Most important features in a new prepper home

[ladyhk13]

As many of you know we will be building a new home on some property. As I try to decide the most important things a prepper needs in a home I thought I would get your thoughts. I know storage for food is a must but how much and where do you put it? Do you have a mud room that is separate from the other rooms? Is it more of a porch that is an outside space? We now have 2 very large dogs who like to get dirty and I need some way to clean them off before letting them in the house, is your ironing space in your laundry room? Do you have a canning kitchen? If so, is it a building apart from the house or do you use your normal kitchen? Do you have a craft room of your own and DH have a room to his self for a hobby (reloading)?
If you were to design the perfect prepper house, what would you put in it? I would like ideas from the practical to the "I wish list" type like saferoom designs. DH found a basic house design he likes that looks like a barn....hmmmm, ok so I thought if we did that and used the same design for that and our real barns from the air it would look like no one really lived there but maybe more of a place where someone just kept animals any maybe that would be better for OPSEC? So, using that ouside design I have 3 levels (basement) to design in. So what would you put in it if it was yours? So my prepping family, wanna have some fun? Remember this is a prepper house but we have to live in it too and be oriented around family and friends.

[mitunnelrat]

LHK,

The Reader's Digest book, "Back to Basics" has an excellent section on homes. Off the top of my head, the mud room would be great for containing messes and energy efficiency. They also stated a square, two story home is very good for energy efficiency as well. You can get a passive solar effect if you place a greenhouse on the south side of the home, in addition to having food sources it provides. Where I live I figured an attached garage on the north side would block the coldest winds and further improve energy efficiency.

My craziest idea for my own home involved having a walk out basement portion directly under a front porch that looks like an underground patio, but could double as cold storage or be reinforced as a dug in fighting position ;)

Geo thermal heating seems to be very effective around here.

I've noticed that bay windows could be easily reinforced from the interior, making it harder to get past or pull off. Especially with a durable exterior, such as stone. I'd love to do a slipform stone exterior and a steel roof when I eventually get to build. Some people put a fire suppression system (sprinklers) along their roof to help there as well.

"Back to Basics" has several more ideas on things like alternative sanitation and landscaping as well, much of which can and would incorporate well into a prepper's lifestyle.

[ladyhk13]

MTR, those are not crazy ideas at all. Those are exactly some of the same ideas I have been having. A solarium on the south side is a must. A large open concept kitchen/living room/dining room area for family and friends/holidays is a must and would like it in the center of the house or at one side of the house. I want the master suite on one side or floor of the house and other rooms on the other because I think my mom will be living with us until she passes so we want privacy for all. We would give her the main master and then take it over later. The main master should be on the first floor and the others up top or in the basement and need to be large as well (at least 2 of them have to be 15x15). I would like a secret room that is not like a little closet but a place we could actually be in for a period of time, a lot of food storage space but where do I put that???? The floor plan is killing me!

[mitunnelrat]

PM inbound. I don't want my secret room idea on the open forum ;)

[bacpacker]

Lady my plans, if they are ever implemented, call for a big room in the basement or off the basement by itself to use as a "safe room" type area. Protection from tornado's would be very high. It would also provide some, depending on construction, from a nuclear accident or blast. It would be set up for heavy storage, cooking, sleeping, cleaning, and a small comms area. The basement itself would include a work area for electronics, reloading, repairs, etc. We also keep our freezers in the basement, it's got much less temp swings than anywhere else. Currently we park our cars in the basement but I would like to get them into a attached garage. The basement would also have a large bathroom with a garden sink, toliet, and huge walk in shower, also a large closet. The rest could be finished as a "den" area or bedrooms. I also want a root cellar off of it or built as a cold room itself.
1st floor would hold the kitchen/dining, and living area in a large area Kitchen will have plenty of cabinets and counter space This floor should have a bedroom/bath off to a side away from the main traffic area. I think a half bath near the living area would be good also. One more thing we want on the main floor is a good size room, which could be a bedroom, to use as a pantry/storage area.
We enjoy having our bedroom upstairs, but as you age that becomes more of an issue. It probably would be better to have 2nd, third, etc bedrooms up and the master on the main level. For my own privacy I would want the master area to be off by itself as much as possible.

You have a lot to think and plan for. This is an exciting time, Enjoy. I can't wait to see what everyone suggestions are.

[ravensgrove]

I see these big big big home plans...we're going polar opposite. We want smaller, not bigger....under 1200 sq ft, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, great room/kitchen and a giant 12 x 12 pantry. The older I get...the less I want to clean a big house...and the older I get the harder it is to keep up with farming and a big house...which Lady you really need to think about unless you are going to have a maid...and retain that maid post shtf. Dabbling in gardening is one thing...living off your land is an entirely different thing I am not sure you understand the work involved...and here I have 1700 sq ft and it about kills me to keep up with it and 7 acres...you're talking about what was it 150 acres and a giant house...good luck with that...just being a voice of reason...don't shoot me.

The only thing I will have as a luxury is a summer kitchen and a root cellar....both outside the house. We're doing solar/wind turbine at our new place...I don't totally understand how it all works but if your DH hit Big J up..he has it all sqaured away already.
***************************
I am up with a goat, a first freshener who thinks she wants to go into labor a month early...they get braxton hicks like humans...anyhow..I reread this and I want to make my point clear.

I am not trying to be a snit...but my understanding from reading your posts was this was a permanent BOL come lifestyle change for you and your DH where you were going to start producing all your own food etc. I do that right now...minus grains, on 7 acres and have here for the past 4 years and previously on 5 acres for 6 years...and guess what...IT IS ALOT OF WORK. You have to Plant/Preserve/Provision all of that...guess what making even a loaf of bread from scratch takes time...if you are doing that for all of your food...thats alot of work....was my primary point. Couple that with 3 stories of cleaning and maintenance...for two people and an elderly woman...thats alot of work...unrealistic in my personal opinion....unless a couple of things 1) you are filthy rich and have a live in staff in which case LIVE IT UP, who cares disregard me...2) You intend on this being a BOL for multiple families in which case...then my question is: what is your governing strategy post and preshtf? And how do you plan on getting everyone there in even tof shtf? Those are two very interesting questions I'd love to hear more about for my own benefit as well.

[hank2222]

One of the main reason why i chose a completely underground home-shelter set up was the basic fact as i get older i can not afford to heat & cool a large home on my socalled retirement budget and my simple shotgun style round tube shelter set up works great for me .

Plus given the fact that if Full Scale NBC war happened or some other type of diaster i would be protected simplely by beening out of harm way under 16.ft of dirt and rock on top of me with a protected incomeing air supply system to keep me alive and kicking in the end

Some people can not live underground in a total buried house and not have sunlight to wake them up or the sounds of the night to help them sleep .One of my lady friends who i see can not spend the night in the place without having it drive her nuts or batty because of the lack of sound of the vehicles going down the highway or nights sounds it total quiet in the place .But for me it works because of the simple fact i sleep like a log with no sound or light to wake me up and that very inportant because of beening a night worker in my job .

I also have what is called SAD lights that makes the socalled fake sunlight and have a star mural over the bed to help with the socalled lack of sun or night inside the place .I use the sad light to wake up to in the evening to set my body alarm clock to get up and use the other sad light in the living room area of the place to light up the place when i'm getting ready for work .By the time i leave the house at 8.30.pm i'm wide wake and ready to start work at 10.pm for my night shift

You spend only about 10.hours a day inside your home when not working your socalled work hours and when i'm off i'm out doing something like cleaning up the outside area of where i'm liveing or going into town for supplies or going to the movies or doing laundry at a my cross the road friend home .She got my brand new washer & dryer from kenmore when i moved back home and we made a deal where i use it anytime i need in the garage area .So it work's for me in the long run .

[msomnipotent]

When we were designing the house that never got built, we had a safe room in the basement. People who designed it obviously never designed one because the door swung outward instead of inward and it enclosed the furnace and water heaters. I also wanted a patio with an outdoor kitchen under a large pergola so I could make a greenhouse out of it if I wanted to. The one thing I like about the house I have now is that we can get from our bedroom to my daughter's bedroom via the crawlspace in our closets. The access panels are hidden and screwed in, so she can't just pop into our bedroom any time she wants, but we can get to her or vise versa if needed.

Oh, and we were going to have a hand-held shower set up in our garage to hose the dogs off before they got in the house. That would have been awesome. As it is, the dog comes right into the eat in kitchen area from the yard, and my husband comes into the way too small laundry room from the garage and smacks me in the ass every time I am doing laundry. You would think that was sexy, but no.

[Taz Baby]

Will PM you later to explain why this is so to the point.


Here are some things we have done to make life a little easier on the home front.

We have rain, snow, some times water rises. (not floods), ice, rocks and lots of MUD when it rains. All of this will enter your home if you do not stop it. Thru trial and era, we have finally found out how to keep it all outside. We have a porch with three steps going up. At the bottom of the first step, we have a wading pool. (We cut 6” off the bottom of a 55 gal. plastic barrel and have water in it.) This is where we wash the bottom of our shoes, (Boots mostly) using a toilet brush. Then next to the door of the house (all doors), we have a floor brush we scrape our shoes on before entering. We bought the large push broom heads (the hard bristle broom, (Not the nylon ones.) We cut them in half where the whole is to put the handle. Wa La you now have two. We screwed them into the floor of the porch and we just run our shoes over them. This way the floors stay somewhat clean and you don’t have to take them off every time you go inside.

Where you are, you would need a mudroom/ laundry room. I would put this off the side or back porch. You enter the mudroom from the porch, where you can take off the boots, jackets coveralls ect. Then enter the bathroom, which will enter the main house. I want mine to enter next to the kitchen in the back. That way I can go straight from the bathroom with the dirty clothes to the Mudroom/laundry room, and then out to the clothesline.
As far as a HIS room and a HER room I think every house should have one even if it is a small room. I sew, do crafts, and write books. Which everyone knows unless you are dying do not bother me when I am in MY room. Men need their MAN CAVE too. Kids can go into their bedroom shut the door and have privacy but when you share a bedroom, you cannot do that. If you can put a basement in then do so. There you can have space for hidden rooms ( but remember the first place to look for those rooms is in the basement. So hide it well. Also do not put your hidden room behind a bookshelf, a closet, or behind the pantry, or in the kitchen floor. These are also where to look for them. (Will put ideas in PM)

[bacpacker]

Lady, I went back and reread my post and found I had combined thoughts on my future BOL and your soon to be house. Our house now is 1450 sq ft on two stories, plus a full unfinished basement of probably 900 sq ft. Our next place will either be an underground all on one level or a single floor w/ basement I agree with Raven in that I want a small house, but a basement is a critical factor for me. We use it for many purposes including storage, hold the freezers, park the cars, gonna set up my reloading bench, small work shop.
Sorry for the confusion.

[oldboyscout]

Ideally I would want a spring located 100' above the house, but if I couldn't find that property I would love to have a hand pump to backup my well pump.

[ladyhk13]

I see these big big big home plans...we're going polar opposite. We want smaller, not bigger....under 1200 sq ft, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, great room/kitchen and a giant 12 x 12 pantry. The older I get...the less I want to clean a big house...and the older I get the harder it is to keep up with farming and a big house...which Lady you really need to think about unless you are going to have a maid...and retain that maid post shtf. Dabbling in gardening is one thing...living off your land is an entirely different thing I am not sure you understand the work involved...and here I have 1700 sq ft and it about kills me to keep up with it and 7 acres...you're talking about what was it 150 acres and a giant house...good luck with that...just being a voice of reason...don't shoot me.

I promise not to shoot you! We have over 3100 sq/ft right now (5bed 3 bath with 2 master suites) and I did think that this house was too big for just the 2 of us and wanted to downsize. Keeping it clean isn't a problem since we don't use all the rooms on a regular basis and have no children. The problem with this house is that it is laid out totally wrong and yes, would I build another 12x13 bathroom? No, we really don't need one that big. I will downsize there but would put that sq/ft into LTS for food or paper goods. Do I need 5 bedrooms with just us? Ok, no but then we need 2 for us and my mom...a guest suite, a craft room and then a reloading room so that still brings me up to "5" rooms even if I don't call them bedrooms. Yes we will need 3 bathrooms. Or at leas 2 1/2. I think I should get rid of carpets in all rooms except maybe the bedrooms. All other rooms should be hardwood or tile which makes it easier to clean as well. Luckily my DH is very good at helping with housework so I don't have to do it all myself either. Are we rich? Not really. Do we worry about money? Not really. We are blessed to be comfortable to pretty much do what we want within reason. We pay cash as much as possible and stay out of debt. We hope to build without borrowing for this.
Our acreage is 240+ acres so we have room for the animals to roam...they will be free range. The ones we are going to have are fairly low maintenance - no goats or pigs or rabbits so I don't think what we will be doing is as much as you (thank God).

A summer kitchen is a must and a root cellar as well. Now, where have you placed your summer kitchen? Near the house or garden? Where have you placed your root cellar? How big is your cellar? Is it dirt or concrete? Very interested in those designs.

We will be using hydropower and solar for our power and our heat will be radient in the floors

The only thing I will have as a luxury is a summer kitchen and a root cellar....both outside the house. We're doing solar/wind turbine at our new place...I don't totally understand how it all works but if your DH hit Big J up..he has it all sqaured away already.
***************************
I am up with a goat, a first freshener who thinks she wants to go into labor a month early...they get braxton hicks like humans...anyhow..I reread this and I want to make my point clear.

I am not trying to be a snit...but my understanding from reading your posts was this was a permanent BOL come lifestyle change for you and your DH where you were going to start producing all your own food etc. I do that right now...minus grains, on 7 acres and have here for the past 4 years and previously on 5 acres for 6 years...and guess what...IT IS ALOT OF WORK. You have to Plant/Preserve/Provision all of that...guess what making even a loaf of bread from scratch takes time...if you are doing that for all of your food...thats alot of work....was my primary point. Couple that with 3 stories of cleaning and maintenance...for two people and an elderly woman...thats alot of work...unrealistic in my personal opinion....unless a couple of things 1) you are filthy rich and have a live in staff in which case LIVE IT UP, who cares disregard me...2) You intend on this being a BOL for multiple families in which case...then my question is: what is your governing strategy post and preshtf? And how do you plan on getting everyone there in even tof shtf? Those are two very interesting questions I'd love to hear more about for my own benefit as well.We chose the location because my sister is very close by. We are over an hour away from her now which would be a challenge if something happened. I was really stressing over the past 2 years looking for land. I was really happy to find something so close to her. She has a little land and lots of animals and gardens and cans as well. She isn't a prepper in the traditional way but already lives the life. She has a very large support network already set up as well and the area is largely Amish. She will be able to help with my mom if needed and we can help each other with our animals and canning or whatever else so I'm looking forward to finally being close to her. My brother will probably move up to our area once he retires as well in a few years so I think we will have our family back together again very close by. That I why I need the big "family" space in my house because Chirstmas is always at my house...it's tradition and I can see that our home will be the central hub of family functions. I just need to locate the rooms right and really need the storage space done right. I also want the storage done so people don't know it's there. I appreciate your input and you can chime in if you come up with any more ideas or thoughts. I am open to everything.

[ladyhk13]

One of the main reason why i chose a completely underground home-shelter set up was the basic fact as i get older i can not afford to heat & cool a large home on my socalled retirement budget and my simple shotgun style round tube shelter set up works great for me .

Plus given the fact that if Full Scale NBC war happened or some other type of diaster i would be protected simplely by beening out of harm way under 16.ft of dirt and rock on top of me with a protected incomeing air supply system to keep me alive and kicking in the end

Some people can not live underground in a total buried house and not have sunlight to wake them up or the sounds of the night to help them sleep .One of my lady friends who i see can not spend the night in the place without having it drive her nuts or batty because of the lack of sound of the vehicles going down the highway or nights sounds it total quiet in the place .But for me it works because of the simple fact i sleep like a log with no sound or light to wake me up and that very inportant because of beening a night worker in my job .

I also have what is called SAD lights that makes the socalled fake sunlight and have a star mural over the bed to help with the socalled lack of sun or night inside the place .I use the sad light to wake up to in the evening to set my body alarm clock to get up and use the other sad light in the living room area of the place to light up the place when i'm getting ready for work .By the time i leave the house at 8.30.pm i'm wide wake and ready to start work at 10.pm for my night shift

You spend only about 10.hours a day inside your home when not working your socalled work hours and when i'm off i'm out doing something like cleaning up the outside area of where i'm liveing or going into town for supplies or going to the movies or doing laundry at a my cross the road friend home .She got my brand new washer & dryer from kenmore when i moved back home and we made a deal where i use it anytime i need in the garage area .So it work's for me in the long run .

Our property (well, where we are thinking of locating the house right now) isn't right for an underground house although I have looked at designs for them. I wouldn't be able to get the southern facing light that I need....underground would be awesome in many ways but just not in this location. If we end up changing locations then we may reconsider the idea.
I also really wanted to look at straw bale homes but can't get the DH onboard with it. I love them but he's just not into them.

[ravensgrove]

Just one little note...free range doesn't mean maintenance free animal care....LOL.

[ravensgrove]

In all seriousness...have you lived on that big of acreage before? 240 is alot of acres...you're talking endless fencing....snag maintenance, water maintenance...yada, yada...if you're land ranging your cattle, you have to go out to them daily to assess how they are...etc. My Grandfather to this day lives on 200 acres and at 92 he still working 12 hours a day fixing fences and taking feed out to hell and tarnation...when he actually had any real number of head he had to employ a 5 man crew most of the year, and I am just being the cautious voice of reason...and cleaning a large multi story house gets harder the older you get...maybe a larger house all on one level makes more sense...or like I said, myabe its time ot think abut seriously downsizing...the maintenance on anything over 2000 sq ft just becomes a real chore as you get older.

Summer Kitchen..you're probably thinking an actual seperate building. I am building a 10 x 10 roofed pole barn basically near the kitchen out the pantry door on the north dark side of the house. In the past we have dug out root cellars, but recently Sparrow gave me a good idea for a concrete one using a septic tank...we might go that route depending on what we can find one for price wise.

[ladyhk13]

We thought about the single story route but our area is supposed to be one of the highest concret cost areas in the country so the footers would kill us especially add the cost of a full basement. I originally only wanted half of what we have now which would have brought us in around 1500 sq/ft but I just can't seem to fit in all the stuff I want inside that space. Either the rooms are too small or I don't get the rooms I need. Are you considering your basement space into your sq/ft?
Yes, the summer kitchen would be a seperate building...north side, most excellent idea! That would keep it cooler. I was wondering about concrete for the root cellar. It would keep things cleaner and drier. Probably good idea to make it seperate from the house as well so it doesn't take away from the useable sq/ft? Maybe under the summer kitchen?

[ravensgrove]

Ther eis no basement in our plan at all...where we are moving you basically almost have to do a daylight basement...because the solid bedrock being just barely below the surface and the water table, the property sits right off Lake Ontario...a daylight basement...ain't in my budget. The entire house plan is right at 1200 sq ft. under the roof and then a seperate root cellar and summer kitchen outside the house.

[ladyhk13]

Ideally I would want a spring located 100' above the house, but if I couldn't find that property I would love to have a hand pump to backup my well pump.

That would be perfect for sure! Our creek and waterfall is just below where I want the house, there are a lot of other springs and creeks everywhere and DH wants it deeper in the property and create ponds with them but I am worried about cost of a driveway and the steepness of a part of the driveway but the ponds would give us more head for our Hydropower.

BTW Welcome to the site!

[ladyhk13]

Ther eis no basement in our plan at all...where we are moving you basically almost have to do a daylight basement...because the solid bedrock being just barely below the surface and the water table, the property sits right off Lake Ontario...a daylight basement...ain't in my budget. The entire house plan is right at 1200 sq ft. under the roof and then a seperate root cellar and summer kitchen outside the house.

Summers are going to be beautiful!!!!!!!!! I lived in upstate NY until I was 12...from there to FL, talk about a shock. 10' show drifts to 10' waves! LOL!
So if you had a basement you would have 2400 sq/ft which maybe I could get to if I planned really well since I am able to have a basement and maybe use the 3rd floor (attic - finished) as storage. I wouldn't have to really clean the 3rd floor since it was storage or if I could put a ton of southern facing windows I could use a good part of it for winter starts? I wanted a solarium but maybe if I put it up there I could use that space and not take it out of my living space downstairs....

[hank2222]

Our property (well, where we are thinking of locating the house right now) isn't right for an underground house although I have looked at designs for them. I wouldn't be able to get the southern facing light that I need....underground would be awesome in many ways but just not in this location. If we end up changing locations then we may reconsider the idea.
I also really wanted to look at straw bale homes but can't get the DH onboard with it. I love them but he's just not into them.

The biggest problem people have is there thinking on the whole underground home is the following areas

-1- getting the bank to loan out money to build it .That why i went into my personal 401k & job retirement fund and took money out of it for the project and the basic reason why i do not have to worry about paying for it when i'm old

-2-is getting there head wrap around the fact that you are underground and living in the place that has limited exprouse to the daytime sunlight .Most people can not or will not fuction well in this type of living conditions .that why i say it take's a special person to live in one .

It was pure dumb crazy luck that i found a tank in the middle of Kansas that a company there had made for someone else who did not pick it up from them for a year and they where saling it for the cost of building it and little more .

I do have a simple verison of the mud room set up with a small bult in metal brench with coat hooks on the wall and a rack for shoes .I have a set of indoor shoes that i wear inside the place and i use my socalled outdoor shoes when i leave the place .

[ladyhk13]

The biggest problem people have is there thinking on the whole underground home is the following areas

-1- getting the bank to loan out money to build it .That why i went into my personal 401k & job retirement fund and took money out of it for the project and the basic reason why i do not have to worry about paying for it when i'm old

-2-is getting there head wrap around the fact that you are underground and living in the place that has limited exprouse to the daytime sunlight .Most people can not or will not fuction well in this type of living conditions .that why i say it take's a special person to live in one .

It was pure dumb crazy luck that i found a tank in the middle of Kansas that a company there had made for someone else who did not pick it up from them for a year and they where saling it for the cost of building it and little more .

I do have a simple verison of the mud room set up with a small bult in metal brench with coat hooks on the wall and a rack for shoes .I have a set of indoor shoes that i wear inside the place and i use my socalled outdoor shoes when i leave the place .

You are right about living underground without proper sunlight. Southern walls are important or at least skylights.
Mudroom!!! A must!!! My dogs are making my laundryroom a mess.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Lady I have a fair amount of brochures and contacts for you from various ICF manufacturers exhibiting here at World of Concrete. Many have experienced contractors they can recommend. I'll PM you later. Off to dinner now.

[izzyscout21]

Grumpy,

You realize of course that you need to drop by and construct my secondary concret bunker.............

[Taz Baby]

Lady, Mother Earth News as a very nice article in it you might like. The Dec. Jan. issue. (I love this magazine) I have a subscription to it and I have it all on CD.) Anyway, the story is called: “The Joys of Building a Home Together” It is about how an Alabama family built an affordable green home by hand using 85% salvage wood and other reclaimed materials. You might get some ideas from there. Also, as we are building too, we check out CL for all the free and curb alerts for our materials. We hit the yard sales and flea markets on the weekends. Have not started dumpster diving yet, but if need be we will. We will start at the construction sites first.

If any one is not getting the Mother Earth News Magazine, I recommend it high. Get it in paper back not on the internet, as you will always have it handy to look at.

[realist]

I’ve been gone for the past couple of weeks and want to jump in here. Here is a thumbnail sketch of what we are doing in the next couple of years. I have a piece of property that is very rural that I will be building on in the future.

The location: 114 acres approximately 1 mile off a main highway. The nearest store is about 13 miles away, the nearest neighbor ¼ miles away. The house will be built into the military crest of a hill (facing north) overlooking a small meadow. There is a real small pond that had natural gas bubbling out of the ground. On the back side of the military crest it is very steep and will be perfect for solar panels. The nice thing about this is cannot be seen.

Access to the property is across a bridge so it is for that reason we will never be able to get a concrete truck in. So everything will be done by hand because of a bridge that will not take the weight.

Climate: Temperature summers are hot, fall and springs are mild and the winter it rains a lot. Snow will fall about once or twice a year and stay for a couple of days.

At first I am putting up a 20 by 24 foot building that will act as a cottage and be our base of operation. We are lucky we have all sorts of water, two running creeks we can drink out of, I know it needs to be filtered. I have a spring that is about 200+ feet above this cottage that we will run water.

So what are we going to build for the main house? The basics are going to be one story with a two bedroom and one possibly two baths about 900 to 1000 sq feet. The bedrooms will be relatively small. There will be a large kitchen, dining and great room that will all be one. Attached to the kitchen will be a large pantry. There will be a deck on the north side that will extend out to make a carport/work area/wood storage area. The main wall will be a shared wall with the basement. There will be a basement that will match the house footprint. There will be a root cellar that will be built before the house for our stores that can be used also for the first cottage. The same water that feeds the cottage will feed the house. The house will be about 100 feet above the cottage.

All I need is money and time………….no problem.

[ladyhk13]

Realist what will your power source be for the house? I noticed that you mentioned everything will be facing north which is the cold and dark side when it comes to building...just wondering.

[The Stig]

I’ve been gone for the past couple of weeks and want to jump in here. Here is a thumbnail sketch of what we are doing in the next couple of years. I have a piece of property that is very rural that I will be building on in the future.

The location: 114 acres approximately 1 mile off a main highway. The nearest store is about 13 miles away, the nearest neighbor ¼ miles away. The house will be built into the military crest of a hill (facing north) overlooking a small meadow. There is a real small pond that had natural gas bubbling out of the ground. On the back side of the military crest it is very steep and will be perfect for solar panels. The nice thing about this is cannot be seen.

Access to the property is across a bridge so it is for that reason we will never be able to get a concrete truck in. So everything will be done by hand because of a bridge that will not take the weight.

Climate: Temperature summers are hot, fall and springs are mild and the winter it rains a lot. Snow will fall about once or twice a year and stay for a couple of days.

At first I am putting up a 20 by 24 foot building that will act as a cottage and be our base of operation. We are lucky we have all sorts of water, two running creeks we can drink out of, I know it needs to be filtered. I have a spring that is about 200+ feet above this cottage that we will run water.

So what are we going to build for the main house? The basics are going to be one story with a two bedroom and one possibly two baths about 900 to 1000 sq feet. The bedrooms will be relatively small. There will be a large kitchen, dining and great room that will all be one. Attached to the kitchen will be a large pantry. There will be a deck on the north side that will extend out to make a carport/work area/wood storage area. The main wall will be a shared wall with the basement. There will be a basement that will match the house footprint. There will be a root cellar that will be built before the house for our stores that can be used also for the first cottage. The same water that feeds the cottage will feed the house. The house will be about 100 feet above the cottage.

All I need is money and time………….no problem.

This sounds....fantastic

[realist]

The house will face north to have an overlook of the approach and the valley below. It will be colder but will help with the summer heat. This will also add to the warmth during the winter. For the most part the house will be used during the summers. There is a bunch of large rocks that are around which may force me to move to house to a different location if we rund into rock when digging the basement. One thing I plan on using is blue blocks for the basement. This allows me to build and insulate at the same time. It also allows me to be able pour it in sections. I also plan on having sky-lites that will bring the natural light indoors.

[Sniper-T]

Realist,

Sounds awesome! looks like you have an awesome plan.

Are you worried about opsec when it comes to the concrete people? I've done a lot of really bizzarre work with specialized trades over the years (I used to be a commercial Diver); and we had to re-build a weir on a remote portian of a river once. We contacted the local concrete company for a quote, expecting to be hauling it from the road onto site by pickup, and hand unloading on site into location. OR having to haul all materials in, and mixing onsite. Neither looked good!

When the concrete rep came out, we went in together via pickup, and without blinking an eye, he gave us a quote for concrete delivered onto site. We asked about the bridge, and he said it wouldn't be a problem, as they deal with people all over the place with bad accesses. They had a set of steel spand, that they put down over the bridge, and were able to access our location.

Doesn't hurt to ask.

If all of this is to be out of sight... you may want to consider tossing up a small 'hunting shack; of sorts near the front, and visible from the road, to make it not look like abandoned land. People will be less likely to tresspass, if they think it is being occupied. Even if sporatically!

IMO

Great plans though. and nice set-up

[ladyhk13]

Sniper-T that is kind of what I have been thinking about...OPSEC. If you have local contractors/concrete people doing the work for things like basements with secret rooms or panic rooms or secret rooms within the house how do you know that they will not blab all over town or be a zombie when the time comes especially when it is a very small town?

[Sniper-T]

That's the thing lady... if you don't trust anyone, ever... you're going to become a paranoid recluse. remember that someone like concrete guys, have probably 'seen it all' and are just there collecting a cheque. The other rule is disclose nothing. "what, that room, cold storage" Or have them come in and pour the main foundation, and then cut in your secrets. it's easier mixing 20 yards of 'crete by hand than mixing 2000.

[ladyhk13]

You are right about being too paranoid Sniper and I am trying to balance OPSEC with a DH who wants total privacy and on the other hand not being too reclusive as you say. I want a traditional house with normal things with the added benefit of the security measures that zombies would never think of and made out of materials that will withstand weather, bio and bullets. I may not be able to get every single thing on my list but I figure if I start out with every thing available and work down the list I should be able to get all the things that are most important.

[ladyhk13]

Good news finally!!!!! We have closed on our property and are now officially considered ranch hands!! Yahooooo!!

[Taz Baby]

congrats on being ranch hands. Now roll up your sleeves pull up your pants put on your boots and start to work.

[ladyhk13]

I am in a hotel with this iPod which is a pain to use so will write more tomorrow night Now I am scared lol

[Taz Baby]

I am in a hotel with this iPod which is a pain to use so will write more tomorrow night Now I am scared lol

LMAO now you know what I go thru

[realist]

Sniper that's a great idea putting down steel beams. I will check. Otherwise I would be mixing and pouring the concrete myself. The nice thing about the blue blocks is they go together like building blocks with steel inside and then you just fill the cavities. I know it is going to be animal work that is why the only people working on the job will be relatives.

Just a thought I have another guy that is a close friend and he has build a couple of places the following way. Dig out a pad on the side of a hill removing all the fill. Then using an excavator you dig a perimeter 10 feet deep two feet wide around three sides. The fourth side is the one facing toward the down hill side. On that side you dig what I call a reverse of an arch way. In other words you start in the corners ten feed deep and then work toward the middle creating a shallower trench that meets in the middle. Across the center square you also dig two trenches two foot by two foot all the way across connecting each side. You line each trench with plastic, insert welded hog wire panels in the middle of each trench connect and tied with rebar. Then you get all your materials on site. You begin by throwing big rocks in the bottom of the trench and then start pouring concrete. As you are pouring you are constantly throwing in big rocks that until all the trenches are filled. It takes a bunch of people to get the job done because you have two or three large mixers going at a time then two to three people on each mixer throwing in the rock. Give it a few days to cure. The you excavate out the face side that you poured to reveal the arch and the entrance. The you can get inside and excavate the rest of the interior square. However you only go down about eight feet so the perimeter is still two feet down for a good footing. When it is all cleaned out you then pour a floor however deep you want. When it if finished it looks like old rock work of old. You have now what appears to be a hand built basement. The two trenches that were 2 by 2 are used as beams to help support the structure on top. The front has a nice archway that can be trimmed with wood. The nice thing with the plastic removed the walls are relative smooth. If you want to take it a step further you can spray it with acid to etch them then seal then and they are beautiful. You build a nice wood structure on top and there you go. I hope this make sense, I had to write it a couple of times........

Hay Lady congratulations on your new property. Hope all your dreams come true with it.

[bacpacker]

A big congrats Lady. I know you've been looking for this place for a long time. Glad you finally found it and was able to get it. Now let the fun begin.

[ladyhk13]

I can't even begin to think of where to start! Ok, DH has decided to buy a 1985 Chev crew cab duley (sp) that has a diamond bed dump and a gooseneck hitch on it too. Guess we're driving down to Georgia on Sunday to buy us a "ranch truck" so I can be a "ranch hand" LOL!

[izzyscout21]

can I come camping in your back yard?? I'll dig you a ditch in trade:rolleyes:

[ladyhk13]

can I come camping in your back yard?? I'll dig you a ditch in trade:rolleyes:

YES!!!!! But you have to bring those beautiful babies with you and I'll babysit and we'll play in the waterfall while you guys play in the dirt, how about that? When ya'll get tired we'll pitch tents and cook out over a campfire and make smoors!

[izzyscout21]

yay!! be careful.......I may actually hold you to it.

[ladyhk13]

yay!! be careful.......I may actually hold you to it.

Bring it on buddy!

[izzyscout21]

157

[Taz Baby]

Did some body say smores, camping, and waterfalls in the same sentence? ME TOO, ME TOO.

[Dropy]

Well, twinky storage is important. They should be kept cool and in LARGE supply. SO an added 30 foot bu 90 foot twinkie storage room is good. That can be considered the bare minimum for size as it is important that the twinkies be available!!. Next to that i suggest putting in a "Dropy showed up" room. DOnt worry. i will protect the twinkies.

=)

[Dropy]

can I come camping in your back yard?? I'll dig you a ditch in trade:rolleyes:

And fill it with poo!! =p

[ladyhk13]

Well, twinky storage is important. They should be kept cool and in LARGE supply. SO an added 30 foot bu 90 foot twinkie storage room is good. That can be considered the bare minimum for size as it is important that the twinkies be available!!. Next to that i suggest putting in a "Dropy showed up" room. DOnt worry. i will protect the twinkies.

=)

make it Ho-Ho's and you can come too!

[ladyhk13]

And fill it with poo!! =p

We'll send him over to the property border....far,far away for that.

[bacpacker]

Lady are you all thinking about a root cellar, either attached to the house or seperated from it?

[izzyscout21]

We'll send him over to the property border....far,far away for that.

the important thing here is that she didn't say "no"............

[ladyhk13]

Lady are you all thinking about a root cellar, either attached to the house or seperated from it?

Yes! I am thinking that maybe attach it to the house and if I run out of space we can always dig one into the side of a hill