Ok, how would you live and build your home ?

[Catfish]

... in any context, just:
a) as the world is now..
b) if you expected a falling down of energy, and communications..
c) if all goes wrong, and you are on your own (maybe add children, relatives, friends..)

This was inspired (while i may have drank a bit) by another house/how do you live/Zombie apocalypse/survival thread.

What would you like to have thought of earlier, when something really bad happened, but you survived it by happenstance.
Like oil running out,
electricty fail (incorporating internet/telephone/communications fail),
buying anything in a store near you failed,
and so on.

Ok i do not expect that to happen anytime soon, but if you could design your own house, or way of living, what would you do or change ?
There may be different points of view, like age, personal fitness of craftmanship and so on .. just interested.

:hmm2:

[Skybird]

How many volumes of novels do you want for a reply? ;)

I have prepared food and water and heating and light and such for 2 comfortable weeks or accordingly more weeks if rationing the resources. That's as far as I can get with my limited options. With detoriating health and a very unpleasant outlook in that regard, just surviving as long as possible is not necessarily my priority. Life quality and meaning of life I rank higher for me personally, and if these lack, I am ready to fold my cards earlier. Half of my financial assets is turned into precious metal. If there should be a prohibition coming for these, I know that liberty has come to its ultimate end and tyranny is all around. I then will grab a weapon and fight a last fight. I am 47, I have pains, I really do not expect nor want to live forever. Imortality I think is the utmost punishment in a universe of transitory things only: you only exist to see all that you loved and everything you liked, dying. That is cruel if it lasts forever. I am a happy mortal, therefor. :)

[Oberon]

a) Fully powered by solar and wind energy, perhaps also water. Nice and open, with a well near by. As off the grid as possible in order to reduce amenities bills. Otherwise, a swimming pool would be nice, a garden model railway and man cave, lots of storage space for the items the wife would collect en mass and a similar house next door for the mother with the usual home-help items to help her out in her old age. Minus the pool and railway though, but she would like to keep chickens.

b) Same as the above but with less leisure items and more fortifications and farming material.

c) A castle with plenty of land for farming space.

[ikalugin]

The issue is the self reliance on:
- basic safety.
- heating.
- water.
- food.
- power.

My point here is that a lot of complex systems (such as power generators) have a very limited life time, hence you either need the uber reliable systems (such as a long term solid nuclear power plant design with no moving parts in it and 0 maintenance life time of hundreds of years) or some sort of industrial capacity to keep your technology going (and replace it as it wears out).

However if it is a limited time period we are talking about (up to several years) then nothing could beat an old fashioned fall out shelter sufficiently stocked with expendables and with reliable equipment (water, air filters, power generator).

[Eichhörnchen]

Agree with all of Oberon's suggestions, but on a more prosaic level (not in survivalist mode quite yet) I do regret not going for a bungalow when we bought the house. Much easier to get at roof for repairs etc. and wouldn't be as nervous when we get such strong winds as we do out here.

Ideally, a low peat-thatched dwelling like you see in old paintings of Highland scenes, or one sunk into the side of a hill and covered with turf.

Living in a tree ain't so much fun any more...

[Jimbuna]

a) Fully powered by solar and wind energy, perhaps also water. Nice and open, with a well near by. As off the grid as possible in order to reduce amenities bills. Otherwise, a swimming pool would be nice, a garden model railway and man cave, lots of storage space for the items the wife would collect en mass and a similar house next door for the mother with the usual home-help items to help her out in her old age. Minus the pool and railway though, but she would like to keep chickens.

b) Same as the above but with less leisure items and more fortifications and farming material.

c) A castle with plenty of land for farming space.

Works for me but only when minus the mother/mother-in-law :03:

[Catfish]

Works for me but only when minus the mother/mother-in-law :03:

^ :haha:

Yes, Oberon summed it up nicely, would also work for me. Garden railway always was a dream ... but at least i already have two locomotives.


We already have a freshwater supply, or more a kind of hose 8 meters deep, to pump water from.
We also have solar collectors (coll. for warming water, no solar cells for electrical power), but it does not support the heating system - too few roof surface for that.
There's also a wood-burning oven installed, but its chimney is still below the roof. We also plan a smaller building along with a garage, for repairs, and as a man cave. Well maybe next summer..

In case of a power-out, our heating system would not work: No spark to ignite the gas, no electrical pumps for warm water convection.
I always thought it would be nice to have a strirling engine to pump water through the heating system, the engine would get heat to run from the oven, and would drive the circulatory pump .. no electrical current needed as long as you have wood, or coal.

I bought an english book some years ago, by John Seymour, title is "The new complete book of self-sufficiency", and i think it is great. You would need more time and acres for really being independent, but a lot of good ideas and how to build and maintain, with information on plants and harvesting; at least the basics.

[Armistead]

Family has a farm in the foothills of Va, so I guess we would go there. Very few people around and most of us still have old farming skills should we need them...

I also keep a list of known preppers, so all failing, we arm and like aliens go from site to site feeding off their goods..

[swamprat69er]

I think I would go with a couple of 100 acres in the middle of nowhere and the house built in the middle of it (Northern Ontario) totally self sufficient with solar power and heat and the south facing house built into a hill.

[Rockstar]

As a means to generate electricity I'd stick with solar panels, they have no moving parts, are practically maintenance free and can last 20-30 years. Compared to wind driven generators which have a much shorter lifespan require regular maintenance and spare parts to keep them going.

[Platapus]

An acquaintance of mine is a concrete engineer and he is building himself a concrete home in WV. His girlfriend is a chemist and she is building the diesel fuel conversion stuff where they can use waste oils for power. . Their goal is to be as off the grid as they can.

[Eichhörnchen]

Do you think the mother-in-law keeps out of the way when he's got a fresh load of concrete on the go?

[Onkel Neal]

Since I no longer live in the city, I will be buying about 50 acres this summer, in rural Texas, where there are more cows than people. Closest Starbucks is 65 miles away.

a. See above

b. and c. I'm not a prepper, so there won't be a year's supply of canned food in my house. Will be raising my own vegetables, fruit, pigs, goats, and chickens. Can you kill a pig, dress it and prepare it for cooking? I can. Maybe a couple of cows, although I can rely on my father for that (he has a couple hundred). Then there's deer, game birds, wild hogs, and fish. Food won't be a problem.

If electricity goes down, I think I can live without it. I'll have to use a hand pump for water, and kerosene lanterns, until kerosene disappears. There are ways to make light without petroleum, my father knows how, so I may have to learn.

I imagine the daily activity will be keeping guard for the city dwellers who will fan out in search of food. I have one of these
http://proguns.com/images/bushmaster-r97f.jpg
plus a few handguns, and all the ammo I'll ever need. I'm open to bartering, but I won't be providing a social safety net.:cool: I'll have to keep an eye out for Armistead.

I've still got a couple thousand books in my shipping container, so I will have plenty of reading to do. :)

As for clothes, well, I guess what I have will last me the rest of my life.

[Jeff-Groves]

Going to look at an old Bank for sale here.
$9500 for the whole brick building and the safe is still in it!
3 floors including the basement and just the 3rd floor is 3 times the size of my current house!
http://www.katona.com/catalog/i495.html

[Onkel Neal]

Going to look at an old Bank for sale here.
$9500 for the whole brick building and the safe is still in it!
3 floors including the basement and just the 3rd floor is 3 times the size of my current house!
http://www.katona.com/catalog/i495.html



Wow, that is awesome, Jeff!!:rock:

[swamprat69er]

Going to look at an old Bank for sale here.
$9500 for the whole brick building and the safe is still in it!
3 floors including the basement and just the 3rd floor is 3 times the size of my current house!
http://www.katona.com/catalog/i495.html
A steal of a deal!

[Eichhörnchen]

That's an absolutely barmy price, Jeff! How much do family dwellings cost in your town (I'm thinking of selling this place and moving there after seeing this!):o

[Jeff-Groves]

That's an absolutely barmy price, Jeff! How much do family dwellings cost in your town (I'm thinking of selling this place and moving there after seeing this!):o
I paid $19,000 for my home 15 years ago.
We paid this house off last January and I can borrow around $16,000 on it.
Given I can buy the Bank and rent this place out for $350+ a month?
:o

Oh. I forgot. I'm an Ordained Minister so maybe I can use that to cut the selling price?
:har:

[Eichhörnchen]

I don't know which is harder to believe: the price you paid for your home, or that you are an ordained minister...:-?

[Jeff-Groves]

:D
Ain't that a bitch My Son?
:har:
If all goes well? I'll own a Bank!
Then I'll be a Minister that owns a Bank.
:)

[swamprat69er]

If you were to set the bank up as a church, the goobermint (IRS) would give you a break on taxes, wouldn't it?

[em2nought]

If you were to set the bank up as a church, the goobermint (IRS) would give you a break on taxes, wouldn't it?

If he keeps it as a bank, he can get a bail out. Much larger than a tax break. LOL

[CaptainHaplo]

I want a concrete dome.

I would prefer to earth berm it - as that not only adds additional protection from crazy nature stuff (except an earthquake). Besides, how cool would it be to say "ok, I am headed out to mow the house." Easily hidden if you wanted, just a thick mess of trees out "front" and no one would see you.

Add in that made right, your looking at a system that naturally convects and stabilizes air temps at right around 70 degrees F.

In an ideal world I would just buy up one of the old surplus missile bases the gub'ment or private sellers have. But I don't see that happening.

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/ibELHZJ.png?1

[Jimbuna]

Going to look at an old Bank for sale here.
$9500 for the whole brick building and the safe is still in it!
3 floors including the basement and just the 3rd floor is 3 times the size of my current house!
http://www.katona.com/catalog/i495.html

I can see Nancy being overjoyed at the thought of keeping all those windows clean :D

Give her my love and best wishes mate :sunny:

[Jeff-Groves]

The tour of the Bank was very interesting!
For as old as the place is? It is in surprisingly good shape!
A few small leaks in the roof but not what I expected I'd see.
Basement was dry and showed no signs of flooding. I get worse in this house!
The Vault is a 2 story 12" thick reinforced concrete Zombie Bunker!!
:o
We did find what may be a sealed off room in the basement also.
I figure the Concrete Vault/End of World Bunker was an upgrade sometime after the 1878-79 construction of the building.
The sealed off room is behind it and there's a brick arched door that leads right into the side of the Vault/Bunker. Not into the thing just smack up against the side of it!
:haha:
We found that going down the side tunnels.
Yep! It has tunnels!!! I even went out under the sidewalk in front of the building.
:yep:

I was kind of given an offer of $8800 by the Realtor. I think he was getting cold as it was down around 20F here today.
I was dressed to explore in the cold myself and crawled or climbed everywhere!

[em2nought]

The tour of the Bank was very interesting!
For as old as the place is? It is in surprisingly good shape!
A few small leaks in the roof but not what I expected I'd see.
Basement was dry and showed no signs of flooding. I get worse in this house!
The Vault is a 2 story 12" thick reinforced concrete Zombie Bunker!!
:o
We did find what may be a sealed off room in the basement also.
I figure the Concrete Vault/End of World Bunker was an upgrade sometime after the 1878-79 construction of the building.
The sealed off room is behind it and there's a brick arched door that leads right into the side of the Vault/Bunker. Not into the thing just smack up against the side of it!
:haha:
We found that going down the side tunnels.
Yep! It has tunnels!!! I even went out under the sidewalk in front of the building.
:yep:

I was kind of given an offer of $8800 by the Realtor. I think he was getting cold as it was down around 20F here today.
I was dressed to explore in the cold myself and crawled or climbed everywhere!

A Ghostbusters fan should buy that and add carriage doors instead of glass block. :D

[swamprat69er]

I was kind of given an offer of $8800 by the Realtor. I think he was getting cold as it was down around 20F here today.
I was dressed to explore in the cold myself and crawled or climbed everywhere!
Keep him outside in the cold long enough and maybe he will pay you to take it off his hands. 96 to 88 in an hour? Freeze his butt off and get a free building, too.:D

[Jeff-Groves]

Talking to a friend about going 50/50 on the building.
He want's to open a Bar and I want the Zombie/End of Freaking World Bunker part in the basement. Along with the tunnels and hidden room.
:hmmm:

Oh. I have permission and full access to the building now also! Guess the Realtor don't want to get cold no more!
LOL!

[swamprat69er]

(1) What does the 'better half' say about living in a basement?:sunny:

(2) A ordained minister with a bar?:sunny:

(3) More power to you and congrats!:up:

[Jeff-Groves]

That basement woud be a killer place and lower heating cooling costs.
Along with the Screw the Tornado/Zombies Bunker? She likes it.

OK. So I don't open the Bar on Sundays or I bless your drinks.
I really don't recall limits on my Ordination.
:03:

Bless you My Sons. May the Church of Jeff's Bank grow.
:har:

[Mr Quatro]

My mind has been here before ... where to live in case of no tomorrow, at least no normal tomorrow, right?

I thought of a bunker, a mountain top, forty acres in the boonies etc., but sooner or later they will gang up on you till you run out of bullets.

So with eight other families investing $125,000 each we could live the life of a fisherman. Example: http://www.maritimesales.com/HOM10.htm


http://www.maritimesales.com/images/Others/HOM10-01.jpg

We could stick together using wind power when the fuel runs out, fish together, solar power for
power needs, stand watch together, looking out for pirates, offering nothing of value to the pirates that will ply their trade.

Find a safe harbor and anchor ... :up:

[Jeff-Groves]

$125,000 each? 8 of you doing that?
:o

I might have a bank soon that would hold your investment for you.
It's Zombie proof. And I can say prayers over it.
:D

[em2nought]

OK. So I don't open the Bar on Sundays or I bless your drinks. The bar will have to be called "The Winchester" of course. :up:

[Jeff-Groves]

The bar will have to be called "The Winchester" of course. :up:
Well. If I get to a point that we have the bar? I'll need to talk to a few people about the name.

Mr. Wolfzer is a good one.
:D
Our motto would be 'we don't have Limos so you can't steal one!'

And NO Jim! I'll never ever let you live that down.
:)

[Aktungbby]

SIMPLE! I just take over this joint (just up the road) complete with 5 below- ground floors full o' vino; and move my arsenal and brothers into the place. There is actually a French novel about this after the apocalypse; which I read years ago. Well set back on a hill top with 360 views! PS: it's a real no-bull Tuscan fortress complete with drawbridge and torture chamber: Iron maiden, gibbet and rack if anyone pisses me off.>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Castello-di-Amorosa-iron-maiden.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Castello-di-Amorosa-front.jpgRunning low on wter ain't a big issue>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Castello-di-Amorosa-cellar.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Castello-di-Amorosa-moat.jpgand of course a proper mancave! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Castello-di-Amorosa-knightshall.jpg

[Jeff-Groves]

Freaking Usurper! What's the cost on that?
:D

[Aktungbby]

Freaking Usurper! What's the cost on that?
:D

On 170 acres of premium Napa wine land and 150,000 sq ft castle- completely authentic reproduction- stone imported from Italy...with 15 years R.E. appraising thrown in :hmmm:...not omitting the relative fame and/or notoriety of the famous winemaker: $100,000,000 without even annoying my comfort 'radar' on my valuation-there are no comps! Formerly known as a 'folly'; no one's laughing now at the builder's dream- it's just jaw dropping!! http://bayareavr.com/client/castellodiamorosa/360tour/ (http://bayareavr.com/client/castellodiamorosa/360tour/) give yourself a tour and next time your out, this is stop one on my architectural tour of the Napa Valley. PS as an ordained minister you'll appreciate the chapel with regard to your sacerdotal proclivities; just remember to bless the vino to give SOME semblance of propriety as you lip the chalice during vespers!:D http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/assets/client/Image/Rooms/Chapel1.jpg

[ikalugin]

I would still go with the old fashioned fall out shelter though.

[Aktungbby]

Actually, as noted, 5 of the wine cellar floors are below ground and will more than suffice. But in response to your concerns: http://www.missilebases.com/#!communications-bunker-polo-mo/c1p81 (http://www.missilebases.com/#!communications-bunker-polo-mo/c1p81) as an alternative. Also; http://www.zillow.com/blog/house-of-the-week-missile-silo-for-sale-122908/ (http://www.zillow.com/blog/house-of-the-week-missile-silo-for-sale-122908/) And this little gem just east of me :http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article2612357.html (http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article2612357.html) in Vacaville...bottom line; I grow all my own veggies and would prefer the castle with acreage land for food. :up:

[ikalugin]

When I said - fallout shelter I meant a proper one. Such as this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagansky_Protected_Command_Point
Not a silo or comm point that is airburst protected.

I mean who wont like something that is:
- in central Moscow.
- with his own access to public transportation system.
- multiple entrances.
- 90 days automony.
- enough space for family and kids.

[Aktungbby]

Well if you're in West Virginia, do drop in! We'll leave the light on fer ya! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greenbrier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greenbrier):D 'The Greenbrier is also the site of a massive underground bunker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Greek_Island) that was meant to serve as an emergency shelter for the United States Congress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress) during the Cold War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War). It was code named "Project Greek Island" http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/2008-0831-TheGreenbrier-North.jpg/1280px-2008-0831-TheGreenbrier-North.jpg

[ikalugin]

How deep is it?

[Jimbuna]

Well. If I get to a point that we have the bar? I'll need to talk to a few people about the name.

Mr. Wolfzer is a good one.
:D
Our motto would be 'we don't have Limos so you can't steal one!'

And NO Jim! I'll never ever let you live that down.
:)

Aye ya bugga!! :stare:

I must be on the FBI top ten most wanted by now...shirley :)

[Onkel Neal]

Jeff, I really envy you. If that bank was located around La Grange Texas, for that price, I would already own it today. That looks like a really sweet deal.

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Wow some cool places! Like the Tuscan castle in Napa

I guess my dream home would be an unlimited Diner's card that I never had to pay on so I could travel around the world and stay in beautiful hotels, resorts, etc. and eat lots of good food :|\\

http://deepblue.uni-mb.si/lukoper/FinancnaPismenost/diners_card.jpg

Oh and sample some excellent but expensive wines :)

[Rockstar]

^ Wow some cool places! Like the Tuscan castle in Napa

I guess my dream home would be an unlimited Diner's card that I never had to pay on so I could travel around the world and stay in beautiful hotels, resorts, etc. and eat lots of good food :|\\

http://deepblue.uni-mb.si/lukoper/FinancnaPismenost/diners_card.jpg

Oh and sample some excellent but expensive wines :)

Friend, buddy, pal I can help you achieve your dream! I have just inherited 1.2 gazillion dollars from my 5th cousins dead uncles sisters husband. My problem is taxes, but if you give me your bank account number I can then deposit this gazillion as a gift. For your trouble I will happily give you 25%.

[Onkel Neal]

I'll give you 99%, send it to me!

[Otto Harkaman]

Friend, buddy, pal I can help you achieve your dream! I have just inherited 1.2 gazillion dollars from my 5th cousins dead uncles sisters husband. My problem is taxes, but if you give me your bank account number I can then deposit this gazillion as a gift. For your trouble I will happily give you 25%.

Sounds fantastic! I assume your address is in Abuja Nigeria? :yeah:

[ikalugin]

When I was at school I sort of played into that once...

[Mr Quatro]

When I said - fallout shelter I meant a proper one. Such as this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagansky_Protected_Command_Point
Not a silo or comm point that is airburst protected.

I mean who wont like something that is:
- in central Moscow.
- with his own access to public transportation system.
- multiple entrances.
- 90 days automony.
- enough space for family and kids.

Why stay in Moscow when you could have your own mountain enclave:

http://www.viewzone.com/yams.xap.jpg


Mount Yamantau is in the Ural Mountains, Bashkortostan, Russia. The name means bad mountain in the Bashkir language. It is also known as Mount Yamantaw. It stands at 1,640 metres and is the highest mountain in the southern Urals. Along with Kosvinsky Mountain, it is suspected by the United States of being a large secret nuclear facility and/or bunker

[ikalugin]

Why stay in Moscow when you could have your own mountain enclave:

http://www.viewzone.com/yams.xap.jpg
Because Moscow has a vastly superior social and cultural life while being about as safe in terms of the nuclear attack or another such threat.

[Eichhörnchen]

Plus you can get nice cake there.:yep:

[em2nought]

Well. If I get to a point that we have the bar? I'll need to talk to a few people about the name.



...and everybody has to watch "Shaun of the Dead" before picking the name.

[Aktungbby]

Plus you can get nice cake there.:yep:
YEAH... A little U-238 YELLOWCAKE!:doh: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Yellowcake.jpg/250px-Yellowcake.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yellowcake.jpg)

[em2nought]

The tour of the Bank was very interesting!
For as old as the place is? It is in surprisingly good shape!
A few small leaks in the roof but not what I expected I'd see.
Basement was dry and showed no signs of flooding. I get worse in this house!
The Vault is a 2 story 12" thick reinforced concrete Zombie Bunker!!
:o
We did find what may be a sealed off room in the basement also.
I figure the Concrete Vault/End of World Bunker was an upgrade sometime after the 1878-79 construction of the building.
The sealed off room is behind it and there's a brick arched door that leads right into the side of the Vault/Bunker. Not into the thing just smack up against the side of it!
:haha:
We found that going down the side tunnels.
Yep! It has tunnels!!! I even went out under the sidewalk in front of the building.
:yep:

I was kind of given an offer of $8800 by the Realtor. I think he was getting cold as it was down around 20F here today.
I was dressed to explore in the cold myself and crawled or climbed everywhere!

So did you ever buy the bank? Here's somebody else that bought a bank, and plan on opening a brewery https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1381697436/tasting-room-at-man-skirt-brewing