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.
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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.

[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.

[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 .

[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.

[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 .