Hidden food storage rooms

[Guest]

I'm a country boy by heart, but married a woman that had a house in the burbs, and no way out for awhile. The house has no basement, on a slab, so it's hard to hide or disguise food. Anyone have any idea's on a blind wall or hidden room?, on the cheap. We have big azz bedroom, I could build a blind wall, and store buckets. I have been laid off for 14 months,and still looks grim, just not alot of money. I have heard of the paint trick, but when an intruder see's 20 or 30 buckets in a closet, he's going to wonder. Any idea's would be appreciated.

[2682nscovell]

I'm a country boy by heart, but married a woman that had a house in the burbs, and no way out for awhile. The house has no basement, on a slab, so it's hard to hide or disguise food. Anyone have any idea's on a blind wall or hidden room?, on the cheap. We have big azz bedroom, I could build a blind wall, and store buckets. I have been laid off for 14 months,and still looks grim, just not alot of money. I have heard of the paint trick, but when an intruder see's 20 or 30 buckets in a closet, he's going to wonder. Any idea's would be appreciated.

Hmmm, without space it makes it very hard. You could hire a contractor to dig a basement?

[Sunshine]

Well I don't know about a false wall but I had to be creative with my food buckets due to lack of storage. I made furniture with them. Crazy I know, but it worked. I removed my bedside tables and replaced them with 2 buckets stacked with a round piece of wood atop and then covered it with a round table cloth (bought at Garden Ridge). You can't tell!! I did this in all the bedrooms. Next I will replace my living room end tables with buckets.

[runtothehills]

Well I don't know about a false wall but I had to be creative with my food buckets due to lack of storage. I made furniture with them. Crazy I know, but it worked. I removed my bedside tables and replaced them with 2 buckets stacked with a round piece of wood atop and then covered it with a round table cloth (bought at Garden Ridge). You can't tell!! I did this in all the bedrooms. Next I will replace my living room end tables with buckets.

,
Great idea! But let's keep it on the low down! lol! This one company, started making gun safes out of picture frames, nice! But soon the crooks will get wise to it.

[2682nscovell]

,
Great idea! But let's keep it on the low down! lol! This one company, started making gun safes out of picture frames, nice! But soon the crooks will get wise to it.

Good point... In the event of not having a place to store your food; I would bulk up on a security system and weapons. Get yourself a german shepherd, and some weapons and you will have to defend what is yours.

[IronShepherd]

I'm a country boy by heart, but married a woman that had a house in the burbs, and no way out for awhile. The house has no basement, on a slab, so it's hard to hide or disguise food. Anyone have any idea's on a blind wall or hidden room?, on the cheap. We have big azz bedroom, I could build a blind wall, and store buckets. I have been laid off for 14 months,and still looks grim, just not alot of money. I have heard of the paint trick, but when an intruder see's 20 or 30 buckets in a closet, he's going to wonder. Any idea's would be appreciated.

How about something outside. I have seen small containers burried in the ground, such as plastic garbage cans, that were used as food storage. This would be in the $25 to $35 dollar range depending on the size you buy, and would be something that could be done in less than an hour. Another idea may be to dig a cellar. I don't know much about the process but I've heard of people digging them by hand. You could cover it with a fiberglass or metal well cover and nobody would ever know that you had an underground storage room that could easily double as a storm shelter if needed.

[Benn Gleck]

Got an outdoor storage shed? If not build one, then start digging a "root cellar" under it.

[kappydell]

Root cellar? Try smaller with a buried clay culvert. Like a mini-basement. Put gravel in bottom of hole for drainage, then the culvert on its end, then dirt around. Top with plywood or other cover, then more dirt. Some use hay bales instead of dirt, easier to move out of the way. That way it looks like you have hay mulch 'just sitting' there. Of course, you would have to open the hole when nobody was around, but one culvert section holds a lot of 'taters. Or carrots. Or other well sealed items.

[protus]

Root cellar? Try smaller with a buried clay culvert. Like a mini-basement. Put gravel in bottom of hole for drainage, then the culvert on its end, then dirt around. Top with plywood or other cover, then more dirt. Some use hay bales instead of dirt, easier to move out of the way. That way it looks like you have hay mulch 'just sitting' there. Of course, you would have to open the hole when nobody was around, but one culvert section holds a lot of 'taters. Or carrots. Or other well sealed items.

if the buckets are packed right( mylar/etc) he could just bury them in a pit, line them or the pit, and line the top ( ply wood, heavy plastic etc).
Of course this means extra work when its time to rotate or add to it lol.

I was looking at doing a false wall here in my one closet. its a 6x6 walk in. but i figured, if someone wants to steall ALL of my food, along with all the other stuff here, they may be a while and draw a few eyes. plus how can they carry two 5 gallon bukcets and the Xbox at the same time ;p

[Edgemont]

Runtothehills,

check out this related thread

https://www.survivalandpreparednessforum.com/showthread.php?2771-Storing-5-Gal-Buckets

[wipeout]

When we first moved into our house we used rubbemaid bins for end tables. Three years later they're still there but with plywood, and cloth over them, can't tell they're 20 gallon totes unless you look.

[Bear4570]

I have a friend who was in the same boat, small house, not alot of extra income, no basement, fairly small yard. He found an old chest freezer, one of them big dudes that you can hardley reach the bottom about 6 feet long. Buried it in his back yard after painting the whole outside with bed liner. Then he built a garden type bench that sits on top, but folds back to expose the top of the freezer for access. Pretty slick job, you could never tell it was there, with the small amount of yard decorating he did around the bench. He can stack 5 gal buckets two high and two across with room on the sides in what he refers to his "food bunker".

[brokedownbiker]

For the normal sized canned foods like soups and veggies, you can build shelves between the wall studs and have removable panels to access them all over the house. If you wood paneled walls it is much easier than if the walls are Sheetrock of course. Virtually every wall in the haouse can be turned into storage that way. If your place is built with 2x6 studs, you even have the room to store long guns in that manner too.

[Elza]

I’ve thought about using septic tanks. (New ones, of course!) The clean out opening could be extended to ground level and easily concealed. Water proof the outside and it should provide protection for anything that you want to put in it.

[PerryJeff]

don't forget to look up. below the rafters . It is a hot spot but if you get some of those 4x8 insulation sheets then cut 24in wide or what ever to get it op there can build a little box and then put some vent fans or if you have some AC pipes running by tie it in. If you have a flat roof or close I have seen several enclosures for a/c units on the roof. It will look strange when you first put it up there but tell people it is a second a/c unit or solar unit. Could even put solar panal on south side of it. Within 3 month's no one will think anything of it.