Ways to Harden your Home

Exterior window shutters were originally constructed for light control, privacy, and protection from the elements.
Functional shutters hinge to either side of a window, and swing closed when necessary. A storm shutter is used to protect windows and doors in a building against the effects of high winds, rain, and flying objects during a hurricane, or as security gates over the opening.
They can be made of a variety of materials such as aluminium panels, iron, or wood and can be installed in tracks to be quickly opened and closed with motorized controls or by hand.

In my opinion, low tech would be much better. A functional window shutter that can be closed manualy and has horizontal and vertical slits cut into it (just large enough to poke a rifle barrel out and shoot) made from sheet steel, Not cheep alluminum would work perfectly.
This design was used on the frontier to protect from indians. You will probably have to make these yourself and decorate them yourself to make them look "nonfunctional" to keep a low profile, the powers that be don't really want you to have a hardened home.

Any other suggestions or comments?

reply to post by RedmoonMWC

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Good idea Redmoon. I live in hurricane alley and have pre cut plywood stored for covering the windows of my home.

In considering window coverings in time of civil unrest it might be wise to remember your home is only as strong as it's weakest point. A heavy steel cover will not be much good if your home is made of wood or something other than steel. If the walls fall down around you your goose is cooked.

If unable to build a bunker underground a safe room would be a good idea.

Dizzie

A safe room could also become a trap if there is no alternative way out.
but still a very good idea.

[edit on 9-3-2008 by RedmoonMWC]

True about the safe room becoming a trap but think about what would happen if you didn't have one and needed it. In my opinion its worth the risk

Bolt your house to the foundation. Most homes are just resting on the foundation with threaded studs coming up for alignment, but no nuts. Here in tornado alley the worst damage is done when a house is lifted right off the foundation. Special kits are available that can be anchored to the foundation if no studs are available or accessible.

Mine just took about a dozen 5/8" nuts and washers.

Tornado, hurricane, nuclear overpressure... the damage can be reduced and lives can be saved simply by holding the house down.

reply to post by RedmoonMWC

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Steel shutters would be as useless as a screen door on a submarine if the walls next to them aren't as equally well protected. Unless your living in steel reinforced concrete bunker or an adobe brick home, most rifle rounds will pass through normal stick frame houses like wet tissue paper. I've shot wimpy .380 ACP FMJ rounds and hand them pass completely through car doors and pass through the opposite sides.

That said, I think shutters are an excellent deterrent against most weather and would-be intruders. Most criminal gangs or even armed thugs are very reluctant to commit a frontal assault on armed foes. When confronting and armed party, 2 people can defend themselves quite well if they aren't standing right next to each other. Whenever possible, put a squad member on your enemies left flank. Most folks are right handed and it will take longer for them to bring the point-of-fire to the left than to the right. Two shooters firing at 90 degrees to each other can cover a very large area with their field of fire.

I am not trying to be argumentative here, but I am actually an expert in this area. A right handed shooter rests his right cheek on the riffle and rests the riffle butt on his right shoulder. Pick up a stick if you have no riffle handy and mimic this action. You will find that it is much easier to swing that riffle to a point on the left than on the right. The left you just have to swing it, the right you have to turn you entire body to include your feet.

Years ago, I was staying in a hotel in Turino, Itali. The building must have been hundreds of years old. The room had an interesting blind system for the window.
You have to imagine a vertical track,on either side, filled with something like 2x2's. They were boards lieing horizontaly, with the ends of each board fitting into a track. You pull on a cord and they are pulled apart by about an inch and a half between each board.
Pull on the cord more and you lift the whole thing up, and can have partial shade, or keep pulling and the whole window is open.
I was amaised at how simple a system could work so well, to keep out the heat of the sun, or whatever. It seemed to me to have to be very strong and resistant to vandalism or break in.

[edit on 9-3-2008 by jmdewey60]

You want to talk about a totally hardened home, look into building with sandbags.

I think the term earth bag is actually more common in reference to building materials.

6 inches of sand will stop all common riffle rounds, even a 12 gauge slug.

Earth insulates better than almost anything out there as well and built properly the home would be earthquake and tornado proof as well.

You can stucco or plaster the sides of the exterior to make it look like any other home as well.

The only problem is getting past building departments that require ICC reports.

reply to post by cavscout

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Wow, talk about a good idea, cheep building material too. Put in a standard concrete basement and use the dirt to build the walls, I'll have to look at this idea to see if it can be made structurally sound for support walls. I dont think I would want to use a standard sand bag as they don't last very long.

Any more ideas out there? Post construction and/or new construction?

[edit on 9-3-2008 by RedmoonMWC]

Did some preliminary research and found some interesting web sites.
I found these links very quickly:
www.networkearth.org...
www.greenhomebuilding.com...
Interesting idea.

reply to post by cavscout

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I'm getting dyslexic in my dotterage, you're quiet correct. It's been 20 years since my convoy defense training. My left, their right.

Would it be okay or just easier to commit suicide if the world comes to this?

reply to post by pluckynoonez

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I guess suicide is an option if you prefer death to capture and/or possible enslavement.

The Jewish males at the Masada Fortress on the Dead Sea elected this option when facing the possibility of enslavemrent by the Roman legionaires after a 3 year siege. They killed their families, then slayed one another to avoid capture.

It would definitely not be my first choice, nor would I recommend it to anyone else, but I guess there are a lot of things worse than death.

Just keep your chin up, and fight the good fight. Win or lose, you did your best, and that's all any reasonable person or God can ask of you.

Like in the story of the three little pigs, a brick home would seem to be the best option. Reinforce the inside walls with sandbags, brick up all lower level windows except for small viewing ports, put a sprinkler system on the roof in case of fires, install steel doors and casings, then pray it's enough to stop all but the most determined aggressors.. Barriers lining the way up to your house would be even better. Anything that will slow them down and give you more time to repel them.

If you're like me and finances are not on your side, then you'll have to make the best of what you have available to you, then pray even harder that it's enough.

[edit on 3/10/08 by LLoyd45]

Sheesh, no one thought of this one yet?

Move in a Scotsman!

You home will then be hard as nails

all very well and good , BUT :

if a location is robustly defended - it sows the notion in the minds of any one who does a quick recce - that there is something being defended - which is worth having

and once they believe that - they will go to greater lenghts to capture it .

a usefull analoght is the plot of the 2nd ` mad max ` film

at the end - it turned out that the fuel tanker was filled with sand , not petrol - but lord humongous and his gang - attacked it relentlessly - right to the bitter end

2x8 , 2x10 , etc. Plank walls, floors and ceilings.


I purchase and renovate condemned buildings... I usually end up scrapping some scabbed on back addition when I purchase and gutting the remainder of the interior.

I use all of the framing from the back addition as floors, walls, and ceilings. I also collect scrap structural lumber from the curbside around town... I pull nails, square ends.... and tack it to the structure; then sand it clean and tung oil.

No more secure feeling in a strong wind storm than sitting in a room with structural plank walls, floors, and ceiling...

sure beats 3/8 drywall and carpet.

Hurricane and Tornado Country,

Sri Oracle

reply to post by ignorant_ape

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Most of the fortifications can be done with no one being the wiser. Sandbags placed along the inner walls of the home (when needed) will only seen by the home owner, and many people elect to have steel core doors and casing for security reasons. The absence or lack of windows on ground floors is not so uncommon in today's crime ridden society as you might think. I hate having lots of windows personally. If you look at the majority of home invasions they occur in homes with sliding glass doors. Why anyone would choose such a door eludes me.

Most people do have something valuable to defend, their life and that of their loved ones. People will still try to take what is your's in such a situation, even if it is only your dignity.



[edit on 3/10/08 by LLoyd45]

Personally I think it is better to be able to move about freely in a defensive situation. You will always need an out. In my opinion it is better to hit and run even if you are retreating. But having said that if you must stay put I highly recommend a book titled The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book. It is available at a website by that name. It gives great ideas on underground living that are economical, cheap, and well hidden. A house that no ones knows is there needs little or no defense. Check it out.

respectfully

reluctantpawn