crawl space shelter

[rockriver]

with the threads about nukes.
and the concerns of what should we do if...
brings up a memory of a house i saw...
of course, this wasn't me,
and whoever did it.. the "digger" has now sold the house.
i saw another sandp fellow there one time but it was before the digging.

house was a ranch built on a gradual grade downward (front to rear)
there were finished rooms on rear side of house basement.
house had a concrete block walls/foundation on lower level.
concrete block wall (load bearing) separated basement from crawl space.
unfinished was a crawl space that angled 3ft at the front to 7'6" at the rear.
owner had to install a door to the crawl space so that the a/c could be changed out.

one shovel full at a time.
some dirt went up to reinforce/insulate exterior conc block walls
some dirt went outside in 5 gallon buckets (carefully crossing white carpet covered with plastic!)
finally 400 s.f of space was 7'6" high.
cracks in block walls were patched. then block walls were sealed with waterproof sealer.
conc block wall built along front side leaving some crawl space.. back filled with dirt 4 ft high.
one wall was only conc. block. plastic sheet and framed.
other walls were 2 to 4 levels of block/framing.
exterior walls were underground ranging from 3' to full depending on location.
heavy steel storage containers lined walls where there was least protection.
heavy shelving covered balance of walls especially where least protection.
owner advised he didn't have to heat or cool even though house was in so. georgia.
he tapped into a water line. and a septic line.
he left tools to access a bathroom. .

i forgot what all the guy had stored in there.
if you are on a crawl space this is doable.
yes water infiltration is a concern. in the above example.. 5/6 of walls were inset many feet from exterior of house. in that area.. the ground was sloped away from house and plastic was installed "to cut down on weeds"
the neighbors were told.

i wish i had that situation.
hmm. crawl space is about 3 to 4 feet.. it would be tough starting off -- you couldn't stand up.
i could have interior access.
maybe through a closet.
trap door and a ladder.
it would take a while.
i might wish i had if i don't

what about it guys/gals?
what have you done?
what has a friend done? recommendations?

[motesjm]

A previous owner of the last house I owned did the same thing. The original house had a partial basement and he expanded the basement under about 1/3 more of the house, and had started digging more of it before he changed his mind for whatever reason. Just about all of the area that he dug out but did not finish with block and slab was deep enough to walk in without bending over. He did it the same way - shovel and wheel barrow.

I had a full basement put under our new house, which is almost unheard of in this area. The front porch was constructed with a retaining wall that comes all the way up the north wall and is filled with dirt and then poured over with concrete making the above grade portion of the north basement wall effectively 9 feet thick. I wanted to do the same thing with the south porch but I ran out of money before we got to that point. Right now it just has a standard wood deck, but I hope to make it right within the next few years.

The biggest vunerability my case is overhead. Comparatively there's not much mass to block radiation from fallout that settles on the roof. Really its just shingles, roof decking, insulation, sheetrock, tile, cement board and subfloor decking. Sounds like alot but all together thats probably only 3 inches of material whose average density is much less than concrete.

I'm also trying to figure out ways to re-inforce the floor overhead in the case of wind or blast damage. I just got through saying there wasn't enough material overhead but its surely more than I want collapsing on us in the basement.

[rockriver]

mote.
sounds like same program.
and the same concern about overhead.

here's what my guy did.
one end of the area was narrow and a turn.
18x 7 and a 5 x 8
many pieces of plywood and framing were propped up against one wall. tools, nails, screws at location.
in case of event. in short order a "ceiling" could be constructed. and "stocked"
rr

[Rmplstlskn]

I guess if one wants to spend months and months of every spare hour digging and hauling dirt manually, have it... And then have what in the end? A root cellar? Nah... It would be good exercise, though!

I would rather rent an excavator for a day (couple hundred $'s) and dig a hole HYDRALICALLY I could then pour concrete floors, walls and an exit, then form up a reinforced concrete top that could be placed on top...

The more I see examples of "primitive living" where people "flee Babylon" and have no power or heavy equipment, the more I appreciate the amazing POWER to build and construct that we now have... Like renting an excavator for a day... Less than $300 and you could do some serious ground work with that puppy! Add a trencher and you can run whatever lines you want underground... I am gearing up to do a water tank storage room and a concrete patio with trenches for lines very soon in just such a way above...

Rmpl

[rockriver]

rmpl,
bad advice given the situation.
the house i described was in a neighborhood where the houses were close together.
2 problems conflict with your advice
1 the owner did not want everyone to know what he had for privacy reasons and did not want to alert the local tax man.
2 there was -0- room to dig something with an excavator.

so - follow your advice NAH


hydrAUlic equipment such as a back hoe, loader, excavator is commonly used if the situation allows.

good luck on your root cellar.
i'm absolutely sure that if my contact had lived in a location where using
heavy equipment would fit, he would have.

now in YOUR case and many here on this forum the folks live on land with a lot of acres. if they dig a bomb shelter, storm shelter, or ROOT CELLAR other folks would not know or care.
so, congratulations.

rr

[rockriver]

trying to post a quote... learning.

I guess if one wants to spend months and months of every spare hour digging and hauling dirt manually, have it... And then have what in the end? A root cellar? Nah... It would be good exercise, though!

I would rather rent an excavator for a day (couple hundred $'s) and dig a hole HYDRALICALLY I could then pour concrete floors, walls and an exit, then form up a reinforced concrete top that could be placed on top...

The more I see examples of "primitive living" where people "flee Babylon" and have no power or heavy equipment, the more I appreciate the amazing POWER to build and construct that we now have... Like renting an excavator for a day... Less than $300 and you could do some serious ground work with that puppy! Add a trencher and you can run whatever lines you want underground... I am gearing up to do a water tank storage room and a concrete patio with trenches for lines very soon in just such a way above...

Rmpl