# What do you need to know before building your bunker?



## lancestar2

I know this is a very general topic but I know there is ALOT of very educated people on this topic here and I would love to pick your brain a bit so I can better plan my future, that way I have all my ducks in a row for when it is finally GO time!

First of all do you need permits to build your own bunker or can you get away doing it on the down low? Also what is the cheapest way to build a bunker (survival shelter for your stockpile and space to live underground UNNOTICED! Here is what I was thinking I am wanting to live in a warmer climate than Minnesota so I am thinking outside of Portland metro area I would buy 10-50 acers of land in a rather rural setting. I ideally I would have my own pond plus a well and a septic that is connected to both my bunker and my house (which might just be a trailer home parked on a plot of land  cause I'm a cheap hippie like that lol) I would love to have a really huge space that could actually even be a home! Although it wouldn't be that well hidden if I was using it as a home...

Does anybody know if the government uses technology to identify underground bunkers and spaces? Wouldn't they be able to track the outflux of dumptrucks with dirt if you were to start digging out a space? Plus if you were to dig out the dirt yourself with your own bobcat or digger and dump the dirt on your own land would they still notice the increased elevation or lack of grass and mark that as a suspicious spot? Maybe I am paranoid but I guess there is no way to have a truly secret bunker... (I wonder how he did it in the movie blast from the past)

If any of you guys want to shed some light on some of the basics of your bunkers/shelters it might be helpful to my education though we all know big brother is listening in lol so... Also have you guys noticed some states you can build more than others? I have so many more questions but I guess I should shut up for now and see if anybody else wants to share there knowledge on the subject. Thanks in advance to anybody willing to share. I will admit ever since I seen the movie blast from the past and how the mother does her shopping at her own personal underground store I thought it would be so awesome to have your own massive pantry that it doubles as a private store! :lol: I know I sure am a weird person!


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## HuntingHawk

Are you building the bunker under the apartment you are renting?


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## lancestar2

HuntingHawk said:


> Are you building the bunker under the apartment you are renting?


lol no no no I just want to know what I need to plan for when I do eventually move to my own property that way I know what I need to look for when selecting a property. I mean I know it's important to live by a good water source ideally a natural spring or better yet a mountain spring water source but what else is important and what does it take to set up a good bunker and what is the cost and the steps to take to build one and so on... Did everyone just go read a bunch of books on it and not discuss the topic on forums? Am I going about it wrong?


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## Rigged for Quiet

Building a bunker capable of being lived in long term is a costly venture, since you need to be able to remove the bad air and replace it, deal with waste, and have water. Not to mention, long term lack odf sunshine has several negative side effects to your health.

That being said, when we leave suburbia I will be building a shelter. While mine will be more of a storm shelter I plan on having it be able to serve as a temporary domicile in case an F5 decides to roll through, which is a real possibility in my region. The storage location for preps is another attractive idea.

If you are motivated enough, doing it yourself with a qualified construction mentor is very doable. I wouldn't just jump in and do the build on my own and expect it to withstand the weight of a several feet of earth on top of you and around you.

On another note, and I mean this sincerely, the Portland area sounds like a good choice for you, as well as around Austin, TX. Given your lifestyle you will find a nice mix of folks who share it. There aren't that many places where a convergence of seemingly non complimentary beliefs, lifestyles, and personalities are able to blend and coexist. I wish it weren't true, but there is.


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## HuntingHawk

What you are willing to invest in time & money is the key.

Main thing about any bunker is high & dry. Also have to look at fresh water in & contaminated water out.

Not sure what you want the bunker for but can be something as simple as a cold or root cellar.


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## Smitty901

With the way EPA and other agency's use satellite imagining today .they will know. But I would not worry about it much. Unless you farm you may not be aware of how the record imagines 245/7 now. They can tell if you move a drain tile a foot. 
When I went through my fight with the EPA, Army Corp of eng and DNR I was shocked at what they had and how good it was.
However in the end it help prove my cases when I got what they were not showing.
As for building , You just need to figure out where and how big. It is really not much harder than building a basement with a concert roof in the end.
You need to understand the ground water in the area. Anything you build underground can be a total waste if the water is not correctly dealt with.
We learned when we built ours the old idea of Tar type water proofing was a no go. Over the long term the ground will break it down. The SYN ones do not work either. The people that did the pouring help us avoid that mistake. The excavating cost almost as much as the pouring did.
S may never hit the fan if it does it may not be long term. If you are going to invest in something like this. Why not find a way to make it useful while we wait to see what happens.


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## sparkyprep

They will always know what you are up to. There is no such thing as a secret bunker. Do NOT use storage containers. They simply will not work without costly modifications. (Do a search on other posts regarding this subject, I have explained the cons in detail before). Building am underground shelter is an extremely expensive undertaking. The challenges are endless. Ground water, weight of the soil, soil types, air supplies, flooding, seismic considerations, ect. The list goes on and on. Even after all of that, you have the challenges of basic construction. Electrical work is not a hobby. You will burn your house down if you don't know what you are doing.

I'm not telling you not to do it, as I have been planning a shelter for a long time, but be prepared to shell out a lot of money. If done improperly, you shelter can, and will, become an illegal, expensive tomb.


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## Inor

Just a thought, and I am by no means an expert, but Portland, OR is earthquake territory. Would you really want to be 10 or 20 feet underground if "the big one" hits? If all you want is somewhere secure to store off supplies and go in case of bad storms, I would consider a nice above ground pillbox design first.


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## slewfoot

Lot of good advice posted here but I think rigged for quiet's first paragraph pretty well sums up my opinion on underground bunkers.
I would like too add that I cannot see being stuck underground not being able to see what is happening above me in a shtf situation where bad guys are at large. Don't want to pop my head out and someone blow it off.


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## Ripon

If you go to work on it alone it is feasible to do it without a permit or huge expense. Study adobe and brick making, or if your soil isn't right look into sand bags and learn how to seal them inside a concrete mix stucco. This can be above or below ground but I prefer above. We have built plenty on our rural property without permits, but we can not go out and offer the land with any kind of building. 

This kind of work can be slow, tedious but it's very affordable.


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## PaulS

The building of a "bunker" can be listed as many different things. You need to contact your city, county and state to find out who controls what parts of constructions. If your area requires a permit you will have to submit plans that are drawn to scale for approval by the permitting authority. Then they will give you a permit with an inspection list - the items that need to be inspected along the way. Once you pas each inspection you can continue on the build. Your city, county or state may require licensed contractors to do some or all of the work. You may need to deal with concrete, plumbing, and electrical contractors to get what you want done to specs. You could opt for a general contractor to handle all the sub-contractors but you have to be sure that he pays the subs or they can put a lien on your construction until they are paid. 

If the shelter is underground you might have to have a hydraulic engineer come in to approve the plan and construction depending on the depth of your water table. For a live-in structure you will have to have two egresses and that means two doors if it is underground. If it is a "storage shed" then you most likely won't be allowed to run water to it and only limited power. There are a lot of things that will be determined by what you are building, where and the purpose. Underground shelters require little insulation but very good air and moisture control. The entrances will likely be ramps or stairs and they will need drainage away from the stair well. It is easier to build a storm shelter and easier yet to build a root cellar. You will likely need help from professionals regardless of which you decide to build.


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## SurvivalGearPrep

Some of the thing you should consider in your pre-planning:

1. Affordability Assessment - Are you thinking of a stay put shelter that you to put underground style bunker. Cost a lot and hard to hide for your neighbors and road traffic. 

2. Risk Assessment - What are you planning for a natural disaster or man made disaster? What disaster in most likely to happen in your area? Torandos, Hurricanes, Floods (may be bad for underground), Pandemic, Solar Flares, Earthquakes and on and on. 

3. Household Survival Plan - Are you wanting to be a long term family staying where you are and ride it out? If you are you are talking about a deep underground system. (Don't leave home without it). OR........... are you thinking to survive the initial event and move when necessary somewhere else and then come back when you can? If you are you will need alternate locations to go to.

4. Geological assessment - You have to figure out what substructure are you sitting on. Boulders, granite or any hard substrate. Are you sitting on clay or porous? What about your water table in the different seasons. Any ponds or lakes close. Very important when considering a underground bunker. Just so mush to be considered.

5. Shelter sizing - How many people are you planning to shelter? You have to consider room for all the people plus room for supplies. Big thing to think about is a adult requires around 10 cubic feet of natural atmosphere per hour for breathing. How long do you plan to be there?

6. I could go on and on about this and there is no way to list everything. Others things to think about is shelter air system meaning how will you bring in fresh air and filter the air? Also, consider closely what you will need in your bunker. Water, food reserves, sanitation necessities, communication systems, emergency exit plan, self defense tools, first aid supplies items to keep everyone occupied and a hell of a lot of batteries. 

You will have to contact everyone in your area as far as permits, city, county, state. It's no different that adding on to your home you need permits and underground could require mush more.

Just something to get you started....good luck!


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## Smitty901

When you build you do not call it a bunker.
You list it as a storm shelter. In some areas it will not even be added to you property tax it label that way


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## PrepperLite

I always thought the biggest problem with a bunker is condensation/moisture control? I do not have extensive knowledge on bunker construction as I live to close to the shore and it would flood.



lancestar2 said:


> Does anybody know if the government uses technology to identify underground bunkers and spaces? Wouldn't they be able to track the outflux of dumptrucks with dirt if you were to start digging out a space? Plus if you were to dig out the dirt yourself with your own bobcat or digger and dump the dirt on your own land would they still notice the increased elevation or lack of grass and mark that as a suspicious spot? Maybe I am paranoid but I guess there is no way to have a truly secret bunker... (I wonder how he did it in the movie blast from the past)


If they did know for sure they wouldn't be able to tell you. Also, I don't think the Govt is going to waste Sat time on your bunker permit violations in the middle of nowhere (Cost vs Gain).


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## Montana Rancher

Ok here is my thought

Don't do a bunker

I would suggest digging a "root cellar" 

Who cares if you have a root cellar, but it can easily double as a bunker so there ya go.

Digging a root cellar will be dependent on a lot of factors but the water table will be the biggest one, you can't dig a hole where there is a lot of water.

Also you need to make sure your "root cellar" has proper ventilation as without a really though out system you will die

Next WTF moving to Portland area is such a stupid thought I can hardly start, for a good root cellar location stay away from the coasts!

Here in Montana, which is a LOT warmer than where you live, if you are outside a city you can construct as many "farm buildings" as you want, no inspection needed or required. Find a place like this.

Also please read my tag, Montana really does suck, tell your friends.


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