How can I make a hidden storage bunker.

Wile you are at it get some big round concert pipes and bury them so you will have an underground craw way from the house to the shed and one leading off property so you will have an escape route.

When you build the house leave some space inside the walls for storage. Make a full basement but make it look like a ½ basement this way you will have space for a shelter.

If you buy 2 tanks you can put one in the ground cut the top out of it leaving a foot around the edges do the same to the bottom of the other one. Glue the two together and it will be twice as high with a shelf around the inside.

 

Some have said that you should put your box under the floor of a shed, I can not recommend that. If it is under the floor it is just too easily detected with metal detectors or ground penetrating radar. If it is under a shed floor they can just open the door walk in and start searching. If it was me I would put it some where that searching will take some effort like a junk pile with lots of sharp metal and broken glass, a trash heap with broken bottles, used cat litter and messy baby diapers or in the middle of the nastiest hog pin on the face of the Earth. Put it where someone is not going to like under the swimming pool. You have a craw tunnel to get in to it so you do not need an out side entrance.

 

Is it possible to lay in the culvert pipe( 90degrees tothe foundation ) and"carefully" remove or punch through a few blocks without compromising the basement(foundation)wall?

 

"Lintels"????? Is that anything like an illegal immigrant?
I Better leave my foundation alone,

 

Doesn't Bobcat make a mini backhoe that you can rent?

Can it dig a hole 6 ft down?

If yes, that's my answer -
Rent the thing, dig a hole, bury a box, cover.

Of course, Id' need something smaller than a cargo container - maybe 4ft high x 8 x 10 (I'm just thinking storage away from looters - nothing too sophisticated)

 

What you need to do is sit down with a structural engineer and ask him which area can be removed.

 

Hmmm dont know just how one migh hide a burried stash from thourogh search.

On a TOTALY different line of thought though, it sure is a pain to recover tools you forgot were laying on the floor of a grain bin/silo after you fill it with grain. You know, those metal tubes that poke up out of the ground with concrete floors and hold up to lots of tons of feed corn, grain or whatever. It takes opening the lowest opening and shoveling all that corn out of the way then shoveling it up off the floor untill you find the tools. You could try to find metal stuff with a metal detector but with all that mass of grain between you and the floor and the rebar in the floor...then if theres to much in it you have to look through the metal structure too. .....its just easier to go buy a new wrench from the hardware store.

 

A utility vault would accomplish the same and might be less expensive but I'm not sure of that not having priced either. However, any precast concrete structure, vault or septic tank probably won't be cheap especially one large enough to possibly pull up temporary residency in. I've never done a price breakdown on how much square footage I would need to build to offset the cost of a precast unit.

As you know without even factoring in the permitting/plan review process, if they would even issue a permit and permit fees, the cost are going to add up very quickly. There are so many different factors associated with underground work that I can see why you were contemplating an above ground structure.

Unless a person knows a contractor that has the form boards and all the associated hardware, equipment and tools that goes along with pouring concrete, the cost of pouring your own concrete structure won't be cheap. Especially if you want to do a monolithic pour for all the walls, thus eliminating the amount of cold joints needing to be sealed. The amount of form boards will add up real quick. If a person wants to use regular plywood they better factor in additional supports since it will flex way more than form boards.

The cost of an excavation contractor will kill you, unless you rent a trackhoe/backhoe. Even then the rental costs do add up if you aren't prepared and/or organized in the construction process of the structure.

Hopefully folks thinking about doing any excavation on their property take into account the need for shoring and/or the angle of repose needed for their soil conditions if wanting to daylight the excavation site. I can not stress enough the safety factor when excavating, I've seen my share of cave-ins even with shoring and coffins. This equipment can fail if not used properly or wasn't properly maintained by previous users, sh!t happens.

Even if a person doesn't want any utilities (creature comforts) inside the structure they would probably want to consider some sort of footing drain. Which opens up another can of worms, where are we going to dispose of the ground water. Can we drain it by gravity to say the cities storm sewer or dry well or will it need to be pumped to a point of disposal.

The only way it would be financially feasible for me is to do-it-myself. Even though I have a very large inventory of hand tools, power tools and equipment I would need to borrow and/or barter with some of my fellow tradesmen friends.

The only things I couldn't do myself or don't have access to is putting an Engineer's and/or Architect's stamp on the drawings for the permitting process. About the only way I could get away with not permitting it would be to hand dig under my house. Which opens up a huge structural engineering issue and is more manual labor than I'm willing to exert. I know how much work is involved with doing this type of project (without going under my house) with the use of mechanical aids let alone manual labor, screw that.

ETA: I know that I didn't cover all the aspects that could be associated with this type of project and only scratched the surface of all that could be involved.

 

Here's pretty good link to an audio/video at Utility Vault's website for those folks unfamiliar how to install precast concrete structures underground.

Hit the red highlighted link on this page to take you to the Installation Guide.

http://www.uvauburn.com/knowledge/install.asp

I'll see what I can come up in the way of building plans for those wanting to build their own underground structure.

 

contractors"job(site) boxes" are rugged as all get out,lockable and reasonably sized,

 

Permit we don't need no stinking permit. At least not here you don't. Here you are suppose to get your well and septic inspected and thats it. As long as you have at least 5 acres and live out of town/city limits.

OGM

 

Hey they're warranted, so incase they don't work you'll get a refund? LOL