Construction Above ground storm/fallout shelter 1.0

mechstdr submitted a new resource:

Above ground storm/fallout shelter - for high water tables or lack of excavating equipment.

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My ballistic concrete posts has a lot of info about making concrete.

 

checked the post but didn't finish reading yet.

 

I'm thinking about making this out of cross-ties. I'm pretty sure I can get enough.

With some hugelkulture draped over and around it, it'll even blend in with the garden.

 

Dry stacked concrete blocks filled with concrete, sand, gravel, etc. could be stored for future use and fashioned into a shelter in a short time. It would be especially efficient if constructed inside a structure (garage, barn, basement, etc.) to offer additional protection and shielding from fallout and radiation.

 

Zimmy can you get ties 10 + feet long ? I have never seen any in that length, but don't have much experience with either.

 

Maybe.....

Bridge ties are longer and thicker than standard ties. I think I know of a place I can get them in east Texas. At least I've heard of a place to ask around about.

When I was younger, I could carry a standard tie without trouble. No way I could carry the bigger ones.

 

I'm with there sir, used to throw 1 of those big oxygen bottles on my shoulder - can't do it anymore LOL Didn't know there was a difference in size in ties, good luck in getting them, in someways they may make construction easier.

 

That is one of the advantages to working with concrete blocks and various kinds of fill, the individual units are relatively light weight. We sell cross ties at Rural King, and they are heavy! Normally, we use a forklift to load them, but 2 men can load a few!

 

There's a number of shelter plans using block etc. listed/uploaded by Asia Off Grid in construction & shelters in resources check them out.

 

I'd be reading up on shelter builds using sandbags - cheaper these dayz and a bundle of a 1,000 doesn't take up that much storage space ....

 

A thousand sandbags don't go very far and it takes a lot of time to fill them. I always get a laugh out of those folks that fill a dozen sandbags to prepare for a hurricane.

 

The agony of filling 1000 sandbags to make a 4' wall cannot be understated.

 

who has the storage space or $$$$ for the 3-4,000 concrete blocks that 1,000 sandbags fill in for???
eazy to knock other people's postings - where's your answer Smart Guy??
entirely tooooo many fucking a-holes on this site

 

#1-I got a big-ass metal barn, and the concrete blocks could be tucked away in a corner! Or they could be placed outside, with the sand or gravel!
#2-I got the money! Actually, the cost isn't that much!
#3-I believe you are overestimating the number of concrete blocks and vastly underestimating the number of sandbags. My guesstimates are about 2,000 concrete blocks and 10,000+ sandbags! (My estimates could be wrong for a 10'x20'x6' shelter, as I have never worked with sandbags and sizes vary).
#4-It is a lot of work filling sandbags and slow. With concrete blocks you just dry-stack a layer and pour sand or gravel in and lay another layer. Quick set concrete and rebar in the corners and on long runs helps too. Crossties for a roof with sandbags (I'll use the chain-hoist in the barn to lift and place the crossties).
#5-We were talking about above-ground shelters and the ease with which they might be constructed. Me, myself, I'm still planning on going below-ground.
Sorry to hear about you leaving...we need ass-holes on this site too!

 

Wall?
Dude, make a hooch...

 

Speaking of hurricane shelters
DuPont’s Monolithic Dome Hurricane Shelter | Monolithic.org