[Cmpunk]

I was thinking of how i could make or turn something into a shelter for almost any situation, Then it dawned on me, a Pool think about it:

You've now got a spot for a latrine (the drain hole at the bottom), and a source of running water (while it lasts), and (depending on the model you get), a convertable water filtration system. In the event your area IS flooded during an unrelated Situation X, your entire shelter is designed around the ability to drain liquid out of itself. You might still have to leave, but could otherwise stay underground far longer than those whom have no drainage.

Electricity - The circuit to the light can be easily rewired to something like a rechargeable lighting system and a power outlet. That way if your area doesn't actually lose electricity, you can still use it from the comfort of your shelter, and even if you do lose it, at least you've got some light for a while so you aren't stumbling around in the dark, in the middle of an emergency, looking for a flashlight. You could even use it to power a refrigerator or freezer, and thus keep little Timmy's insulin cold (or some beers, whatever). Even if the juice gets knocked out, it'll stay cold for a while if you have the kind of unit that open from the top. If you had a fridge AND a freezer that open from the top each, you can use the freezer to store bags of ice, that can, in turn, be put in the fridge to keep items cold. In this fashion you could conceivably keep things cold for weeks if not months.

Structurally Sound - At least on the sides. The roof may be a bit questionable if you don't do it right, but at least you know the floor and walls are solid. The walls can be easily watersealed, and your floor is already smooth. The incline may seem a bit crap at first, but it's your built-in drainage.

Spacious! - Seriously. That's a really sweet amount of space that can be used to give you and your occupants a little privacy in the latrine, some storage space, room to spread out a bit, maybe even small private closet-sized bedrooms.

Easy to Finish - Everything except the roof, partitions, and stocking the thing, have been taken care of for you. The rest should be relatively easy.

Already have a pool? Consider turning it into a fallout shelter - How often do you use that pool now? How much per year do you pay to keep that pool maintained? How many of your family's lives could be saved if you had a big, reinforced concrete hole in the ground you could evacuate them to in the event of tornadoes or a bombing? How much food, medicine, and other vital equipment could you get per year with the money you'd save on not maintaining a pool?

[False God]

It sounds good on paper, like hiding in the sewers but It won't stand up in reality

1) the latrine drain: Pools have closed water cycle systems, the drain will fill up very fast

2) Water supply: see above, the water in a pool is from an external hose

3) cold in the winter

4) most people won't build a good enough roof

[Cmpunk]

Done right the roof could be just as good as the walls.

if you build a good roof and insulate the walls somehow it shouldnt get too cold.

[Sheepdog]

I've been entertaining the idea of renting a backhoe, digging a big hole, and burying an old unused cargo container. The kind that freight trucks hook up to and haul around, or like the ones loaded onto ships. There are plenty of unused one to be had for cheap if you know where to look.

It's a solid, metal structure that's prebuilt--just drop it in a hole and cover it up. You could run electricity to it, or put a generator inside.

Just a thought I had...

[CAVU45]

Sheepdog said:

I've been entertaining the idea of renting a backhoe, digging a big hole, and burying an old unused cargo container. The kind that freight trucks hook up to and haul around, or like the ones loaded onto ships. There are plenty of unused one to be had for cheap if you know where to look.

It's a solid, metal structure that's prebuilt--just drop it in a hole and cover it up. You could run electricity to it, or put a generator inside.

Just a thought I had...

The trailers used with trucks aren't sturdy at all. Look closely at the walls on one and you'll see what I mean. The freight containers on the other hand are solid. There were some camps in the ME that modified them for troop housing or stacked them and put guard towers on top. Problem though is that they aren't waterproof. They also make pretty good defensive walls at least for the short term.

[mattifikation]

There was a guy who did a YouTube video on how to do the freight container thing. I'm not sure if he used a truck container or a shipping container. I always thought they were the same thing.

[Cmpunk]

A Shipping one seems stronger.

[False God]

they are. We have some of those at our warehouse and they are built solid. Also, on the show mythbusters the use a shipping container modified with a viewing window as their explosives test container

[Lian]

Trailers for most over the road trucks are just a piece of plywood with a thin layer of sheet metal over it. You can actually break into one fairly easily with just a fire ax and a crowbar going right through the side of them. Those shipping containers are tough for a reason though. They are made out of solid steel usually because they don't play nicely with them. I've seen dock workers do all manners of things to them that would cause an average truck trailer to just collapse from the stress.

@ OP. As for a pool for a fallout shelter, I can kinda support it for just a couple reasons: It's a pre dug hole, and it has concrete walls, as for the rest of it they really aren't a good idea, they are set in low ground, have no cover, and aren't really designed to be readily modifiable for human habitation. They also have the slight problem of usually being full of water when you'll need them the most. Now I suppose if you have a pool in your back yard you could start working on a fallout shelter but if I can afford the pool in the back yard I think I'd just rather go the extra mile and build my own fallout shelter and leave the pool a pool.

[False God]

@OP, what? you don't have $40,000 to buy into a Vivos Shelter :roll:

[Toasty O's]

Sorry, a pool just does not fit with my "Always have a way out" mentality. Being stuck in a hole is not for me.

[Survivor243]

Maybe if the pool was on the roof of a very tall building...

[Toasty O's]

A pool on the top of a tall building would make a great cistern.

[Death Worm]

I have been thinking about something like an underground housing of some sort, but not quite sure what I could afford or would be ok with. I do have the advantage of recently purchasing a large home that has a basement with 2.5' thick foundation walls which in my opinion is pretty sick. Not quite sure why they built it this way but I have been thinking of using a portion of it to hide or store weapons and ammo plus a panic type room big enough for me and family for a short period of time. What do you all think, use basement or outside underground box?

[MorganaLeFaye]

The trailers might not work as bomb shelters, no shielding. But they would work as tornado shelters, or just a hiding place. Anyone seen THE ROAD yet ?

MOVIE SPOILER BELOW




The shelter they found in it looked like a tanker trailer , the hatch and the shape of the interior reminded me of what the inside of a gasoline or milk tanker truck would look like from the inside.

[Toasty O's]

Death Worm, on 25 August 2010 - 01:37 PM, said:

I have been thinking about something like an underground housing of some sort, but not quite sure what I could afford or would be ok with. I do have the advantage of recently purchasing a large home that has a basement with 2.5' thick foundation walls which in my opinion is pretty sick. Not quite sure why they built it this way but I have been thinking of using a portion of it to hide or store weapons and ammo plus a panic type room big enough for me and family for a short period of time. What do you all think, use basement or outside underground box?

You would still be trapping yourself in a box in the ground. It would be a good place to hide for the first few days, enough time for things to settle down a bit. After that, though, I would be getting out of there. A panic room is only a option if you have someone to come rescue you. Robbers will give up and go away, but a Z will wander around until you have no choice but to come out.

[Mr. Grey]

These guys aren't cheap, but they make some cool bunkers.

http://www.hardeneds...underground.asp

[Survivor243]

I plan on visiting the nearest Corell warehouse to steal a few 1500 gallon concrete septic tanks that are brand new, dug a hole into a side hill and lay them on side before covering them with dirt, save both entrances/exits where you can install doors, run water/electricity lines to the place and I'd last a couple days before the tight confines got to me.