Slashdot Mirror
Hobbit Hole + World Class Fallout Shelter
ChaosMt writes "Slashdot has covered buying missile silos before, along with buying old microwave bunkers to provide the ultimate level of data protection. Making your own Hobbit hole has been covered too. Now you can have it all in the best shelter I've ever seen (even beating the Subterranean Fortress) in an undisclosed location outside of Durango, Colorado. It may not be your cup of tea, but it is very impressive to see and compare to your own disaster planning."
... it doesn't handle Slashdotting.
Wow, these guys really are preying on your fears, aren't they? Remember all the nutjobs who ran for the hills in the middle of all the Y2K panic? That was funny enough, but pushing this kind of place, on the vague premise that 'there hasn't been a virulent epidemic for a while now', is just silly...
cleverly hidden 550 cubic foot root cellar is roomy enough to hang four elk quarters in and has large shelves for other food storage
Yes, becuase my FIRST thought was to use the room for hanging elk meat.
...when you can just duck and cover?
Only a few hours after a mushroom cloud was seen at the border of China and N. Korea, the people of Slashdot are looking for fallout shelters.
Considering the batshit-crazy Kim Jong Il still runs N. Korea, maybe that's not such a bad idea after all.
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
Blech! I expect to see LaLa jump out of that hole in the ground.
The Ultimate Secure Home
Home front
The artificial rock front blends in perfectly with the natural environment
Some years ago, the owners of this property had a log hunting cabin in another part of Colorado. Beautiful, yes, but the wood construction posed numerous problems. Several "near-miss" incidents made the family realize how vulnerable the cabin was to any number of disasters and threats. A winter storm, which blew the front door open, might have caused the water pipes to freeze and break, flooding both the upper and lower levels, resulting in many thousands of dollars damage, had it not been discovered in time. A forest fire, which started when a tree fell on the above-ground power line leading to the cabin, came frighteningly close to the wood structure and to within just a few feet of the above-ground propane tanks. A hailstorm necessitated a new roof, a new paint job, and major repairs to the siding. The large front glass windows were spared from damage, but nevertheless were extremely vulnerable. And finally, when the cabin was broken into and many valuable antiques were stolen, the owners decided to look for a safer kind of structure for their retreat, and a better, more remote location.
After spending 2 ½ years studying every kind of alternative home construction, everything from earthships made out of spare tires, to rammed-earth construction, to monolithic domes, they ultimately realized there was only one kind of construction that would afford them the kind of security they wanted: an earth home (made with Formwork's patented thin-shell concrete construction technique). The house they finally built is not just any earth home. It is what has come to be known in the industry as a "secure home." It is an unparalleled model of the ultimate secure home. Its many features will amaze you.
While the term "secure home" is still relatively new to the general public, this unique segment of the home construction industry has, for the past decade, been growing steadily, albeit slowly. Presently, with the increased threat of major terrorist attacks, many more people than ever before are building secure homes. Also, more contractors and consultants have recently dedicated themselves to the concept of disaster-resistant and self-sufficient residences. It is only with a realistic understanding of the potential for terrorist attacks, and the magnitude of the problems they could cause, that one can truly recognize the value of a secure home.
This patented steel-reinforced concrete earth sheltered structure, properly called a thin-shell dome, is built to withstand almost any natural or man-made disaster you can name. And that's not just an idle promise. These buildings have withstood tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes - some measuring over 7.0 on the Richter scale - and in every case they have come away with no structural damage at all. Unlike monolithic domes, and all other types of home construction, only Formwork's concrete domes can be completely buried deep underground.
The house has 2472 square feet, with an additional 800 square feet in the attached 24' x 36' underground garage. The main floor of the house consists of a large living room, two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, pantry, and laundry closet. Upstairs is a loft and two multi-purpose storage/sleeping rooms. The house currently has ten beds in seven different rooms. There is lots of additional space for other cots or bedrolls. A 22' long x 6' wide hallway leads to the garage. This hall is lined on one side with 18" deep shelf units, providing a considerable amount of quick-access storage. The other wall of this hall is a convenient place to store larger items, such as skis, bicycles, or a vacuum cleaner, that wouldn't fit on the shelves. Additionally, a large storage attic is found above the garage.
The living room's high-domed ceiling gives the room an open, spacious feeling. A custom steel stairway leads from the loft to a cupola perched on top of the house. Light from the cupola gives the sa
I mean, I've always liked the idea of having a bunker-house, but when it's this nuts, it's a little overboard. And the page-author is full of dung (vis. the follwing quote) "If the phone lines are ever down it will not be possible to get news via the internet." What century are they in?
I really pity these people. They make the Slashdot tinhat-wearing clique look like a group of upstanding, optimistic netizens. Then again, where would these anti-disaster companies be if there weren't such nutjobs running around and confining their families and lives to isolated hobbit-like crapholes? I can see the need for a storm shelter, or a tornado shelter - but those make sense for those who live in vulnerable areas, but sheesh!
A blog like any other.
..And live in the center of a city.
In Finland. I for one welcome any scared slashdotters.
The "best shelter" site is already down. You can try Google cache
best shelter I've ever seen
Unfortunately you are the only one who will ever see it.
Not because I think it's especially necessary, but because it's just really neat. I mean, if people insist on consuming resources for silly things you gotta admit an underground radiation proof hidden house is a lot more interesting than these thirty million dollar celebrity mansions.
This a) doesn't label you as a target for people looking for easy money and b) let's you live out those childhood fantasies of having a fort to retreat to (and to be honest, don't we all wish we could disappear into our own basement fort and vanish from the world once in a while?) Plus, there's always that 0.0000001 chance it might actually come in handy due to an event like it was designed for. Not a war probably, but suppose some terrorist sets off a nuclear bomb nearby? Not only would such a place be useful in ducking away from fallout, but unlike a full scale nuclear war a terrorist attack is worth surviving because there's still a world left over to come out to.
If that doesn't scream either hobbit or smurf to you, then you are crazy. If only I weren't a poor college student.
frankly, i was surprised at the low price, currently offered at $ 495,000. maybe that's high for the area, but for everything you get, that seems like a pretty good deal.
... that's pretty cool. Hobbit-hole, indeed! I say back down on the "imminent plague" bit and promote it to some environmentalist/Nature-loving types: doesn't have too big of a footprint, "energy-optimized"... you can imagine the little chipmunks and squirrels bounding about on top of the roof. Heck, you could make a small development.. and maybe make it a gated community to boot. Winding roads through wooded hills, no more evidence of human habitation than the driveway will provide...
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
oop, try this
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
I feel strongly that it would be more worthwhile to try to remove the cause for a nuclear holocaust than building shelters like this.
But in US: act in the peace movement and youll probably be judged as a terrorist/communist or something antiamerican.
Many of the sites I read about this talks about how state-of-the art protection can be out in the middle of nowhere, but _getting_ there during a national crisis is another.
The worst kind of biological exposure is one that has a decent incubation period then nails you later in the blink of an eye.
You're either already exposed getting there, in which case you bring it with you, or include pointers and tips on how to cover yourself by getting to the safehouse without being exposed - something missed by most pundits on this issue.
When CNN screams, "We're being bio-attacked!", you get to jam yourself amongst the thralling masses trying to get away? Not good...
Never have a philosophy which supports a lack of courage
For a truly awesome construction alternative, check out http://www.monolithic.com/gallery/homes/ Energy efficeint, structurely superior, and highly affordable. Not to mention one helluva conversation piece!
------ Send your whines to
Frankly, I just don't care . . .
What people have to remember is this:
Denver, CO is set up to be the next Washington, D.C., in case the latter ever gets wiped out. Norad is based in Colorado Springs. Both of these potential targets are quite far to the northeast of Durango. The closest strategic targets I can think of are really Denver, Colorado Springs, Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque, and Los Alamos, White Sands, etc. in NM, and maybe some proving grounds and bases in Utah and Nevada. Durango is NOT a target, but it's kind of in the middle of these other, good targets. You'd expect to get a bit of fallout there from a large-scale attack. Having a fallout shelter is GOOD, I suppose, if you're worried about that.
In addition, Durango is one of these "new Aspens", where college students hang out, there are a lot of older locals (ranchers, Navajo, people who showed up before the '70's, mainly), and so forth, but there are a LOT of VERY rich people around (WalMart heir rich; 4th richest in the US rich), who can afford these kind of eccentric houses (and seem to get off on living in this gorgeous place, and ruin the whole atmosphere at the same time because then no one else can afford to live there ).
Finally, a lot of people hunt in Durango (and all over the mountain West). It's the kind of thing where you get a few days off in the fall to bag an elk or bear. So the guy's comment about elk hindquarters, although strange to a lot of people, are very common to people from the Rockies.
Really, if I had a huge underground complex under my house, I wouldn't tell a soul. I mean, haven't they seen that episode of Twilight Zone.
... the more quickly-lethal a virus is, the less likely it is to spread far out.
Ofcourse, the reverse also holds ground.
Right now, the most lethal *virus* would still be HIV IMHO (IANAM):
- long incubation time
- terrible outcome without treatment
And even with treatment, the toll on healthcare is quite big.
The only thing making it less dangerous is that it is spread through very distinct ways, and not by air, I guess.
Slashdot: stuff for news, nerds that matter, matter for news, stuff that nerd
You're thinking of "The Shelter," from the 3rd season of the original Twilight Zone.
The other poster apparently has in mind "Shelter Skelter," from the new Twilight Zone series that aired in the 80's.
In "The Shelter," everyone knew about the guy's shelter. In "Shelter Skelter," only the guy's wife and small children knew, plus a friend he happened to tell the day the accident happened (who he locked in with him). His wife didn't tell anyone because the guy had become such a survivalist nut that she felt the children were better off growing up without him.
Both were great episodes.
~Philly
I for one do NOT welcome our new dominating Overlords, and will be hiding from them in my subterannean lair.
I know nothing
Just two weeks ago, a similar thing happened to a young teenage girl two houses down from me.
This is a little offtopic, but the principle is the same. Its what happens when you have something others can take.
Her parents had to leave on business. It was her first time. Alone. She was frightened and lonely. She called *one* friend to come over and share the evening with her.
No sooner than her friend got there, could she call a friend over too?
Out comes the cellphone. Boop!Beep!Beepety-Boop! - Yakyakyak. Presto! Friend of a friend shows up. They have cellphones too.
Soon the air is ripe with Boop-beepety-boop-yakyakyak. Chain reaction. Friends of friends of friends call yet more friends. Exponential unchecked population growth.
For her, it was out of control. She couldn't leave the house, and had no idea what to do. She tried to evict them, but nobody would listen to her. Her house was now filled with people she did not know. First the neighbors thought there might be a problem, but when they saw so many people over there, they went back to bed just thinking she was just being socially noisy.
I heard it too, but generally I am quite tolerant of someone having a "social" provided they don't make a habit of it, or cause me problems.
It had gone past being noisy. People had not only brought their own liquor, but had also broken into and decimated anything of value in the house. It seemed no-one knew whose house it was, so it didn't matter anymore. Besides they were all drunk anyhow. The scene was reminiscent of the "old-West bar brawl".
If it wasn't for some frustrated and sleepy neighbors calling the cops on this noisy party, it would have been only her parents arriving to break up the mess.
As it turned out, the cops broke it up about 4AM, and the parents re-arrived about noon to a total shambles. All of us neighbors got a free tour of the demolition zone.
Its quite a condundrum. Nobody knows who did what. So its hard to go after any particular individual for damages. And the insurance company is reticent to call it a covered event because the calamity was "invited".
Just a word to the wise. Just because the law recognizes your property rights doesn't mean people will. If you have something like this - as much as you may hate to do this - even inviting one "friend" in could easily end in disaster.
My own recipe for survival is to have a really good knowledge of how things work. So no matter what goes wrong, I can fix it. Even if I can not fight worth a damn, or have much financial strength, I feel if I can make myself valuable to those that do, it will be in their best interests that I survive, just as it is in my best interests my tools survive.
Its times like this I feel I should have studied medicine instead of engineering. Everyone wants to make sure no-one harms their doctor!
Having something just means you have the onus to defend it. Or its quickly not yours anymore.
My greatest feeling of security is knowing that no matter what happens outside my realm, I know enough how to maintain my realm to keep the pumps running and the lights on. No matter what.
Being able to continue to operate autonomously in the event of separation from any central "authority" is my main thrust for running either older or open source stuff, as in the event of any disruptive activity, access to any central rights licensing/permission granting authority is apt to be denied.
Or worse yet, if the rights licensing/permission granting authority has been destroyed, I have no intention of having my data files suddenly rendered inaccessible and useless as those old Circuit City Divx disks suddenly became when they pulled their licensing server.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
http://www.williamlishman.com/underground.htm
He also happens to be the "real" person behind the Fly Away Home story.a y.html
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMoviesToronto96/sep8_flyaw
And that means that if you want to buy an underground shelter you have every right to do so, and fuck the people who insist that you should do other things with your money.
It's *your* money, not the money of these socialist-wannabes. Screw them and the horse they rode in on.
Besides, the idea of a fortified home seems pretty neat, even if relatively useless. If I had the money I'd certain do something along these lines. Talk about the ultimate in toys....
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means...uh...concrete.
Man, /. REALLY hammered this page. It's been completely taken offline. Check the Google cache by going to Google and entering "cache:www.ultimatesecurehome.com" in the search box, or go to The Internet Archive and use their Wayback Machine to pull up the page. Interesting stuff, though it takes some effort to pull up thanks to us geeks ^_^
ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
...compare to your own disaster planning...
Yes, of course. My own disaster planning...
I must be missing out on something there. Perhaps because I'm not an American? I don't know, but the only disaster planning I do involves wondering how I'm going to explain my latest eBay purchase to my wife.
> 1. It won't be in operation all the time ;-). And there'll be a smoke trail on the snow; and there'll be the scent of combustion by-products in the air. And if they *ever* screw up and burn green wood or organic waste, they're gonna stand out like a tree in the desert. You're just not going to heat with wood and be anything close to secret.
;-) The possibilities are endless...grenade down the chimney; dynamite down the chimney; bio-agent down the chimney; John Tesh CDs beamed down the chimney; etc.
;-), but I've read enough science fiction to take a stab at this... if you want to survive, you'll band together with enough others to form a critical mass that can accomplish two basic tasks: food supply (by farming/hunting/gathering) and security (by defensive layering and communication and lottsa ammo). Your structures will be right out in plain sight, so that no one can approach them "by accident." You'll have big nasty signs telling any and all to stay away, and armed sentries/snipers to give the signs some teeth. Whatever electricity you can generate will be used for powering a telegraph, or HTs, or signal lights...any means of communicating that enable to outflank attackers and screw 'em good. Etc.
Granted; but see next
> 2. Proper combustion doesn't lead to much smoke, but you still need to vent the exhaust, as you need to get rid of the CO2.
In the "normal" wood-burning world, you've got a couple cords of hardwood seasoning outside and a thermometer on your stack, and it's reasonable to expect 90% of your burns will be low-creosote, low-smoke. But the heat will still be visible (and not just during the day -- take a look around a cold-weather neighborhood during a full moon, and notice all the racoons that gather on rooftops on or near the chimneys
And the chimney itself means you're never going to be secure. Give me a gallon of ammonia, a couple of old towels, and a chimney -- I can drive you out of your semi-sealed house in no more than a few hours. It's even easier when the chimneytop is at ground level
Yeah, my reaction was broad...but I think people like this, who seem to genuinely think they're getting some kind of shelter against a breakdown-of-civilization by hiding away, are totally nuts. Security through obscurity DOES NOT WORK, right?
Mind you, I've never experienced the end of the world (except in a Freudian sense
> I'd be more worried about the access road.
Exactly. Chimney, road, solar grid, animal tracks, worn paths...these people will be lucky to last a month if it all does truly go to hell.
education is no substitute for intelligence
it is on highway 550 just north of the NM border. ironically, the guy bought it to weather Y2k ;-)
it is fairly impressive though, has two diesel generators with enough battery to last a good week without sun...
in case you are worried about the end of the world but think it won't reach DGO.
BTW, it would be no good for flooding as it is right next to a river in the mouth of a canyon and wouldn't be safe from roving banditos as it is right next to a major highway that connects western CO to ABQ NM. but then again, maybe he knows something we don't.
TB