# Apocalyptic Bunker Build



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

This is an interesting take on building a bunker. I find this guy pretty obnoxious, but it is the bunker that I was interested in. It was paid for by a sponsor of his, and is more of a man cave, than being equipped to support a family for the long haul.

When it comes to bunkers, I believe they need at least two entrances, but maybe that just makes them more vulnerable.

First Video

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bunker+colinfurze


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Other videos of the project*

The dig






Building it





Concrete





The bunker--man cave


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

This place sells steel shelters. I thought they were kinda interesting.

http://www.safecastle.com/shelters.aspx


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## havasu (Sep 4, 2011)

That was a cool build.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

To me a bunker is a death trap. It would be easy for someone to plug up the air holes. Or pour gasoline down them if the people inside don't come out and surrender.

I also wonder if anyone who builds one takes into account how much fresh air you need to survive. Can you safely use a wood or kerosene cooking stove without suffocating?

I think a bunker will be very damp inside too.

The good thing about one is being able to hide in an area with limited cover. Like where you have a 30 foot row of trees on the edge of a farmer's field. Of course if the trees are pine trees you could park a mobile home there too.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> To me a bunker is a death trap.


Might be pretty handy if there was a nuke war.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

hiwall said:


> Might be pretty handy if there was a nuke war.


Or a tornado or a riot. Something short term for immediate protection.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

BillS said:


> To me a bunker is a death trap. It would be easy for someone to plug up the air holes. Or pour gasoline down them if the people inside don't come out and surrender.
> 
> I also wonder if anyone who builds one takes into account how much fresh air you need to survive. Can you safely use a wood or kerosene cooking stove without suffocating?
> 
> ...


 The ventilation could be camouflaged. Why pine trees?


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

BillS said:


> To me a bunker is a death trap. It would be easy for someone to plug up the air holes. Or pour gasoline down them if the people inside don't come out and surrender.
> 
> I also wonder if anyone who builds one takes into account how much fresh air you need to survive. Can you safely use a wood or kerosene cooking stove without suffocating?
> 
> ...


Maybe you are claustrophobic?

I agree with Hiwall and Terri. There are many people whose lives have been saved by storm cellars. A root cellar could be built to be used for many other purposes in mind as well, such as storm cellars, nuclear shelters, and as bunkers.

Anyone who has the space and ability would be better off with one than without, no matter the negative aspects of being in one.

If there is a will, there is a way. I believe there are many ways to get around an open vent pipe sticking out of the ground, just waiting for someone to plug up or pour things inside. Vents can be disguised in many ways. Someone posted a while ago about using hollow fence posts with covered tops as ventilation.

I think a bunker will be as damp as local basements. I'd bet they would be better than living out with no shelter. Firing up a stove would help dry them out.

I have long wondered how people lived in the tunnels in Viet Nam. The challenges would include some of the same as living in a bunker.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

The biggest flaw is the ladder. Ingress and egress are just one thing to consider when looking at shelters and it doesn't do any good to have the perfect shelter if you can't get in it. Any type of physical impairment would make it difficult to use a ladder to get into a shelter. 

About ten years ago we bought one of those in-ground pre-fab concrete storm bunkers with a sloped roof. It took less than a year to realize even those few steps would be difficult to go down as we age, our physical prowess changes, the need to get the dogs in the shelter.... the list kept growing. This past spring we bought the same above ground storm shelter as Phideaux and it has none of the limitations we had with the in-ground.

While it's easy to oooh and aaah over shelters, you've got to get one that you'll be able to use in 10, 15, 20 years from now. Knees give out. Hips seem to have good days and bad days. Weight gain. Torn rotator cuff. Sprained wrist/ankle. COPD. Claustrophobia seems to be worse with in-ground shelters.

As with anything, you need to do your research. IMHO.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

If I had an underground bunker I wouldn't bury it without some sort or water proofing like a rubberized sealant. Around that I'd probably line a good layer of clay. Most importantly it would be well hidden and I would do the work myself so no one knew about it. I don't think it would be too difficult to hide vents in the walls of a small structure above. Maybe a mall stone shed above with a metal roof that cant be burned down with hidden vents that look like part of the structure? A secondary well hidden exit would also be high on the priority list. Be comforting to have something like that if it's done right. Great for short term scenarios and if you can make your house look looted already it would be easier to live quietly for a good while.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Country Living said:


> The biggest flaw is the ladder. Ingress and egress are just one thing to consider when looking at shelters and it doesn't do any good to have the perfect shelter if you can't get in it. Any type of physical impairment would make it difficult to use a ladder to get into a shelter. IMHO.


I agree. When I see the ladder to get into this bunker, I think about getting older or infirmed people or larger dogs in and out.That bunker could be modified though, that hallway could accommodate a set of stairs.

Of course, a person with plenty of money and ability could add an elevator.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

BillS said:


> To me a bunker is a death trap. It would be easy for someone to plug up the air holes. Or pour gasoline down them if the people inside don't come out and surrender...


And in a northern snow climate, follow your tracks back to your bunker.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

This is more what I imagine it is like to build a bunker, one shovel full at a time.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

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The last video was uploaded September 10, 2 days ago. That is a mighty deep hole.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

An Apocalyptic even, wow, haven’t thought about that one lately, like a good war or a good black plague or maybe the rebirths of the ten biblical plagues, wow, a good septic tank will definitely offer good protection while the rest of the world is dying, oh let`s not forget a good DVD library of disaster movies like the Blob or the volcano that swallow the earth or aliens from Mexico eat TX. I`m sorry if I sound skeptical or hypocritical but I don`t think of disasters, I think of ways on how to prevent them and how can we get along better with our neighbors. Oh and a good source of WATER would help some.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

readytogo said:


> An Apocalyptic even, wow, haven't thought about that one lately, like a good war or a good black plague or maybe the rebirths of the ten biblical plagues, wow, a good septic tank will definitely offer good protection while the rest of the world is dying, oh let`s not forget a good DVD library of disaster movies like the Blob or the volcano that swallow the earth or aliens from Mexico eat TX. I`m sorry if I sound skeptical or hypocritical but* I don`t think of disasters, I think of ways on how to prevent them and how can we get along better with our neighbors. *Oh and a good source of WATER would help some.


You can't prevent hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and blizzards. You can do your best to avoid them and be as prepared as possible but you can't stop them. I get along with my neighbors but they believe in FEMA and government help. Only one family has ever stocked up before a storm. I like my neighbors, but they are adults and need to take responsibility for their own welfare. I can't afford to feed the whole block.

One neighbor was bragging about how he still had water when all the pipes between Phoenix and Dallas froze but not once did he offer to give anyone water. I heard him tell another person that he felt sorry for us because we had kids and animals to take care of. Didn't offer water or ask if we had any. Fortunately we have 3000 gallons stored/kept warm so we took care of not just us but the family behind us who also had horses and kids.


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## AmishHeart (Jun 10, 2016)

I don't know about you ReadytoGo...
but I consider myself a prepper. I prep for things that I can't control. If I could control a disaster, then I would make it stop. 
Many preppers do prep for Armageddon, wars, famine, terrorist attack, civil war, take over of the US, economic collapse. (not just environmental stuff).


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

AmishHeart said:


> I don't know about you ReadytoGo...
> but I consider myself a prepper. I prep for things that I can't control. If I could control a disaster, then I would make it stop.
> Many preppers do prep for Armageddon, wars, famine, terrorist attack, civil war, take over of the US, economic collapse. (not just environmental stuff).


Me, too. We don't know what is going to happen. We don't know if or when we will be given 10 minutes to evacuate. We don't know when there will be an earthquake, a flood, a tornado, a fire, or many possibilities. We may think we are not bugging out, but life may have another idea.

That is why I keep an overnight bag packed with spare socks, undies, pajamas and toiletries, a BOB, a winter gear bag, a bag with my sleeping bag, pad, hammock, towels, small cook stove, and a cooler with shelf stable food and water.

But not knowing what could happen is also why I keep food, water, and other basics stocked with variations of possibilities. I would like a place to weather out a nuclear event, such as a fallout shelter, but I don't have the right property to create one.

Terms that I don't typically use in my life are apocalyptic, zombies, etc. The term was used in the title of the videos, so that is why I used it in the title.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

For any of you that can not afford your own nuclear fallout shelter just stop in down here and I can point out several abandoned mines that you can use! Most come with a modest food supply- snakes, lizards, skunks, spiders.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

hiwall said:


> For any of you that can not afford your own nuclear fallout shelter just stop in down here and I can point out several abandoned mines that you can use! Most come with a modest food supply- snakes, lizards, skunks, spiders.


I have thought about abandoned mines as a possibility. I believe there are many dangers in abandoned mines. I think of all the men who have died in mines and mining accidents. You need to be able to see well where you are going. The air would have to be good.Imagine having to be in one for 2 weeks, one of the time frames for waiting for nuclear waste to dissipate. It would be might dark in there.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

weedygarden said:


> I have thought about abandoned mines as a possibility. I believe there are many dangers in abandoned mines. I think of all the men who have died in mines and mining accidents. You need to be able to see well where you are going. The air would have to be good.Imagine having to be in one for 2 weeks, one of the time frames for waiting for nuclear waste to dissipate. It would be might dark in there.


It would certainly be doable with a little preparation. Most of the old mines have been there for 75+ years so the worry of a cave-in would be very small. Some are quite large but many have partially or in some cases completely filled with water.


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## ONEOLDCHIEF (Jan 5, 2012)

QUOTE=TheLazyL;427582]And in a northern snow climate, follow your tracks back to your bunker.[/QUOTE]

Not sure about that, I have watched the documentary Hogan's Heroes for years and the snow never led the Germans back to the tunnel entrance... :lolsmash:


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

ONEOLDCHIEF said:


> QUOTE
> Not sure about that, I have watched the documentary Hogan's Heroes for years and the snow never led the Germans back to the tunnel entrance... :lolsmash:


You think Hogan's Heroes was a documentary?


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Country Living said:


> You think Hogan's Heroes was a documentary?


The little guy laughing hysterically at the end of the sentence.... means it's a joke.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

This video addresses my concern about fire and oxygen consumption. Potential fires would be a reason to have a bunker, but it has to be made correctly.


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