Dear Jim:
There has been such a great response to the article I wrote about using the basement in my home as a survival retreat, and I want to thank everybody for taking the time to read both parts—and to respond with some great questions. I wanted to take a moment and address a few of the questions, and perhaps give a little deeper insight into the arrangements, processes, and the solutions I have found to each of the various questions.
First, and most importantly, I would like to stress that I’m not claiming this to be the ideal solution. My intent, and the thought process I used while setting up this retreat, was to create a very short-term means to provide for the safety and security of my family. In no way do I recommend or expect this arrangement to be a long-term, permanent solution to a survival situation—instead, my goal was to create a way to lay low during the opening salvo of a major catastrophe, let things sort themselves out for a few days, and then move on to better arrangements. Ideally, I would not hope to be confined to this arrangement for longer then 10 days, with the real intention of using this as a viable survival retreat for a period of 3-5 days, or until a time where we can begin the journey to a more permanent place set up for an extended collapse—and this may be the subject of a future article because it’s one of my current projects.
Ironically, all of the questions and issues which have been brought up are issues I’ve had to address in one form or another during this process—and when I wrote these articles I decided to focus more on the main theme to keep it at a readable length, and omit many of the logistical and technical needs, details, and solutions associated with this arrangement for the purpose of expediency.
Greg L. asked about restroom and sanitation arrangements, along with cooking scents. The restroom issue, for obvious reasons, was one of the first issues I had to address. How I decided to address the bathroom issue was by three methods. First, I have a curtained off area in the rear of the basement to use as a bathroom area. I have purchased a store of 5 gallon buckets, with lids, to use for the purpose of storing waste. Please remember, also, that we are not completely confined to this basement—so during certain times these filled buckets of waste could be moved to an upper level of the home or outside and hidden in a nearby wooded area. I have also gathered a supply of lye powder soap and sawdust to add after each use to eliminate smell and help with decomposition.
For the basic toilet set up I currently have a lawn chair with a hole cut out in the middle—eventually, if I ever get around to it, I would like to create a better solution for the seat. The area where the bathroom is curtained off also contains one of the window wells now blocked off, and I have kicked around the idea of running some PVC pipe back up through the window, rocks, and soil, for the purpose of venting—but this is going to be a major undertaking, and I wish I had thought of it before I filled the window wells.
As far as the smell of food cooking, the plan is to use MREs while in the basement; for ease of use, ease of waste disposal, and to minimize cooking smells. I don’t expect any group to set up squatter’s rights in our home in the first few days of an event, so I’m not really expecting a parade of people moving through the upper levels. Maybe I’m dismissing this issue too easily, but it’s just not something I’m too worried about right now.
Dave in Missouri asked about the furnace, A/C, and hot water heater, and how these impact the useable space. Our A/C is located outside of our home, so it’s not a problem. The furnace, water heater, and water softener are in the basement, but due to the size of the basement and the placement of these appliances they do not cause much loss of space or hinder any of the plans and preparations.
Kathy H. had some great points and issues. The issue of waste and sanitation I addressed above. The issue of CO2 buildup will not be a problem because the basement area is not completely sealed off, and the size alone, coupled with the fact I do have a hidden and secure window I can still open and use to vent gases has me pretty secure in using this basement for the short-term.
The one issue Kathy did raise that has caused me a great deal of thought is the issue of moisture or flooding. I have only had one issue of water in our basement in nearly ten years, and this was due to getting 7 inches of rain in an hour and a half one summer night long ago—so the basement has proven to be fairly impervious to normal rainfall amounts so far. We do have a sump pump, and I’m still in the process of determining the best options for a backup power source I can rig up to use should the weather during our stay in the basement be less then ideal. To find the solution I’m working by the premise of having total failure of the power grid, so battery backup or a solar powered alternative will be what is needed, and I’ve yet to come up with the ideal solution as of this point.
Water is among my greatest fears right now for the basement retreat, and if I ever need to use this retreat for the purpose and reasons it was created I would like to have this issue put to bed—so I’m open to any good ideas from anybody out there.
Dr. A.W. mentioned the need to have the basement area, or any underground area, checked for Radon gas. In our area every home is inspected, during the sales process, for Radon gas. I have also tested it myself with a home test kit that can be purchased at any hardware store—and so far I don’t have any problems with Radon. Great point, A.W., and thanks for the suggestion.
Again, I would like to stress I don’t think of this as the ideal solution—but it is a solution available to me at this time, and instead of dreaming of distant retreats, endless food stores, and the utopia of survival land I decided to use my the things at my disposal, within my budget, and in a way that presents the most realistic scenario should the worst events come to pass. I do hope to improve my plans, upgrade my arrangements, and hopefully someday create that “perfect” retreat—but for the time being, and with the current problems we are facing in this nation, I wanted to have a place I could use now—today—to keep myself, my wife, and my children alive and safe.
I hope some of you may be able to incorporate some of these ideas into your own plans and arrangements, and I’m happy to answer any question that might help.
Thanks and good luck! – Jeff W.