Category: Retreat Architecture

Letter Re: In Defense of the Fortress Mentality–and Architecture

CPT Rawles: Rolled [woven] cattle wire and green landscaping cloth strike me as something that could be whipped up into a do-it-yourself HESCO barrier. And then there’s good old-fashioned Basket Weave from saplings. (which is still in the current US Army Engineer field manual, believe it or not) To save on wire (i.e.: Eliminating the end panels on a HESCO that but up against each other), perhaps two parallel fences can be run with posts and filled in between them with rock, dirt, etc. Also, I grew up on a farmstead in New England that was built in the 1760s. …


In Defense of the Fortress Mentality–and Architecture

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I recently got an irate letter from an outspoken Peak Oil commentator who often stresses “community agriculture” and “sustainable development.” He castigated me for “advocating a fortress mentality…” and “encouraging gun-buying…” I think that he meant those as insults, but I took them as compliments. I am indeed an advocate of the fortress mentality, and fortress architecture. The two go hand-in-hand. As I pointed out in my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”, modern American architecture with flimsy doors and large expanses of windows is just a 70 year aberration from a global …


Letter Re: Ballistic Protection From Compressed Earth Blocks

Jim: Some folks tested .50 BMG bullets on unprotected 18″-thick earth bag (Compressed Earth Block (CEB)) walls. See; “Bullet Resistance of Compressed Earth” located at the Earth Bag Building Blog. There is a YouTube video attached though. I thought this was pretty important, as this is the type of housing structure my husband and I are using. – Sky Watcher.


Three Letters Re: Question on Burying a CONEX

Three Letters Re: Question on Burying a CONEX Jim: I have buried a CONEX for cold storage.  I put a 6″ thick reinforced concrete slab on the top to ensure the 3-4′ of dirt on top would be supported. Also the shelving inside has a support post every 4′ on both sides of the CONEX and this helps support the roof.   It takes a lot of waterproofing to ensure the metal sides and bottom won’t rust out.  The only advantage of the CONEX is the excellent doors and locks.  After finishing the project I would agree with you on simply …


Letter Re: Question on Burying a CONEX

Dear Mr. Rawles,   My husband and I live in rural North Central Florida.  We have been working on our food storage and supplies for years.  I keep everything in my house but my husband and I are frugal and we keep the air at 80 degrees in the summer and 68 – 70 in the winter.  Not ideal for long preservation.   We have been discussing a storage shelter for years and I would like your readers and your input on an ideal that I’ve been kicking around.  I was thinking of purchasing a steel freight CONEX container, coating …


Introduction to UV Air Treatment, by Michael M.

My interest in ultraviolet (UV) light systems began a number of years ago with the introduction of a UV system in the discharge effluent stream of water at the wastewater plant where I work. If it works in water I thought, then why not air! The removal of pathogens from the water was most impressive and a mystery, So I hit the books and the Internet to learn more.   Here is a light summary of what I learned: The sun generates ultraviolet rays. These rays are natures way of purifying the air. When sun passes thru a prism it’s …


Inventory, Organize, Adapt and Overcome, by T.C.

My wife and I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and we have been in serious preparation mode for about a year now. Let me explain what I mean by serious preparation: I am talking about creating a defend in place (bug-in) plan and a bug-out plan along with identifying and obtaining the necessary resources to carry them out. Understanding how to Hunt, fish, trap, raise livestock, garden, can and preserve food along with the necessity of having an alternate heat and readily available water sources are still a way of life in the Appalachian Mountains. …


Letter Re: The 31 CONEX Dream Home

JWR: A fellow citizen of the Great White North is building his house, off-grid, out of CONEXes (commonly called sea cans). Check his web site out, and his YouTube videos (from local television news channels). My understanding is that he’s only 75% done, but what an effort!  (I’ll bet that having two metal towers on your house would be good for a couple of LP/OP positions..) God Bless, – J. in the Great White North


Letter Re: Constructing an Aboveground “Root Cellar” in Florida

Jim: In regards to running a small “window” air conditioning unit off of a solar powered system, I can convey some of my experiences. I have a total of 3,160 watts of solar panel power on the roof; about 1,700 watts feeds my 24 volt DC “house” system (mostly lights, computer, entertainment system, ½ of the kitchen outlets, and the fridge) while the remaining panels are wired for a totally separate 48 volt DC water heater system. Two 2,500/5,000 (peak) watt inverters are used for each system, each “slaved” to the other of the same voltage to synchronize the alternating …


Constructing an Aboveground “Root Cellar” in Florida, By R.R.L.

First , to tell you a little about myself.  I was a prepper in anticipation of Y2K, had the property, cabin, most of the works and of course nothing happened. (my family thought I was nuts) We all went back to our living.  Unfortunately sold our property, because of an illness.   I never thought of continuing on for future problems.  I was awakened by talking with my brother earlier this year when he told me about SurvivalBlog.  So needless to say I am a prepper once again, but this time my whole family is.  I am preparing my parents home …


Back to the Basics–Heating, Cooling, and Water All in One, by Mike C.

Description A quick “how to” system that will gather air on one end, run it underground, and output it to another system that collects the moisture from it in order to produce drinking water while altering the temperature of a living structure to a level that can sustain life.  Please note that every house, landscape, and geographical location can be vastly different than the next and it’s therefore impossible to give a thorough how to, independent research must be conducted by the reader. Introduction Preppers have the amazing talent of separating need from want in life, and the need factor …


Letter Re: Advice on Constructing a Hidden Basement Room

Greetings Jim, I am finally closing on my house next week and have been putting together a plan (on paper) for turning the back half of my basement into a secret room accessible via a hidden staircase from one of the main-floor bedrooms. The basement is currently accessible only via a door in the floor of a utility room on the back side of the house and I plan to build a closet over the door to conceal it. However, making another hole in the floor to add a staircase leading to the basement will require far more skill than …


Three Letters Re: Keeping Secrets in Suburbia–Constructing Our Hidden Basement Room

James Wesley: In the article “Keeping Secrets in Surburbia–Constructing Our Hidden Basement Room, the author describes the difficulty they had removing hard-packed dirt with the consistency of dried concrete, and using an air chisel to break it up for removal and excavation. I’ve faced a similar problem with an underground excavation of a basement and egress tunnel in the granite and sandstone beneath the foundation of my own retreat home in the Western US. My answer came in the form of a good deal on a slightly used Bosch #11304 “Brute” breaker hammer electric jackhammer, suitable for use either with …


Keeping Secrets in Suburbia–Constructing Our Hidden Basement Room, by A.

A year ago our preparations had grown to a point where it was becoming noticeable to the guests who visited our home. Our ability to keep our tin foil hat craziness under raps was becoming increasingly difficult. Aside from the fact that we have teenage boys and a daughter and all of their friends regularly tromping through our house, for security reasons alone, all of our assets were virtually displayed in our basement and needed to be hidden. Yes, our guns are in safes, but the last thing we need is some parent freaking about ammo cans, reloading equipment or …


How We are Making Changes, and Our Lessons Learned, by K-Dog

After college (in the early 1990s), I was educating myself about finance even though I was not employed in that industry, I felt that if I was going to be responsible for my own financial well being during life I better start my education. I learned quite a bit, but failed to act on any of the information.  I was constantly seeking more and more info, then I had a series of jobs changes and got married, our first house and hence missed the “dot com” stock rally on all levels. Looking back I associate this with information paralysis. Lesson:  …