Bulletproof shelter for less

I have been researching survival techniques for a few years to prepare for tshtf scenario. My priorities are water, food, shelter, security and health.

Water has been shown in another thread. I have 2k gallon tank but am going to add another 1k by building 2 of the water tanks in the other thread along with a rain catchment system.

Shelter is the topic now.

For those of you that have a bug out place or are in possesion of land to bug out to, these meathods will allow you to build a home for little money. The problem is that little money = much labor.
I have more time than money so I don't balk at labor. Especially when it means that my labor is putting a solid roof over my loved ones heads.
Sandbag structure.
This sounds crude but awesome homes have been built using sandbags. I live withing 1/2 mile from a river bed and sand is free. Otherwise I would have to pay like $7 / cubic yard for it to be delivered + 100 delivery fee.

Sandbags cost @ $280/1000.

Construct a sandbag filler tube from heavy duty cardboard, ducting material or simular so that you get sandbags of consistant fills.

The "art". Determine your perimiter. Dig a trench 2' wide and deeper than your frostline. If possible fill the bottom up to 3" of the trench with rocks for drainage.
Place the first layer of sandbags end to end in the trench. The next layer place perpendicular to the first. Tamp the sandbags. Meaning that you use a heavy flat piece of metal connected to a pole and ram the sandbags to get them as flat as possible. Repeat this procedure untill you have the wall height that you need.
An alternate method of placing sandbags is to place like block wall. Stagger sandbags while building wall so they cover joints from previous layer. Typically, builders using this style will place a barbed wire layer in between layers of sandbags.


A note on sandbags. Plastic sandbags will quickly errode in the sun if not UV treated. Burlap sandbags are succeptable to rot. After placing walls it is necessary to cover the sandbags with a weather proof coating.

continued....
The following link illustrates an inexpensive coating that is using a newspaper and dirt mixture called adobe-crete. I would prefer, if available, to use cement. Ferrocement is a very strong cement mixture combined with wire layers (chicken wire and or wire mesh).
Both methods use chicken wire around the sandbags. This gives the mortor strenght and will enclose the sandbags and give years of use.

drive rebar through the bags and the walls become extremely solid.

Mortor covered sandbags.

I always love the cheap and rugged building ideas!
S&F while awaiting for more!
GTG

Mr Annesley is building a ferrocement dome roof. This is not "bug out " stuff.
Here's a link to his blog. Cool stuff.
annesley.wordpress.com...

I plan to use the fibre-cement on several projects around the house. I bought a roll of burlap 4feet wide by 150 feet long for @$130 online.

Check out what can be done with that and a cement mixture.

Roofs...
this guy is experimenting in "cheap" shelter for refugees. So his methods are geared to mass production vs a one time use. So bear that in mind. It can be easier than he shows
ferrocement.com...

If you say "shelter" and mean and above-the-ground structure, you must be joking. Good luck.

Originally posted by buddhasystem
If you say "shelter" and mean and above-the-ground structure, you must be joking. Good luck.

What? have you ever heard of sandbags being used as bunkers in WW1 and 2?

No luck needed its proven.

Good thread. Keep us posted!

I also read that you could put barbed wire in between your rows of sandbags...the help hold them in place. I suppose that was what the rebar was for in this example...

Here's another link to a great website on alternative/green home building. The section on "Earth Bag" Homes is where the link will take you.

Earthbag Homes

They do have some books for sale on the site, but there is tons of free information available as well.

Also a search on google for "earthbag homes" will bring up tons more links.

This method has been around for a very long time. Using Polypropylene bags and then covering them with some type of plaster makes a very strong home.

My SO and I have been looking into numerous types of "green" home building, if for no other reason than to save money on utilities. But considering a potential SHTF scenario "green" building makes more sense anyway because alot of the homes are much stronger than typical stick built homes. We've actually considered combining some for an even beter more efficient home.

Anyway, check out the site! TONS of information on all types of alternative building methods.

reply to post by cnichols


I'm happy to see others are planning on green building. I'm planning ..ultimately on using the sandbag structure for an addition to my single wide mobile. Theres only the wife an I so I"m not in a hurry..other things to do first. ie extra water storage, (another thread), and a root cellar to build. I'm thinking of linking the root cellar to the house in case of power outages for the ease of access and a cool night's sleep..Summer here in NW Arizona even at 3000ft it is 100f down to 80 at night.

In a scenario that needs shelter NOW vs bulletproof...again Mr. Annesley gets the nod. He is experimenting with burlap sections soaked in a cement slurry...similar to the roof from above. Annesley takes it to a new level in taking the soaked strips and using clothespins to hang them on a wire frame to become solid as concrete.
annesley.files.wordpress.com...
This would be a god send for a shtf scenario.. solid shelter put up in hours ..not days or weeks.