me the most coverage? They were nice enough to calculate it out and even do a mock up for me. The end result is that I’m finally getting some serious weapons rack put in. I just can’t go on with rifles leaning up in corners everywhere, handguns scattered about, and magazines underfoot everywhere.

Details and progress reports as we go along. Tagging this one under the HHG (Harder Homes and Garden) tag.

One homeowner is demonstrating how the best defense against extreme weather events may be Mother Earth herself.

LAist’s Jacob Margolis shared pictures and video footage of an incredible fire-resistant house built into the side of an excavated hillside in Topanga Canyon, an unincorporated community in Los Angeles.

The only part of the structure visible from the outside is the white stucco front face, as the rest of the home is underground, but the inside appears spacious and comfortable.

I have mixed feelings about underground houses. On the one hand, I greatly admire the advantages it offers in terms of security, privacy, thermal regulation , and just general coolness. On the other hand…I like windows and secondary exits.

However, there are some arrangements and designs I see online that seem warmer and airier than the quonset-hut-built-into-a-hill model that many underground homes seem to fall into. For my needs, I think I dont want underground as much as I want bermed. The house in the article above isn’t necessarily underground. It looks like they built it and then put the earth over it to create a new hill. In other words, its not necessarily an underground home as much as it is an earth-covered home.

Regardless, its an interesting example of the type. Food for thought, as always.

Anderson says he found a “fixer-upper” he liked after taking a fishing trip from Atlanta to the Bozeman area five years ago. The bunker only had one hole leading to the surface.

But the man who sold him the house left Anderson something extra. A big extra.

The “nuclear bunker” 20 feet below the entrance was loaded with food and medical supplies. They apparently had been stored since the 1980s, in case the worst happened.

If you think thats cool, imagine what it must be like for the fella that bought the old CUT (Church Universal Triumphant) bunkers from the 80’s.

There’s alot of these kinds of places still out there.

Other article.

YouTube

A show about it.