Building your own backyard survival shelter
Having a survival shelter near your home may be the only way to survive an apocalyptic event like the detonation of a nuclear warhead. When it comes to building a survival shelter, you can either do it yourself or hire a qualified contractor to do it for you.
The latter option can be expensive, but it may be your best choice if you don’t have a lot of construction experience. If you’re willing to put in the time and learn, you can save yourself a lot of money and build one for your unique needs.
Shelter Specifications
If you’re thinking of building your own survival shelter, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the proper technical specifications to make it as safe as possible and capable of withstanding a major disaster. Currently the Government’s advice on survival shelters is as follows:
- Depth– The top of your shelter should have at least eight inches of soil above it. If you can’t build one underground, you’ll still need about eight inches of soil covering your shelter to protect you from radiation. Some experts recommend a depth of three feet.
- Concrete– This is your best choice when it comes to protection against radiation and electromagnetic fields caused by a nuclear explosion. Your shelter should be surrounded on all sides by at least three inches of concrete. If you’re doing it yourself, make sure the walls of your shelter are at least 18 inches thick.
- Login– The door to your hideout should be made of the thickest metal you can find. Barring that, a large concrete slab covered with a half-inch sheet of steel will also work. If possible, align the entrance so that the door opens like that of your home. You can also make your own like the basement hurricane doors with steps leading to the shelter. It is best if the entrance is an “L-turn”.
- A person’s place– The bigger your shelter, the more it costs to build and maintain. You need a designated space for each person so that it is bearable to stay in it for weeks or months. You can fit bunk beds with at least three feet between them, and you should have at least 20 square feet per person so people don’t feel crowded.
Air supply
Be sure to include an air filtration system when designing your survival shelter. You can’t just vent to the outside world. You need a system that will clear the air of radiation particles. This usually comes as an A/C attachment that sits above the intake valves.
water
You will also need to figure out how to provide clean water. You will need to store and treat the water, then distribute it to your shelter’s taps and wash units. Rainwater can be one of your best water supplies, and you can install iodine tanks or solar distillation systems before water enters your survival shelter.
Sanitation
Finally, you need to think about drainage. You must have a way to get human waste out of the shelter as soon as possible. You can use a simple pump that takes the waste to an underground tank. Just make sure the tank is large enough to allow people to stay in your shelter as long as possible.
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