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LedJedi wrote:I rather like the security of living in a bunker too, especially when "they" come to take my guns. i also plan on having the roof lined with tin foil so I won't be forced to wear my hat when i'm at home.

You would have loved the bug out bag discussion...

Here's what I'd do with your basic plan:


My dimensions aren't to scale, but it gives you a basic idea
If/when we ever re-do our house, I'm moving the walkin closet from the bedroom to the laundry room - because that's where the clothes will BE -- either in the washer/dryer or in the closet and that would save LOADs of walking and carrying clothes from one place to another.

And I'm married to a Finn, so we have to have a sauna.

hey, i like the idea of moving the bathroom up by the laundry. 1/2 our laundry stays in the bathroom anyway. Not sure about the closet.

I'll have to ponder the idea of a walk in closet directly in the laundry room. I can see myself standing naked in the closet trying to decide what to wear and one of the kids coming in looking for socks. :)

Now i'm trying to figure out how to add a garage to the plan. I'm thinking to do it without being really cramped we'd have to add two more storage containers. It wouldn't be that big of a deal though. They wouldn't need plumbing, just power.

Here is another idea. I moved the walk-in but it's still close to the bath and laundry.

I added a 2 car garage with storage for lawn mower and bikes. The "back door" entry is through the pantry. Because when I'm hauling groceries, that is where most will end up. That way you won't have to haul grocery sacks all over the house to unload them -- just go straight in and drop them off in the pantry on the way into the house.

I got into a discussion about this concept the other day.

The person I was talking to, said he has seen these units buried and they had inside coated with epoxy paint. The exterior was coated with spray on truck bed liner material.

I was considering 2 units to be buried ene to end, and used as an indoor range/classroom.

lrb111 wrote:I got into a discussion about this concept the other day.

The person I was talking to, said he has seen these units buried and they had inside coated with epoxy paint. The exterior was coated with spray on truck bed liner material.

I was considering 2 units to be buried ene to end, and used as an indoor range/classroom.

Hey, that truck bed liner may be just the trick! I have a friend who runs a truck accessory shop. I need to talk to him about that. I'm not sure how it would hold up over time exposed to underground conditions. I know i've seen a few trucks running around that has used the stuff on the outside of the whole truck. It gives it an odd look for a truck but they dont have to worry about scratches :)

MrsFosforos wrote:Here is another idea. I moved the walk-in but it's still close to the bath and laundry.

I added a 2 car garage with storage for lawn mower and bikes. The "back door" entry is through the pantry. Because when I'm hauling groceries, that is where most will end up. That way you won't have to haul grocery sacks all over the house to unload them -- just go straight in and drop them off in the pantry on the way into the house.

wow. you're really good at this :)

I totally dig the pantry close to the garage. I'm a bit concerned about a car being a snug fit width wise on those units so it might be best to use two units. You can't have too much garage space anyway. I dig what you've done. I'm gonna tinker around with the layout after i catch up on morning emails :)

http://www.sangstergraphicdesign.com/earthcovered3.gif

MrsFosforus, You're good at thinking about these things.
I had Mars build a hanging station for me in the laundry room, since I hang so many clothes to dry inside. (When I was growing up, my mother and grandmother used a clothes line, but Mars thought it was trashy.)

I've been giving the idea of a "panic room" some more thought. I'm interested in opinions or input on the best strategy to build/employ one.

I'm thinking about changing the "safe" in the master bedroom of my plan to such a room since I could probably easily add an an emergency exit close to the front door.

It occurs to me that if an intruder were coming in they would likely be doing it through the front door though which is quite close to the master bedroom and to hide any children they would have to cross the main room to do so.

perhaps the best option would be to put it in the shared bathroom on the north side of the house. That doesn't have a ready exit though and to provide one you would have to leave one side of the house clear of earth which would be rather obvious.

Ideas on how to easily conceal/disguise an entrance both from the inside and outside of the house? I prefer the KISS method when at all possible.

I also need to make SURE this is a one-way door and won't allow folks in from the outside.

It also occurs to me that such a door might be used to sneak boys and girls who don't belong in and out of the house. I suppose we could install one of those alarms that sounds when a door is open but that would defeat the purpose of a stealthy get-away if needed.

Venus Pax wrote:MrsFosforus, You're good at thinking about these things.
I had Mars build a hanging station for me in the laundry room, since I hang so many clothes to dry inside. (When I was growing up, my mother and grandmother used a clothes line, but Mars thought it was trashy.)

I'd like to have a folding table and hanging bar in our current laundry room area too. We just don't have not enough space. Maybe one of these days!

When we first moved into this house, the washer and dryer were in building about 30 yards outside of my house. I carried laundry IN and OUT all year round for fourteen years in the rain, sleet, snow, waving off mosquitos and the heat in the summer times -- and you can imagine, it was a royal PAIN.

I had plenty of time to think of a better way to build a house. Since then we have at least built on a laundry room at the back of our house and moved the washer and dryer INSIDE, but it's still not as convenient as I'd like.

I have all kinds of ideas for making a "better house" -- just a matter of one of these days...

LedJedi wrote:I've been giving the idea of a "panic room" some more thought. I'm interested in opinions or input on the best strategy to build/employ one.

Check out "in-house" tornado shelters.

Venus Pax wrote:MrsFosforus, You're good at thinking about these things.
I had Mars build a hanging station for me in the laundry room, since I hang so many clothes to dry inside. (When I was growing up, my mother and grandmother used a clothes line, but Mars thought it was trashy.)

Venus - that reminds me of what a different time we grew up in than where we are now.

Back in the day that we all wore "granny panties" because you sure didn't want the neighbors to see your racy undies hanging on the line!

The same neighbors that you went to church with, and you all knew each others kids' names, and you watched out for each other.

And no one had to think about building a house with a safe room, like a fortress, to keep us safe from all the bad guys.

Geees! I feel SO old...

llwatson wrote:[Back in the day that we all wore "granny panties" because you sure didn't want the neighbors to see your racy undies hanging on the line!

That reminds me of a conversation I had with my Cajun grandmother, who isn't quite familiar with modern undergarments.
A few years ago, a group of us gave my close friend a lingerie shower/bachelorette party. One of her gifts included a thong with a veil on the back.
When my grandmother saw the pictures, she was floored. She couldn't believe anyone would wear such items.
But she's a bit old-fashioned. She doesn't like the idea that I drive "all over" without my husband. (My grandfather used to drive her to the grocery store and read the paper in the hot car while she shopped.) We have chosen not to tell her that I also carry a gun everywhere I go; it might be a little much.

LedJedi wrote:I've been giving the idea of a "panic room" some more thought. I'm interested in opinions or input on the best strategy to build/employ one.

I'm thinking about changing the "safe" in the master bedroom of my plan to such a room since I could probably easily add an an emergency exit close to the front door.

It occurs to me that if an intruder were coming in they would likely be doing it through the front door though which is quite close to the master bedroom and to hide any children they would have to cross the main room to do so.

perhaps the best option would be to put it in the shared bathroom on the north side of the house. That doesn't have a ready exit though and to provide one you would have to leave one side of the house clear of earth which would be rather obvious.

Ideas on how to easily conceal/disguise an entrance both from the inside and outside of the house? I prefer the KISS method when at all possible.

I also need to make SURE this is a one-way door and won't allow folks in from the outside.

It also occurs to me that such a door might be used to sneak boys and girls who don't belong in and out of the house. I suppose we could install one of those alarms that sounds when a door is open but that would defeat the purpose of a stealthy get-away if needed.

Underground tunnel!

Use Solatubes to pipes some sunlight in.

You can add some variety to your design by utilizing the precast concrete tubes. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Also consider you are going to want a lot more storage space than you can imagine.

Consider designing rainwater harvesting into your design, with a tank or cistern inside.

If you are going to have a crawlspace, take a serious look at radiant floor heating. You can install it yourself to the underside of the floor, and heat the whole house with a small conventional water heater.