Category: Retreat Architecture

Hello, I’ve been reading your superb site for some time and have learned a lot. There’s lots of interesting and helpful stuff. As a family, we are about to leave the shores of ‘Airstrip One’ [England] and have purchased a few acres of Greek island to return to our smallholding roots. Our patch, in common with most places in the Med, is in an earthquake zone and we own a hilltop and steep slope. The area is also prone to brush fires in the summer. My query is, should we cut back the vegetation on the slope for fire suppression …

Hello James, It has been a busy weather pattern for this early in the spring in our area. Two weeks ago tornadoes, yesterday, snowflakes! I have been surveying some of the damage in our area and have been surprised at the damage a F1 category tornado can cause. It is imperative to understand that while a large percentage of homes built today are constructed to withstand 120 mph sustained winds, that this does not take into consideration that flying debris (like entire oak trees, cars, etc…) with large mass [that] cause enormous damage when faced with a sudden stop. There …

SurvivalBlog reader J.C.S. recommended a site by a gent that used school buses to build a fallout shelter: http://www.webpal.org/webpal/index.htm Doc at http://www.bigsecrets.cc recommended this site: http://www.undergroundhousing.com/  Doc says: “The author of “The $50 Underground House Book” did not start out to design a livable fallout shelter, but that is what he did.”

Mr. Rawles, I came across a website which I thought your readers may be interested in, especially if anyone is considering building a fallout shelter. The Swiss, perhaps the torch bearers of civil defense and preparedness, have made available online a listing of what they call “Civil Protection Components.” Essentially they offer a list of parts approved for use in shelter construction that have been tested to meet or exceed their requirements for use in a shelter. These parts lists comprehensively cover building construction parts, sanitation, ventilation, electronics, generators and transmission equipment. On top of it all the Swiss have …

A vault door may not be necessary unless you really need a blast door or you are very worried about theft. If you are far enough from a likely ground zero and able to at least somewhat hide your door, a steel fire door will probably suffice nicely. For bargains, look for commercial demolitions, or contact people or companies who do this. Tell them you are looking for a swinging conventional doorway sized steel fire door, preferably with the steel frame, dent and scratch is fine. If you must buy new, find a 90 minute rated steel fire door. They …

James, In response to The Army Aviator: Sodium silicate a.k.a. waterglass might be able to make wood water resistant. I would treat a shingle and then test it with a blow torch. I am a big proponent of Barricade gel which is the same dry gel which is in baby diapers. (See: http://www.barricadegel.com/ ) It was available in a home protection kit and is probably the next best thing to a house-sized fire shelter but for a much lower price. The only problem is that Barricade needs to be sprayed on around 24 hours before the flames come. Otherwise it …

Windows give you natural light and solar heat gain, but they are also the most strategically vulnerable part of your home or retreat and largest source of heat loss in conventional construction. The R value (measuring insulation or resistance to heat flow, the higher the more insulting something is http://rvalue.net ) may be an incomplete, and “apples to oranges” number as pointed out by David South of Monolithic Domes http://www.monolithicdome.com/plan_design/rfairy/ but, for my purposes here it does give us a reasonably quantitative basis for comparison. Remember, the higher the R number, the higher the degree of insulation. Here in Wisconsin, …

Hi Jim, Do you know a good place to buy sand bags? Here in Florida there is plenty of sand, but I need to buy some sand bags to put it in. Thanks. Joe JWR Replies: In the U.S. there are several good sources, but prices vary widely, so shop around.  (From as much as $3.75 each in small quantities to as little as 38 cents each if you buy in lots of 1000.) For example, see: http://www.1starmy.com/products.asp?subCategory=490&parentCategory=486 http://www2.rangersurplus.com/long.asp?tgs=5144548:8550080&cart_id=&item_id=2290 http://www.preparedness.com/floodprotsan.html (The lowest price I’ve found on small quantities–around $1.80 each.) If you want to buy in quantity (perhaps a group …

In previous articles, I talked about what exactly is needed to stop different types of projectiles to include lists of materials and the thicknesses needed to achieve the desired protection. Here, I’m going to talk about some specific items you should give consideration to protecting at your retreat. Yep, your gonna need a lot of sandbags. No way around that. Some things we can get creative with, some we cannot. Let’s start close to home. If your house is not of the construction that will stop bullets, and you intend to live at that house after TSHTF, then we have …

This is in response to a letter from B.V. (posted 1/12/06) on Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) and http://www.polysteel.com. As I said in my 1/7/05 letter, the major shortfall of this type of construction is the roof. Otherwise, this a good idea, in particular to insulate the concrete wall from the elements so it acts as helpful thermal mass for heating and cooling efficiency. Also, reinforced poured concrete is far superior to block, just try drilling through each sometime. There are several companies that make these systems. I happen like the hanger system (for joists and trusses, etc.), and the system …

James, Have been reading your Blog on Dome Homes. Was wondering if you have considered/ reviewed Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs). They appear to have several uses, good thermal factor, ballistic protection, and they look fairly do it yourself. See:  http://www.polysteel.com. Can you comment on these? – B.V. JWR Replies:  ICF is an excellent construction method.  ICF houses are very well insulated and offer above average ballistic protection.  There are several competing makers, of whom PolySteel is the best known.  See the Survival Blog Archives for previous discussions on this topic.  

Mr. Rawles, I really enjoy and appreciate the articles on your website which include information not otherwise available and which are very helpful in my efforts to develop a self sufficient rural life style that will survive the coming earth changes, and weather and financial disasters that may engulf the economy over the next few years. I recently contracted for and occupied a 40 foot diameter geodesic dome home with an all concrete shell. My wife and I have lived in it for two years and we love it. These homes can be beautiful, strong and very functional. My home …