Don't ask me why, but I have this urge to build an underground shelter. Not only would it be a good thing to have for my family and I, but it would also be a fun project nonetheless.

Can anyone help me out here and maybe direct me towards some good information that would help me accomplish my goal of building an underground shelter?

We have a basement here in the house, and I would love to dig right in the basement, but that's not going to happen, specifically because the basement is finished and in very good condition so I'm not about to tear it apart. However, we do have a small amount of land in the backyard which I could easily tear apart and make some sort of underground bunker or shelter.

I'm aware this wont be an easy task, but I feel energized to do it and a need to as well. Plus it would be fun I think, I already have ideas planned out in my head, I just need to put them on paper. But before doing so I was hoping someone could provide me with some links or some personal advice on how to build one, where to start, what supplies I'll need, and what supplies to include etc... So if anyone can help me out I'd appreciate it.

Get shovel

Dig

Check depth

Dig some more


Rinse...repeat



(Sorry - had to :-)

I've been looking into underground shelters for a few years, and I have a few suggestions.

1) Do a LOT of research first...
By that, I mean THINK before you make any irreversible decisions. Think about whether or not you want a contractor to do your work for you, or if you want to do it yourself. If you hire a contractor, it's gonna cost you, and they're going to put that thing wherever you TELL them to put it. Which may not be the BEST place, right? If you build it yourself, on the other hand, you may not be following safe and sound construction techniques. You need to READ a LOT, and RESEARCH underground construction techniques, or else you might be building a death trap, okay?

Believe it or not, some of the really old issues of Popular Mechanics have GREAT home-brew bunker plans, which were very popular back during the Cold War. You can find underground bunker plans on Ebay dating back to the 1950s and 1960s — I've purchased a few, in fact. Aside from that, try Googling "Underground Bunker Plans" and just MARVEL at the results.

2) Examine your property for the best location...
First off, building in your basement probably is the worst idea. Let's say we actually have a nuclear strike, or a major natural catastrophe such as a hurricane or earthquake or volcanic eruption — your house could collapse, right on top of your bunker. Many, many TONS of rubble, right on top of your bunker. It's a death trap.

Build out in the open, and not near any tall structures. Build out in the open, and NOT underneath any large trees... Same reason. If a big oak tree comes down on your bunker, you could be trapped or worse. Also, large trees have immense root systems, and growing root systems can compromise and even penetrate an underground structure — even a structure reinforced with steel and 2 feet of concrete. If the structure is penetrated, it'll flood. Count on it.

Observe your property for about a year, if you can wait that long, and WATCH for areas of flooding, as well as areas that never flood. DO NOT build in an area that floods regularly or that takes runoff from adjacent property. Again, I don't care HOW sturdy your underground structure is, water finds a way to penetrate it. Every time.

3) One of your greatest concerns should be ventilation...
Underground engineers have known for centuries that ventilation is the difference between life and death. Back in the 19th Century, railroad builders discovered that the BEST WAY to cut tunnels through mountains was to dig two tunnels, side-by-side, one for the railroad itself, and one tunnel to provide ventilation. This innovation saved countless lives and it's a technique still used to this day.

As this pertains to underground bunkers, you must think in terms of two separate ventilation systems to provide a flow of fresh air through your bunker. You can certainly disguise your ventilation ports above ground (and we can talk about that later in the thread), but you need 2 independently functional ventilation systems in case one is disabled somehow.

Once you build the bunker and get in there, you have to check both ventilation systems regularly to make sure they're open and permitting the free flow of air. This is especially important if you're thinking of a filtered ventilation system capable of preventing toxins into your bunker.

Anyway, there's a LOT to think about before you begin, including how you intend to dispose of sewage and bring in fresh water, among other things. Let's hope this thread generates a lot of good suggestions.

— Doc Velocity

Thank you for the replies. You both definitely brought some things up I didn't think about, which I'm glad you did.

I really don't have the money to pay someone to do this for me, but I have experience with some of the things needed to make a shelter, and for the things I am not good at or don't have experience in, I know someone who would help for free more than likely, so that's a plus.

I'm going to try and choose a location that would be best. My backyard is not big (although past my property is a large field which I wish I could take advantage of). The yard works out nice though because it's built sloping down just a tiny bit (sloping down going away from the house), which means the water catches at the end of the property line, and not on the property itself. We have never had a flood, even doing large hurricanes the house was fine (other than some little damage to the siding and such).

Look up a book called "How to build your own underground home" by Ray G. Scott. It's got a bunch of explanation and photographs and stuff. I haven't tried to build anything out of it, but it looks useful, and has some good ideas. It might be available online in pdf format somewhere.

You should still look through that site, they have a lot of good information, much of which comes from the Swiss Civil Defense Bunker Program:

CONCRETE SHELTERS:
Swiss shelters for private homes must are built to a minimum code of 1 atmosphere (15 psi), and government civil defense shelters are built to a 45-psi code. Military and critical mission personnel in Switzerland are assigned to heavy blast shelters in the 200-psi plus level. Please take note that our ‘All Hazard’ steel shelters, if installed correctly, also protect to the 200-psi level. We believe these Swiss codes should set the standard for shelters in the United States.
…
People in America mistakenly believe that shelter ceilings and wall slabs of an 8-inch thickness will protect them from the effects of radiation and blast. They have been misinformed. Eight inches of concrete, with no building overhead, will give a radiation PF of less than 8. Even in low radiation risk areas, this level of protection is not adequate to save lives. The accumulated dose for one week would reach between 300 rads and 600 rads, with an expected probable death rate between 50% and 100%. The minimum blast and radiation requirement, with no building overhead, is 22 inches (see chart below).

Shelters built under a building, however, have an automatic PF of approximately 15, because of the mass of the home and roof above. An eight-inch slab roof under a building will give a PF of about 100. People in low to medium fallout risk areas will most probably survive with no symptoms. People in high fallout risk areas, however, will receive about 200 rads, with some deaths. They will also be expected to have an 11% increase in survivor cancer deaths later in their lives. This concrete level does not meet the 14-inch minimum blast and radiation requirements for shelter slabs under buildings.
The following are the minimum concrete thickness for Swiss standards of 15 and 45 psi.

ETC…
There is a lot more on there then what is on the side bar, its sort of hidden at the bottom of each page. Just keep hitting the next page button at the bottom.

You're in Philly according to your profile location, which presents a number of problems. First off, the last time I was in PA the soil was mostly clay, which is terrible for building a shelter as it provides no drainage for water. Secondly your area is not a good one in the case of either a major earthquake or possible fallout as a result of a war…

Maps from FEMA/USGS:



On a lighter note, being in mountainous terrain you will not have to worry about tsunamis, hurricanes, or large tornados...

Lots of Mines in PA that would offer much greater protection then anything that you could personally build in the case of war or disaster (well other than an earthquake, that is).

Definately check into your Local Building Code and get the right permits to build this on your land, I know it sucks, but I wouldnt want you to get into legal troubles

Check with your local city planning and permits office, likely located at your city hall, they should be able to point you in the right direction