Idea for an Unused Silo - Picture heavy!

[4suchatimeasthis]

I grew up on a beautiful farm in northern Wisconsin. My parents have a great place, but have downsized a bit since us kids grew up and moved away. My sisters and I have each of moved over 15 hrs away from "home", unfortunately they don't get to see the grand babies very often. So they started this great tradition where every summer, for two weeks, they take off from work (they are young, 50 and 57, still working full time) and have all the grand kids over for "Granny Camp". Mom and Dad play camp counselors and do everything you can think of with them, they say it's the highlight of their year, and they spend the rest of the year dreaming up next years themes and activities.

Anyway, this last spring my dad was laid off for a few months (typical for loggers up there, lay off for "break up" when the frost comes out of the ground you can't haul timber on the roads) so he aimed his sights at the old silo that had been empty and unused for decades....and he made a castle out of it!

It got me thinking, you could easily make something like that into an emergency BOL, or even for storage of preps. The bottom 8 ft or so are actually under ground, the silo has the "dungeon" as a basement level, then three levels above that. Dad added on a top wooden "cap" and put in 6 windows all around the top. Now, his was designed for the grand kids to play in, so camouflage was not part of the design at all, but I think you could come up with something. Even if you just had sky lights in the top, maybe glass block instead of regular windows, some sort of peep holes....I don't really know, but I'm sure creative minds could come up with all sorts of possibilities!



- a castle tower!

- Dad had to build a door from scratch, because obviously it was an odd size. You could probably make one that looked less like a door, and more like just part of the wall. Or, better yet, do a ladder that drops down from the top, and pulls up behind you.

- you can see how he constructed it. This is right inside the door. And yes, that is a real coat of armor, 6 ft tall, dad got from a buddy, that kinda inspired the whole project.

- going upstairs to the 2nd level. You can see how he used the poles to support the next floor up.

- and the 3rd level, a good view of the stairs going up to the "penthouse", lol. And my cute niece

- - - Updated - - -

The rest of the pictures....

[4suchatimeasthis]

- Dad added wood to the areas you see the tar paper. The window on the side is good light for the 3rd floor.

- on the way back down

- steps to the dungeon, note the moss on the walls.

- outside, there are actually 6 windows that go all the way around. I wish I had some shots from those pictures, the view is amazing!!!

Now....think like a fortress, and think of the prepper possibilities! I have actually had a few high school friends see these pics on my facebook page, and ask my parents if they could stop by and let their kids play, and also get building tips, for converting an old cement block silo into something like this. Naturally, my parents were tickled pink, lol.

[helomech]

That is cool. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Wow! Just wow! That is very creative. I understand missing the grandkids, being at least 1000 miles away from the closest ones.

[4suchatimeasthis]

Wow! Just wow! That is very creative. I understand missing the grandkids, being at least 1000 miles away from the closest ones.

Yeah, not bad for a guy who didn't graduate from High School, ended up in the Army for pi$$ing off the judge one too many times with his hell raisin', and after that was a logger all his life. He is shockingly well read, extremely intelligent, and highly creative, with a work ethic that could kill a horse! I had weeded out a few pictures, just because there were too many, but this following one is another one of his bright ideas for this last summer; a train, out of his lawn mower with a broken deck, and a bunch of rain barrels.....he even has one of those wooden train whistles, lol.

[Sniper-T]

Silo houses are quite common around here, and seeming to be getting more popular all the time. Mostly, they use the tin ones, and sprayfoam the inside for insulation.

My wife's cousin made on of those trains for a reunion a couple years ago. he put the cutout upright in the hole to act as a backrest. The kids played in that all weekend, non-stop. What a great way to keep them entertained, and out from underfoot.

[4suchatimeasthis]

After Sniper mentioned silo houses I decided to take a quick look online, wow, there is some seriously cool stuff out there! Mother Earth News has a really detailed article about how a couple converted a silo into a house, pretty cool! That makes me reconsider my idea of wanting to build a cement log cabin in the future. A silo would be great camouflage for a house, you could have a patio area on top, great views, and if it is cement it would be better in tornadoes, etc. Plus, I doubt zombies can climb silos! You would be seriously screwed if you ever locked yourself out though....

[ak474u]

I saw an old municipal water tower, (not one of the monster ones we have today) made into a house once. Very cool. I've considered a silo as a house several times.

[bacpacker]

Very nice work your dad did. Building something inside a round area is not the easiest thing to do. He did well. Lots of good ideas in that. We see a few old silo's around here on our road trips. It would be nice to find a place with an old silo already there.

[Kodiak]

That is cool, wish i had a silo castle...