The average steel bunker, base design, is going to run you over $20,000 for installation. I think that most preppers with a spare $20,000 at this moment would use it for several things other than that expensive doomsday bunker. Just the purchase of land itself would be a great investment for the average prepper.
This price reflects a considerably basic shelter. It is not something that you are going to be happy with. You will use it when the tornado sirens go off or if you are told to seek shelter from a dangerous thunderstorm. However, a bunker at this price will not be the grand survivalist home base that you would like it to be. Therefore, you will be spending tens of thousands of dollars and merely settling.
There is a way to build a cheap bunker in your backyard that can protect you from many disasters and be used as an alternate storage space for preps.
Earth Bags
Have you ever heard of the earth bag? This is a modern building method that uses minimal materials to build literal homes above ground or underground! Earth bag building can yield incredible structures that will take your breath away but also build simple ones that are highly effective.
Most preppers can understand the value of a root cellar. The earth bag is a great method to consider for building your own root cellar outback.
Earth bag building is basically the process of layering sandbags, filled with dirt. You add barbed wire between each layer, and you can even use lumber for some minimal framing, but it is not necessary. When it comes to bunker building earthbags are a great option because they are one of the few building materials not affected by moisture.
Cost
Because of the minimal material requirements, the cost of building a backyard bunker will be significantly cheaper than the steel model we talked about above. I mean substantially cheaper.
Let’s take a look at the cost to build a bunker like this in your backyard.
Building Your Bunker
1. What Kind of Bunker
Before you fill a single earth bag you need to sit down and consider what you are building a bunker for. The reasons can be quite different depending on the person. If you are looking for a safe shelter to hide in during a tornado that is going to look a lot different than a bunker designed to live out the apocalypse.
In this step you should really sit down and draw the entire project out. What do you want for this bunker and what don’t you want? Also, how can you make this shelter as structurally sound is possible by using a circular shape or some other method.
A great plan will result in a great bunker and the opposite is true, too!
2. Digging Your Hole
If you can bring a backhoe in for this that is probably the way to go. By planning out your bunker you should at least have the dimensions of your bunker. Now you are going to have to dig this space out.
You can build your bunker so that the very top of it is a above ground. However, this won’t protect you from a nuclear blast.
Digging the hole for your bunker is about the worst part of this whole process.
3. Framing
If you are building a corridor or a larger style bunker you should consider framing that bunker with some wood, internally. Earthbags are great but building a roof will require some wood for the earthbags to sit on. A simple frame topped with strong pallets can be just what you need to stack the earthbags on and keep them sturdy and secure overhead.
If you go with a circular style earthbag home, you don’t even need a frame for the roof. Your circles just decrease in size gradually as you taper the roof.
It’s a remarkable building material that can literally work without anything else but bags, dirt, and barbed wire.
4. In and Out
4. If you are going to build a bunker out of anything you should also plan on having a way in and a way out. Otherwise, you could just be building an earthbag coffin for you and your family.
The good news, you can literally dig and build steps using earth bags. They can become your staircase from the surface, down into your bunker.
Now, what you do with doors and entranceways is your personal preference. All I am going to say is: get creative!
5. Start Filling and Stacking
By this point you should be able to grab a shovel and start filling bags. The best way to do this is to lay the bags around the pile of dirt that you removed with the backhoe. Get a few people around that pile of dirt with bags and begin filling them. Closing your filled bags is nothing fancy, you can simply fold up the remaining top of the bag and stick a nail through it.
Old tires are a great first layer if you want something other than just earthbags at the bottom of your bunker. You can also use tires just as a perimeter layer. Of course, there is nothing wrong with simply building that first layer with earthbags completely.
Continue to build layer upon layer with razor wire between each. Before long you will have walls and even a roof. It will take energy and the more people you have the better it will go, but before long the bunker will be finished from merely stacking bags filled with dirt!
6. Bury and Conceal
Now that your earthbag bunker is fully built you can cover the roof of your new bunker with the same dirt you pulled out of the ground to make the space.
Not only should you cover your new bunker location, but you should consider concealment, too. At the very least your entrance and exit ways should be concealed.
You can grow thorned bushes all around them or just allow the natural landscape to grow back and conceal them.
Related: Where to Go When You Don’t Have a Nuclear Bunker
Most preppers assume that a doomsday bunker is just too far out of reach. While you might not wind up with a massive set of corridors that is outfitted like a real home, you could have a simple bunker of your own. You might even use this bunker as something of a root cellar while you wait for a serious disaster to strike.
You can add electrical and other amenities to your earthbag bunker, you just need to take the time to plan for all that in the beginning.
No matter how you design it or what you plan on doing with it, your bunker can become a reality. You can also learn a very impressive skill for building shelter using some dirt, bags, and razor wire. In survival, knowing how to make shelter is everything!
You may also like:
The Ultimate Bug Out Home For Just $250
How To Build a 44-Day Stockpile For Only $2.40 A Day (Video)
20 Reasons Why You Should Add Sea Buckthorn to Your Pantry
Man I love this site. It’s the number one site out there. From bunkers to food defence and basic survival needs. Thank you for all that you stand for. We have your back, like you have ours. Well not all of them have your back or ours.
Thanks again.
Better get to digging. Not much time left…
Live in a town right next to a important
AF Base. Todays high yeld nukes from china and russia will leave a crarer at least 30 to 35 miles accross, not to include blast radist and fallout for many more miles. Is it even helpful to do anything?
Hopefully Prayer and Painting the Shelter walls with Led Paint, may help some. I guess that will take a miracle, but if we all look for an answer, I am sure one of us in the group, can find a solution. I will do some research when I have a chance to focus, and let you know what I find.
I actually looked into buying Radiation Protection Led Blankets, but they are TOO Expensive. I guess if you buy a few at a time, then sew them together for the Door and Ceiling Covering, it may help.
See, Like here, Expensive Radiation Proof Blankets, that are small:
https://www.zzmedical.com/radiation-protection-blanket-in-stock.html?utm_source=google_shopping&msclkid=ee6a93657b841320718ef364d0318079
Maybe this will Help:
https://www.survivopedia.com/9-ways-to-diy-a-low-effort-cheap-bomb-shelter/
https://www.selfrely.com/disaster-on-a-budget-build-a-radiation-proof-shelter-in-your-backyard/
Love in YESHUA JESUS THE MESSIAH,
Sister Abagail
Stevo: Using low altitude nukes these days is like using black powder in your M-16. I believe the general consensus is that the more desirable attack is a high altitude nukular (according to W) attack which will short out almost anything electric. That will immediately trust us back in time to the early 19th century without the infrastructure that that time period had in place. And leaving us without the life skills that those folks commonly had.
As I have asked in the past: When was the last time you hitched a team of drat animals to a wagon? When was the last time you plowed a field using a pair of oxen? When was the last time your wife hand knitted a shirt for you or made a pair of trousers out of a deerskin? Occasionally I will get an affirmative response from someone still using some old methods of farming or who does weaving for a hobby, but for most of us hitching a horse to a wagon is as foreign or more so than opening the hood of aTesla and being able to diagnose a problem with the motor. Yet in the early 19th century, most 8 year old children knew how to hitch up a horse to a wagon.
I won’t comment on the advisability of constructing a structure as described in the article. For many of us in urban or even suburban areas, digging a hole in the back yard would soon get the planning and building and safety minions descending upon us. Try getting a permit for the kind of structure described in the article here in the PDRK. Do you live in a community with CC&Rs? Ha ha ha ha ha. The first thing you will get is a notice from the HOA to cease and desist or face court action.
The first four words of your query make me suspect that as soon as the backhoe is unloaded in your driveway — well, maybe an hour later — the code enforcement officer for the town where you live will be showing up on your property asking the backhoe operator for the excavation permit,
This article is for folks who live in unincorporated areas that haven’t discovered all the bucks that can be generated for very little investment via building permits.
I dug by hand a 24 foot by 20 foot by 3 foot deep pond in my backyard years ago. Not a single permit pulled, not a peep from my neighbors or anyone. I live in a city of 100,000. Less than a 1/2mile from my house is a ritzy neighborhood with HOA crap. I bet I could build an EarthBag Bunker without any hassle. It would take me awhile, definitely NOT a weekend project. Plus, I’ve got far more gray hair than when I built the Pond.
You know nothing of nuclear weapons. I can see from your response, Stevo, that you get your info from movies and the boob tube.
Nuclear warheads are now in the sub-megaton range for one thing. And there is, nor ever was, a nuke that made a crater 30 miles wild.
Nukes now are the airburst variety, for the most part. Only those aimed at harden sites would be a ground burst.
Better go read Nuclear Survival Skills and get some real info.
Don’t live next to a first strike location.
Oracle: I wonder how many people read that, blinked, and then it dawned on them… 🙂 We do get ingrained, being creatures of habit. to the best of my knowledge, there’s a lot of tall, rugged mountains between me and a priority strike zone, Tucson. niio
Good luck with that idea. Have you any idea of how many thousands of pounds of dirt you would have to shift to build a small shelter. Never mind the time to fill, carry and stack these bags. Totally impractical
It’s only impractical if you don’t have the will to do it.
YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!
ant: Fact!
What is the barb wire for? Just framework to prevent the bags from slipping? And do you finish the inside with anything?
It makes me think of the sod houses they built in the plains states during the westward expansion.
And the old Potato Barns we have here on Long Island, which look like they were built into a hill with the sod running up the sides to the edge of the roof! No bagging involved, dirt just pushed up onto walls of the structure on all sides except entrance.
Hi, well I have seen a few earth homes built. It kind of depends where you live if its a dry area or more sesonal. But to answer your query. I’ve seen some use wood sheeting, seen others use mud plaster or even cement which can be left plain, decorated or painted. I suppose depends if you want it to look like a bunker or more stress free like a home.
Thanks, PrepperWOLF! Appreciate the information.
Absoultly doable: I am 60 yrs old and my brother (older) and I have built a waterfall and pond system BY HAND, the pond is a 2500 gal future water source. When I say by hand, I mean shovels, picks and 5 gal buckets. We moved the dirt up 15′ and used it for another project. So…. If a couple of old fat guys with bad hearts can do it, anyone can.
Actually, there are places where this is the preferred building method! Think big plains, not a lot of trees for lumber locally… And it’s naturally insulated from heat and cold, far better than the “roll type” we use in wood framed construction. It’s normally covered with a mud/stucco finish on the exterior and interior walls, but it can be left “as is” also…
You do a great job helping and informing us with several ideals. We listen to what you say and put the ideals to work. Keep up with the info and stay safe. Thank you.
You sound too lazy to be of much use to a prepper.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. Slow and steady gets the job done…
It can be done, but it will require a lot of work. Also this article didn’t address ventilation, the water table, and shoring up the roof.
Check also the post about digging a root cellar and read up on my above points.
It’s a good idea, especially if you live in a tornado prone area.
In all reality how many people would or could be able to do anything even close to this? Half my street are single moms or older people who would not have any desire to do this. It is nice to think about what one would do if they could, but actually it? And to have anywhere to build such cause for most of us it would NOT be in the back yard as 1/ there is no room, 2/ the town laws would not allow it! 3/ Most of us do not have land anywhere else to do such. 4/ The money or strength to be able to build such and 5/ the shelter itself would be only a first part of surviving anything….food, water, light, cooking and what about kids, pets and so on…..?!
Frankly if it is that bad I would rather go in the first wave and be out of it all! Home in Heaven safe and sound! Not all of us are men or have them around and are not giant with massive strength…..it would be better to know there were shelters to go to in case of such evil coming to this nation….how about we all stand up and fight for freedom and faith to save the country so we don’t have to think of doing such stuff? Yeah I know there are some of you that would and could, but that is one or two compared to a nation. We
have not been rigged this way for America was really strong and had sense, until around 9/11 and since then, everything has eroded into insanity! People we could trust once are now not worth it and so on…..Until we have REAL leadership, we are on or own and that is going to get a lot of us killed. Sorry, but the truth is to get on your knees and pray like you never have so that we will be home safe with the Lord before much happens!….But if you don’t believe you will not make it anyway so I pray that all of you find faith and reach to God…that is the only salvation and answer to it all.
A good read is “Pulling Through” by Dean Ing. It is a fast read and the story has many survival tricks and diagrams to help the reader understand what they are facing. And how to possibly survive. VERY good reading. It would be great if it was re-printed right now. The earthbag shelter is awesome, there is an in depth website called The Mud Home. Between pulling through and the mud home you could make a shelter that would get you through a nuclear ash plume . In comfort. If you wanna survive the blast… IDK
Ok.
Now, where do I find the bags & how much do they cost??
you can use feed sacks, from your local feed store, ( they usually have some) or you can buy them online.
Wow, all those empty feed sacks i still have. Time to place them in a storage box. Frankly, I really want a root cellar, have a nice spot, under my already laid slab of patio. I just need to start digging. There is a hill of sorts, down to my irrigation bowl. Now the second door, break the slab outside?, or actually in the house. Decisions, Decisions, as my father would say. At least 6 ft, tall need to stoop, then again will it fill with irrigation, lots of questions. My other question is the eye in the sky. My association only cares if it is safe. NOT an HOA.
i am not sure about the barb wire in between layers, looks like it will just rip the bags. Is it there to hold the layers together? I would think pig wire around the perimeter would be adequate. if barb wire is used around the top layer as an outside defence possibly. Also if you are using OSB as your roof the moisture will rot that out fast.
I have watched a LOT of earthbag videos on you tube. I STRONGLY suggest you do this well before you start digging. It is apparently very labor intensive.
That being said, it is supposed to be literally bulletproof, very strong (if built correctly) and can even stand some shaking, as in an earthquake. You MUST build this on a rubble trench though. Pay attention to drainage. You don’t want to be in your shelter and have a rain storm come over and suddenly you are standing in three inches of water on a mud floor. Or worse, jsut when you need it find that there is a nice layer of mold over everything in the cellar/bunker. Plan this out.
I would also suggest a cement bond beam around the top.
I do appreciate this article in that it mentions using earth bags as the stairway down. I honestly had not thought of that, fixes a problem I was having, Thanks to the author.
How do you deal with water collecting inside the shelter when it rains?
There is only two ways I know of to really deal with water in side bunker or root cellar underground. Those are a manual or electric pump, if you have electricity or a drainage system which is the best but this only works if you have a place to drain below the level of your bunker. When building the bunker bury a 3 of 4 inch drain line pvc or metal to a open low point out side your bunker. on the bottom use either pallets with some type flooring to allow a couple inches of space for the water that does get in to flow out
Two Questions. If you only have a flat area to build on, or in,how do you keep water out of the bunker? Also, what is the barbed wire for?
Why the razor wire? To keep the bags in place? Wouldn’t that cut holes in the bags allowing the dirt to escape?
Something to think about is your water level. Where I live I dig that deep in a few days I will have water coming up.
we live in Louisiana with ground water level of 6 to 10 feet depending on rainy season or not. Not able to build a basement or anything under ground and keep it dry. Suggestions??????
Here is an Earthbag Website, that may help answer your question, Gracie. I hope this will help.
http://earthbagbuilding.com/faqs/underground.htm
Love In YESHUA,
Sister Abagail
gracie: You can build it above ground level. Igloo shelters are a good style, but will need extra reinforcing.
Back in the 70s, after he came home from Vietnam, a man I knew bought an old barge and when the farm flooded, had it towed there. His people all lived on the levies but he wanted to get into aggie. they lost the use of the land when FDR had the levies dynamited during the flood in 1936. to pay for what they wanted, he became a hunting guide while his wife, from chicago, got a job up there for a year as a legal secretary. By the end of the year, they had enough for the barge, funds to clean it up and repaint, and build a small brick house on it. she stayed home while he continued to take out parties of hunters and fishermen and soon had enough for a second barge, one for livestock. the one with the house is her garden, but most years they can plant in the fields and timber off brush that took over. No neighbors closer than the levee. niio
Was his name Noah LOL
I also live in an area with elevated groundwater. Anything constructed below grade in this area including basements or swimming pools are built with a collection sump and automatic pump. It isn’t always the answer but it very often is. Worth consideration anyways.
WMD: You can built above ground. Call it a root cellar and pack a few yards of dirt around it and over it. BTW, if you were a nice person, you’d send all that excess water out here to Arizona. Easter AZ. Anything got west would only be wasted by Kali fornia. 🙂 niio
Good idea, Stef likes. Two questions:
1. Where’s the best place to purchase the right bags?
2. What are the requirements of the bags?
3. What is the barbed wire for and how many strands per layer?
Sorry, that is 3 questions
Interestingly, this article reminded me of the old tv series MASH. Bunkers looked similar to what was depicted in numerous episodes. That said, I don’t think this project would pass muster with the local building codes around here or add value should you chose to sell your home.
Don’t care about the codes. Its your life were talking about.
If you sell and you did a good job building it. I think some of us on here would want to buy your place.
Red ant – Well then, I’ll keep that in mind.
RA: Well, perhaps you don’t care about building codes, but unfortunately, they are enforceable by fines and other rude interferences. While I certainly agree that we are way over governmented, the fact is that government on all levels intrudes too much in our lives. One ignores building codes at one’s own peril. Not built to code can even make your property unsaleable because no lending institution will lend money for a mortgage on property that has significant code violations lodged on the title.
Or even if the mortgage inspector notices building code violations on inspection for the mortgage even if the controlling public entity hasn’t noticed them.
Unfortunately, we all can’t live in Stewart’s Crossing, Alabama or some other isolated rural location, otherwise it would not be rural and isolated. Most of us on this site live in urban or suburban political entities with all the concomitant codes.
Building Code following is for the faint of heart. Granted I wouldn’t put in my own illegal septic system, they can condemn for that. Although I have been party to others tank/drainfield renewal on a long holiday weekend. I have built and sold two houses from scratch, one with only hand tools, extensively renovated, altered two others. If you let the building departments bully you on land you own, how will you survive when the going gets tough?
I know of a man in this county who followed your train of thought. He thought he could ignore, finagle and ignore some more all the problems he brought upon himself by his course of conduct. He ended up losing his property and spending several months in jail. BUT HE DID IGNORE THE DAMNED REVENUERS!!!!
Your view may differ, but in my view it was a pyrrhic victory.
If you are talking about building something like this in a world without rule of law, that is totally different. In that situation the strongest will make the rules and the weaker ones will fall in line or else. I doubt building codes will be of much interest to the folks who are making the rule in that kind of a situation.
You are correct, City Chick. It is a sandbag bunker much like those used in wars since, at least to my knowledge, The War of Northern Aggression here in the states.
Instead of fiberglass bags, there were bags of all sorts, feed bags, flour bags, gunpowder bags, cornmeal bags, considerable more products came in fiber bags than do today. They almost never got thrown out unless so badly damaged as to be beyond repair.
Sometimes young children’s clothing was made from flour sacks or other food containing sacks. Sometimes if poor enough, grown women wore flour sack clothing — to their chagrin and embarrassment, I am sure.
My grandmother who knew poverty, raising five young girls back before all the give away programs used to say, “There is no disgrace in neatly patched, worn clothing. the disgrace is if it is dirty and raggedy.” Sometimes she had to farm out the youngest ones to friends and relatives because she just didn’t have enough in the way of funds to support all six of them. She knew hard times.
As a youngster I learned how to sew with flour sack material. First finished article was an apron. My grandmother told me “if you have a new apron, you’ll always look nice!” Times have changed! Most women around here wouldn’t be caught dead wearing an apron new or old.
I don’t think this was recommended for each and every home owner. Just another thing to ponder and think about. Perhaps there are small parts of this that will come in handy someday. I believe I’ve seen a couple of similar projects on YouTube
.
Great, cool, and I love it. the biggest expense would be renting a backhoe. I’m old-school and tradition says logs, brush, and adobe. Mind gasses that can accumulate. Anybody gets nosy, I’d say, root cellar. Also, keep it free of brush and any weeds that root deeply. That destroyed many a great root cellar when I was a kid.
there are 11 garden beds about 3 feet wide and deep (some deeper) and over 20 feet long, all hand dug. Get out the caliche, Tohono friends said, or forget having a real garden. This is their ancient version of hugel kultur and it produces a lot of food.
Again, good article. ! niio
I have a question to ask later, about finding Earthbag Builders, to help me add onto my home….and even build this Shelter…. BUT First, I have an important comment to make. Oy Vey! I was reading this article, suddenly I Notice up in the Top Right Corner of my screen website browser, it shows a computer screen symbol with a Shield in the lower right corner of the screen; something I have NEVER Seen before. I click on it, to see what it says, and it says “Blocked Content”!
No Offense, but it makes me feel like we are in Communist Country. I see NO Bad or Rude comments on this site. Why would anyone block us helping each other, like a Community Family. It just seems odd.
I mean no offense but I am just blunt like that. and always curious, wanting to UNDERSTAND. I mean Truly understand, for good.
Love & Prayers Always, With Respect,
Love In YESHUA,
Sister Abagail
It might be a notice from your internet provider, especially if you’re using public WiFi.
I was at a doctor’s appointment and using their WiFi to look at something online and received a notice that the website I was looking for was blocked for content. It was a while ago, but as I recall it was a conservative news site.
I managed to circumvent it by engaging my VPN, but was shocked at the blatant censorship. I could see them blocking porn or something like the anarchists cookbook, but this was totally innocent.
Nevertheless, it means that we ARE being both watched and censored, so it behooves us to use caution in all comms, don’t you think?
However, the eye in the sky is more than welcome to try my bread pudding recipe.
Earth bags are not practical here in the Northeast, though they might be okay for drier environs. They would easily get waterlogged and would create a damp environment. Also, using old tires can contaminate the air with off-gassing, and they will disintegrate over time. In wet environments it would make more sense to install a drywell system, then build a permanent structure out of flexible, waterproof material. Concrete would need to be sealed. There is no cheap way to do this, and unless you are in deep woods or an isolated area to be able to build this unobserved, you’d never get a building permit. As noted, it would not likely add to a home’s value if you went to sell.
I think
The reason they don’t mention, air flow or ventilation and water table. Is that there are a lot of systems on the market so it’s your choice to install . water table will vary in all parts of the nation so can’t say much to any one about the water table in there area. Yes the bard wire is so if for some reason there should be a shift for that the wire will keep thing form caving in on you. Yes the wire will poke holes in the bags. So when building it be careful to not rip the bags during installation.
You will need to make sure you can even do this. It’s not for the lazy person. It will take time, money and a lot of labor. GOD gave you a brain. Use it…
Is there time to even do this…
The bags you can order on line. Look it up. I have.
Thats why were here to ask questions but remember it’s really up to you, the one with the brain to do the right thing and build yours to be as safe as you can make it. It’s your life.
If you ask a question. Please allow some time for a response. Remember some places you can’t do this at all, so start to think we’re can I go. Many build above ground. Maybe you might have to do something else.
There are more things that you will need to do or put in your bunker for your own survival or safty.
Good luck out in the new but not better america that’s coming…
cattle grate wire along the inner perimeter should hold the bags in place if they are stacked in a bricklayer pattern. Basically its an underground hesco .
Several years ago I installed a coal stoker furnace. Rice coal comes in 50 lb woven plastic bags which I have been saving, by spring I will have over 1500 of them. I have thought about an earth bag project but am probably past that at 75 years old. Really do NOT want them in a landfill.
Gave several hundred to the local fire Dept. for sand bags but they do not want more. My coal supplier could probably tell me where to find thousands more. Good place to check anyway.
Most youtube videos show two strands of barbed wire about 6 t0 8 inches apart between each layer to stabilize from slippage of plastic on plastic. Also advise setting each layer with a tamping iron to keep the layers regular and even.
I have seen some constructions coated with blown on shotcrete on the outside over chicken wire mesh. You could also hand trowel Shurwall masonry cement to smooth and seal the interior. This product contains fibreglass strands which makes for an extremely strong coating.
Enough with the babble for now.
Hope this helps someone
Underground death trap.
Luke 1:37
Don’t build a death trap
And Mathew 7:26, it’s also a bad idea to roof an underground bunker with OSB.
See you do understand that if you build on sand, then you will sink. Build on the rock and it will stand forever…
You can do it.
Any one of you can do it. Never never give up. If you give up, they win.
A dear friend told me that. Thank you…
Absolutely and AMEN, Red Ant! Nothing is Impossible with the LORD. HE Guides us by HIS WISDOM and Ruach HaKodesh HOLY SPIRIT.
Proverbs 3:1-6
Romans 8:1-14
2 Corinthians Chapters 4-6
Matthew 5
Jude 1
Matthew 24
Luke 21
Revelations 5 & 13
Romans 8:24-39
Ephesians 6:10-18
HalleluYAH, Amen!
AMEN SISTER.
Keep them coming.
GOD will lead the way.
Of course it would be if it’s not done properly. This is why there are articles such as this one to give us the basics. Some of it will maybe require the individual to do some research for themselves since we don’t all live in the same place with the same situations. It is nice to read other’s comments though. It definitely gives a heads up on who one might want or not want in some situations to be in a group with so thanks for that. I would never be able to do this simply because of my location and the ground water level in FL. I’d hit water before too long. Thank you for the article and the suggestions from those of you that have something worth while to contribute.
Living in SW Florida, this cannot be accomplished here, as the water table is only a few feet below grade.
No such thing as cheap when dealing with this type of project. Water table is your biggest problem. What type of soil are you digging in? Sandy ground is useless with this project. Need firm clay for walls or it will collapse. Have to have good run off from rain or it will fill up with water and you will have a swimming pool. So many things not considered. Trust me, I have been in dirt work for the last 25 years.
The door has been open so you can get the message.
now that you know the basics, then it will be up to you to study and find the right material and find the best location.
Look up, not down…
Beg to differ with you Stu. they ARE called “Sand bags” for a reason.
After reading all the negative comments I am rather surprised.
This IS a prepper site right? As in people who see bad times ahead and DO something to prepare for whatever may come?
This is not a site that is supposed to attract people who see the negative in all things and pay more attention to the obstacles in the way than the goal of a safe place for their family.
Yes, its a lot of work. Yes, it takes some planning and education (you tube is a great resource for this) and maybe even reading some books on the subject.
Have you seen the prices on those “installed metal bunkers”? They cost more than my house in some cases!!
This is a labor heavy but relatively cheap way to build a storm shelter/root cellar/bunker.
The barb wire is to stabilize the bags and keep them from slipping. Drainage must be paid attention to. This might not work in all places but if you have decent drainage, use a rubble trench for your foundation, tamp your bags well, it should serve as a very stable place to hole up during a SHTF moment.
After all, THAT is the goal here, right?
JKS:
Very true.
Essentially, what we’re doing is building a free standing cellar.
So, if local law requires you to, file the necessary documents. Contact Dig Safe or local equivalent to find out the location of underground wires, water and gas lines.
Make sure your homeowners insurance covers the structure, the contractor, any injuries to your buddies who might be “helping” you by drinking a twelve pack and driving the backhoe into the hole, structural damage caused by same.
Like it or not as LLC pointed out, bureaucracy is all around us. A permit, a phone call for information, a small price to pay.
If you live waaayyy out in the toolies, and can get away with no permits, etc, etc. be grateful you don’t have to deal with that, but since you want a structure that’s not going to cave in on your loved ones during a heavy rain, you’re going to be better off with hiring a professional if you don’t have experience in this type of work.
In an actual shtf situation, you won’t have any choice but to do it yourself with whoever and whatever you have available.
Either way, research the crap out of it before you put the shovel to the ground and save yourself later headaches.
Make it clear whether you are talking about ‘barbed wire’ or ‘razor wire’. There is a significant difference and I am a little concerned about why it is used and which you are really talking about. How many strands?
Dirt bag structures use barbed wire.
I hand dug a 1600 gallon pond next to my garden. That was 40 yearsago. The cement has cracked and isn’t much to look at anymore. I’d like to break out the cement and dig a bit more to make a greenhouse. The steps are still good. A little over 3 ft deep. It’s a start for either a greenhouse or a root cellar. I need both.
Any likely target for attack of pretty far off and have mountains between us.
I still have Moms “Lastaid” for community leaders if we’d had a nuclear attack. She had books and a Geigercounter in her storage area under the floor of our house. The firstaid book was called Lastaid because fatalities would be expected to be high.
I have grown up in the Military…29 years of experience with building things like this…. This is not a Bunker…. This is a root cellar…. a fancy Root Cellar….. A Bunker is built to fight from and I didn’t see any ports for that purpose…. I didn’t see any grenade sumps, nor did I see a pot to piss in…. Look, I suggest reading about the Living Conditions and Survival Methods used in conflict areas of the world such as Bosnia or Afghanistan, Panama…. just to name a few… Bosnia in particular… If you want to survive, you must be mobile… A bunker means you have stuff worth your life to protect… The number one item that everyone in Bosnia was looking for during their Civil War was medicines…. Water was too easy to find and Food was easy enough to come by…. Shelter was everywhere, tools and weapons could be fashioned…. But medicines were the only items that could not be made without special equipment and knowledge… Think about it, all these shows about survival have one thing in common… a medical team on standby should something “Go Wrong”…. In a true survival situation everything has gone wrong already….you can’t dial 911 if your partner stops breathing for some reason… if you cut off a finger choppin wood for the fire….or drink water from a creek with a dead animal hidden upstream about 50 feet…. Medicines is what we all need to learn to make out of what we find in the woods, open fields and yes, gardens you come across while walking… All this stuff these websites are teaching is great for those people that are not chased out of their comfy “Bunkers” for whatever supplies they have left… but once the supplies are eaten and used up, those people will be on the road again with less experience than those that started off walking out of the “Hot Spots”… Personally, I have a rifle, 300 rds, a canteen for carrying water, a method for boiling water, a good knife, 550 cord, tarp, socks, meds… bandages, and knowledge in making alcohol… and a backpack to carry this stuff in… I have everything I NEED to get everything I WANT….while mobile, I look like a bum…. torn jeans, brown t-shirt that use to be white…. I smell….full beard…..long hair…. worn sneakers…. I present myself as having nothing to my name and thus a worthless target that no one barely looks at…. I look like a desperate man that most people try to avoid…. they avert their eyes away from me and thus can’t describe me in any detail to authorities… I travel in the early mornings and late afternoons to avoid the crowds…. I rest or scrounge during the heat of the day…. at night, I sleep in any house I choose…. and I look for supplies I can’t replicate…. I believe the people that are truly free are people with no possessions… People with Cars are dependent on roads… people with bunkers are prisoners because they have too much to carry…. people with homes are slaves to the government and corporations… Between the Man with Everything and the Man you see as the Bum, which one is truly Free?
Thank you for your information! I hope you find a traveling companion!
Hi there! To build a good bunker you need a good engineer. Finding one is not easy, but there are good sites like Engre that display a lot of information on this topic, maybe their blog will help you.
Red, believe it or not there has been talk, although I haven’t heard it for a few years, to pipe water from the land of 10,000 lakes to the southwest. It wouldn’t surprise me if they actually did it.
People in well-watered stats have their own problems and states along the Miss already told them no. Oregon would be a better choice, but kali is replacing all nuke plats with geothermal, and they can generate a lot of water with that. In any event, it’s like the hand of God on them. Liberals took over in 2009, and that year the drought started. niio