@@Superb_Legend My exact thoughts too, both you and Randle's. Some WD40 on the door handle and locks would be good too. But yeah, I think the spiders get in around the door d/t the light you can see means they can get in.
I've never had a storm shelter but a few things I would add to your stash: Pillows, blankets, perhaps a change of clothes especially for children...these could be put in one of those suction bags and slipped under the stairs or cot. I couple of battery lanterns with the LED lights, a small first aid kit, a small picnic basket w/dishes and glasses and utensils enough for your family,some food for the dog (which I am sure you will work on getting him in there and used to being in there) some books and some coloring books and games for the kids and perhaps some old quilts or moving blankets (also put in the collapsible bags) to lay on the floor for a bit more comfort. I know a tornado doesn't last long but if it is just a very bad storm these items might make it more livable. Just some thoughts. Have a Blessed day.
A picnic basket? These people will not be going on a vacation. If they have to use this shelter and space is at a premium, Most of this stuff is unnecessary when survival is your only goal.
toilet sead cover with deoderizor for onof the buckets, and a couple of wide planks to put on the rows of buckets for more comforatble seating, in case you are in there for some time.... a radio and lights. would be nice. When you closed the door, I could see outside light coming in... that might be where the bugs are coming from
~~~ Dave here in the northern mountains of lovely Georgia. You are a wise and wonderful father , husband and person my old friend. I love you and all your family and you put joy into my heart. This will save your loved ones if needed.Thank our LORD brother. ....GOD'S LOVE AND JOY.
If that was mine I would be storing a bottle jack, a wrecking bar and some lumber behind that stair. It is not inconceivable that debris won't block you in in the event of a direct hit. Towels. Because hello, it's going to be raining like the second flood. Lube door, caulk it with RTV or something. Teach Gabby to get in that bunker. A storm is no time to be fighting with your dog. She will be terrified as it is most likely.
David In that note , it is a good idea to have the door opens inward. Like you said who knows what is going to land on top of the door . Nice and water proof shelter .
It appears you need a better seal on the door, even when you closed and locked it you could see sunlight coming in. . .that's where the bugs are getting in.
Need to plant some grass on the mound part. It'll help that dirt from washing away. EZ and fast installation. I'm gonna need one!!! Lol. Gabby says heck No! My aunt's dog is the same.
You can can pick up some foam or rubber and make your own door seals maybe that would help with the bugs it would probably even help with the noise of the metal banging together hope the suggestion helps
Looks really good. I doubt many other people feel the same way as I do but I would put a small antenna tower with a rugged scanner antenna setup with a radio to receive NOAA weather and local first responders to monitor the exact position of the storm. Just a tip for some who might of not thought of this who find it intriguing
Keeping It Dutch I would keep it fairly short for something like this and anchor it extremely well. Don't want your tower coming down as soon as the wind starts to pick up
I live in tornado alley and have done a similar thing with my storm cellar. We've used ours several times and have survived a direct hit by a Cat 5 tornado. Good place to keep camping gear and week's worth of emergency supplies per person and pet. Make sure to use and rotate your stored water (at least a gallon a day per person and pet) and replenish your stored food. A little backpack with personal items (clothing, hygiene items, etc.) and reading material, playing cards and board games is also a good idea to store. Nicely done!
I was wondering what it must sound like in the bunker in a storm. Might be a good idea to add ear protection plugs to your gear if you don't have them already.Great bunker!
Could also get those sound deadening panels and place on the walls..a pack or two at guitar center? not sure if they sell them but first place I would check..great shelter.
And a GoPro so we can see inside and hear it when it hits. Lol. I wanna see and hear it while you’re in there to see how loud or quite it is when one hits.
I'd use a hammer drill to put up shelves, make bunk beds or tri- beds. Could lower the dirt in front of the hatch so it doesn't flood you out. More lanterns, just in case one quits. Look up herbs that repel bugs and spiders. Bushes around bunker to disquise it. Your dog will be real skittish in a disaster, you will have to carry her and hand her to ppl in the bunker. Nice dog. You are doing great. Keep it up. Love the videos.
You should get yourself 2 cargo containers. Butt them up on one side anke that your survivil bunker. Thanks area you have now would make a great entrance area. You would be able to pumb it wit running water and sewer. You could also have an area for generator's.
Years ago had a old time storm brick shelter. The thing is it the door was weighed down with lead, sure was heavy. The door had huge metal bolts inch to inch and half thick x3" and around 8" in length accross that bolted into the door jam. It was very well built and worked
Spray around your door entrance with some raid or simular product will keep the bugs out also some on the screens The residue will stay quite awhile and help keep them out
Congrats ! You are the first one I have seen that put the shelter away from the house. Most are next to the garage or house or under trees that could trap you inside.
We are thinking of putting one of these in our yard since none of our neighbors have basements. We get a lot of tornados here in central Missouri. Thanks for the update!
Great video Shay and good to see it holding up well after a year. I thought the inside would be very small but looks great. Thanks for uploading and all the best.
Second the suggestion of the jacks and shoring timbers. Tornadoes blow big ticket items around. It is not impossible to have a section of wall, roof, part of a tree...whatever, Land on top of the shelter. Having equipment to force the door may come in handy. Suggest a rubber gasket for the door, smaller grid screen on the air vents and silicone the dickens out of the tubes. Maybe try the rubber spray coatings. Bugs get through extremely small holes, I have found them inside my car tail lights they are sealed pretty tight!
We built our homestead on a slab, and are in a very high wind area (on a ridge by the Mississippi). We could certainly use a bunker for the tornadoes and straight-line wind 'events' (and potential zombies) we get around here. Now I need to start investigating one for our place -- yours looks quite nice, I'll have to look at those. Great video Dutch!
I would consider building shelves behind the ladder for 2 LED lanterns (keep batteries separate), 2 board games (Yahtzee, Risk, Chutes and Ladders, Life, etc), 4 light blankets, etc. Look at Nuclear War Survival Skills if you wish to turn your Storm Shelter into a Fallout Shelter.
It's really hard to understand why so many fools made negative comments about your efforts, I have had a shelter for about 12 years and just to know it's there is a great piece of mind just to know it's there if needed some things I did to mine was to paint it white, put weather seal around the door, added a strip of LED lights, and a 18 amp hour battery charged by a 30watt solar panel. I also installed a 12 volt TV and a scanner/weather radio, and put outdoor carpet on the floor. Im, sure all these fools would not hesitate to get in your shelter if they were looking at a F5 headed their way.
I always told the husband if we ever move to somewhere with tornadoes, a storm shelter would be the first order of biz. Way before a house or even an out house. Twisters terrify the crap out of me
I went by the Dayton OH area last year, a month after theirs hit. I had seen tornado damage on TV news plenty of times in the past. Seeing it in person was truly shocking. So much devastating destruction. It was sad.
If there's a way, bugs will get in. Try simple felt weather stripping tape around the door for a better seal. Little bugs and spiders will still get in through the ventilation screens and grow bigger from basically eating each other, though. Cool. Good job.
Pour water as you backfill, enough to flood the fill. Maybe every foot of fill. That will compact the fill and minimize the sinking. Weather strip around the door will probably help with bugs and spiders.
Most "hurricane deaths" are from the tornados that spin off the edges of the eye. It looks like you are ready for some bad weather. I'm glad you didn't use the bunker, but am sure you enjoyed the security of having it every time questionable weather came close.
It's really not a bunker but a tornado shelter. I would definitely keep a few tools inside the shelter. The kind of tools you need to break the shelter wall or cut off the door hinges in case a heavy object lands on the door and you can't get out. It may also be a good idea to keep an old charged phone inside the shelter. Most, out of service phones, can still make an emergency 911 call.
hello,, Dutch the Bunker is looking good a year later,, hope that you guys never have to use it,,, but it is nice to have if something happens ,,,thanks for sharing ,,,,,
I'm so glad you haven't had to use it, and I hope you never do. My husband had to fly out to OK a couple of weeks ago and the first thing he did was check for storms. Lol! Glad we are out of tornado valley. Stay safe!
Glad you have it. It’ll sure save your life if you need it. All I do is wait for the sirens to go off and go outside and look up!!! I thought that was taught in Okie schools!!!! Lol
Nice shelter, a gasket on the door would be a big help, tiny bugs seem to get in even when no opening can be found though! Just a suggestion, you may want to keep a large pry bar(or two) and a few blocks of wood in the shelter in case a large timber were to lay on the door during a storm. I've also seen one with a hydraulic ram from an engine hoist repurposed to open the door if something large were holding it down, with a removable pin to use the door normally. It would be terrible to survive and be locked in afterwards. I'll have to go back and watch all the construction.
Love your bunker. You may want to teach your dog to get used to it an emergency situation you need him in there quickly. You may want to put felt around your door on the upper lip of the door. To help keep some of the spiders and bugs out of your bunker.
Get some single sided adhesive foam from Home Depot or Lowe's for the door to seal it up tight. My suggestion for any bugs that get in is the Raid Max Dry Fogger. You don't have to wash things off afterwards like other foggers because there's no residue left behind. It also travels to places that other foggers can't get to because it's in a smoke form rather than liquid spraying straight up in the air then falling down. You should have grass going up to the entrance so mud is not track inside.
I love your videos and your shelter is great .... just some things I would do.... Get a bottle of home defence spray and spray just the inside frame to help keep the bugs out. Run out to wally world and get a 5 gal. bucket and a emergence potty lid . I had little girls and when they are scared they need to potty .... put some hand wipes and toilet paper in it to store .... maybe figure out a privacy curtain Dad .... they are little girls .... get a bucket of shredded pine or there is a blue stuff you can get that you mix with a qt of water. Next .... take a locking container .. so the buggies can't get in and keep some warm clothes and blankets down there . You never know what the weather will be like. Always better safe then sorry ,,,,, But you know that .... that's why you got an in ground shelter. Love your reports on Jessie .... Best of luck and Gods blessings.
Prepared is ready... can see the light coming around the edge of the door so it means you need to change the gaskets to prevent insects from getting in.
Sure beats my closet. My sister and her family has a shelter but their's has a ladder in it. Not good when you are disabled or become older. I'm so glad to see yours has stairs so it'll never be a problem for you all. My sister and their family has to bomb their cellar every spring too. I don't know if they have screens over their vents are not.
In Ontario Canada, most of our houses come with something similar. It's called a Cantina. It's made out of thick rebarred concrete slabs. We use em for storing wine or Italian deli meats. Lol
If an F-5 hits that square on those vents are gone.An F-5 can peel asfalt layers off the road.And people have been sucked out of low areas like basements and crawl spaces because of the power these have.Just saying the F-5 is still a mystery to man on how powerful they can be....the F-4 on down are survivable.....say if you layed in a ditch and it went over top of you.....this is what a guy told me a few years back.He sold fiberglaas shelters in Kentucky and Indiana and those were almost completely buried under ground with deep anchors into concrete.He said one guy that bought one in southern Indiana said the door was ripped off the hinges....but they survived the F-5.Saw your channel from Josh the stoney ridge farmer..So I subbed.!!!
Looks great! Even though we don't necessarily need one for tornadoes anymore, i'd still like to have one for emergencies anyway. We moved to East TN from Wichita (where Hubster is from) and it was incredible to see the difference in what folks live in. Back home (Oklahoma/Kansas) we're used to always thinkin' about safe places to go for tornadoes. These folks live in CAMPERS!! On BLOCKS!!! It's insane! lol. And I would say a good 65% of homes out here are camper/trailer/modular something or another. To find an actual stick built house is fewer and farther between. It was an adjustment for sure! We had the worst time finding a "REAL" house that had more than a half acre with it. LOTS of properties for sale with good chunks of land and a single-wide. cray cray.
Sullivan Family Homestead that is crazy...looking forward to watching some of your guys vids. I'm glad we got this shelter, we had one back In the house in town but when we moved to our land we knew we had to get one for sure lol
Get some of that flex seal for the door, make a gasket with it. Good information, I’m in Shawnee myself and have been trying to figure out what kind of shelter to get... this looks like the one. Thanks.
In a worst case scenario, the shelter may have you in there for up to a day (or more.) Just a few cheap items can make a Huge difference in comfort: 1. Outline the ceiling edges with battery op. led fairy lights. $2 a strand on TEMU. 2. Add rubber mats to the floor. Walmart has a pack of 24 (2’x2’) interlocking mats for $49. 3. Add folding camp chairs $8 each 4. Add a battery op. Camping fan. 5. Lastly glue acoustic foam panels to the wall. Not the whole wall, a line of foam panels around to the wall ( $30 on Amazon. ) stops the reverb, dampens the outside noise and makes it way less scary to kids.
Less is best. The shelter is already small for a family. I wouldn't start making it smaller by adding shelves. I do agree about lights, blanket and heat source.
Corndog are you planning an extended stay? You don't need any of that stuff. A couple of gallons of water, a crowbar, 10 pound sledgehammer and a .45 cal 1911 is all you'll need for the time you'll spend in that concrete box. Tornados don't last for more than a couple of minutes .
Insects- I would use foam, caulk or cement in the seams, joints, crevices and the door on the inside. Put out some glue pest strips. Remember you’re in their space. 👍
Solar panel on the roof Raise the intake and exhaust might aid in the bug issue and change to PVC There are fittings available for just such an installation Also look on UA-cam for a remedy I remember seeing one where you put something in the corner of your home and it keeps em at bey Great Job Just like a snowblower You don't buy it to use it You have it in case you have to use it
Aww, Gabbie still doesn't want to enter the shelter. Bribe her with some snack foods! I'm not sure those latches are very strong. I'd hate to see your door sucked out by a strong storm. I now understand why your shelter isn't fully submerged - it's because of water issues. I would definitely drain the water away at the low end of your shelter (door entrance) with a French drain and keep that dirt away from blocking the door. It'd really suck if it became blocked during a real emergency. Keep up the good work and God bless.
I would glue sound adsorption panels inside, A small flat screen, DVD player a cable feed from the house, a small beer fridge, microwave and a backup generator (secured in storm proof housing outside). It would make an "in between storms man cave".
I'm sure others have covered this (pun intended), but I'd definitely sew some grass or even tough weeds all over that bad boy. Maybe even make the mound a bit taller and cover the roof with a foot or two of soil and seed, leaving a circular space for your air vent. Also, I'd want my steel door designed so that it opens inward and not outward; the last thing you want is to have heavy debris land on your door after a tornado and not be able to even open the door to dig or cut your way out. Also, having the door designed to open inward seems like a safer and structurally stronger design, as the door would have to pass through concrete if being sucked up into a twister.
I use mothball in my mailbox to keep the blackwidow spiders out, my wife added dryer sheets as well. she also keeps some kind of individual mint gum still in the foil wrapper on our shelfs in the kitchen she claims it keeps bugs away.
Looks good, thanks for the update. Dang spiders seem to be able to get wherever they want. Peppermint or spearmint the door and that will keep the creepy crawlies away. Fish on!
rain will continue to wash the dirt away due to the slope. I recommend you lay some sod on the slope so the roots of the grass keep the dirt from washing out
We have the exact same shelter. Okie as well! Spiders & scorpions were a problem. We put a rubber seal around the door. We also double layered wire mesh screens in the ceiling vents(offset) & problems solved. Any smell from the adhesive in yours? Also...huge thing was how hot it got in there. We bermed ours really well then laid some sod! So much better. Glad you got it. We okie folks need them for sure.
Pamela Schmidthuber that's awesome..I'm in Northeast Oklahoma pryor, where u guys at. I need to do a seal also. no adhesive smell any longer. thank you for watching
If I had a large land like yours, i'd burry a shipping container ! I'd put a door on the container, and build an entrance/stairs out of concrete. So basically it would look like your storm shelter now, but when you go down, there would be a door at the back of the shelter, that would open into the shipping container ! You could hook everything up to the grid, and have power/ internet the works ! The whole complex could be hidden, that no one would be wiser, when the zombie apocalypse has arrived
What's inside the bunker? Trespasser's. LOL Always good to have that security from tornado's . Put some fibermesh screen. You need some kind of door sealant.
I see light coming through the door so just add a gasket problem solved plus the it will help if the wind is screaming loud well a little lol ... Thumbs up :) Peter
Build a heavy metal guard around the air vent to protect it from possible flying object, would be a pain if it got knocked of during a storm and all the rain starts coming in.....get a portable composting toilet, when you gotta go, you gotta go....
Great project! My concern is the above ground portion. I grew up in Kansas and I'm sure a tornado could latch onto that and rip it out like a rotten tooth.
I'm sure if you go to the Automotive store and buy a generic roll of door trim and install that around the door it will seal it. Plus a few LED tap lights for when its sealed
For about $10 you can get a solar LED light. Hang the bulb inside and the 3X5inch solar cell outside. It would stay charged and burn for hours (maybe days).
the spiders and crickets are getting in because the crickets can flat them selves out and fit in anywhere like around your door I seen light if there is the smallest space they will ge tin as will the spiders.. also many spiders grow very fast so it is possible that baby spiders are getting in through the screen and any small spaces as well.. hope that helps a little..
nice shelter but I do have a suggestion just for you and your families Saftey. if you are soley using it as a storm shelter you need to make sure the two slide pins holding the door closed can be released by emergency personnel from the outside. scenario... wife and kids are visiting family and you are at home and a storm comes and you get injured getting to the shelter but manage to close it up you become unconscious and cannot release the pins then they have to break you out but if they have access to the pins they come in rescue you and shelter needs no major repairs.
Woohoo! You are kickin' it!
Dirtpatcheaven lol crazy, look at my other bunker video lol....type in bunker installation
Keeping It Dutch how much does this shelter cost .......?
If light is getting in around that door, so will the bugs, crickets etc !
And don't forget about zombies
Stir fry Them with some noodles a good source of protein
I'd find a way to put weather stripping on the door
@@Superb_Legend My exact thoughts too, both you and Randle's. Some WD40 on the door handle and locks would be good too. But yeah, I think the spiders get in around the door d/t the light you can see means they can get in.
I've never had a storm shelter but a few things I would add to your stash: Pillows, blankets, perhaps a change of clothes especially for children...these could be put in one of those suction bags and slipped under the stairs or cot. I couple of battery lanterns with the LED lights, a small first aid kit, a small picnic basket w/dishes and glasses and utensils enough for your family,some food for the dog (which I am sure you will work on getting him in there and used to being in there) some books and some coloring books and games for the kids and perhaps some old quilts or moving blankets (also put in the collapsible bags) to lay on the floor for a bit more comfort. I know a tornado doesn't last long but if it is just a very bad storm these items might make it more livable. Just some thoughts. Have a Blessed day.
A picnic basket? These people will not be going on a vacation. If they have to use this shelter and space is at a premium, Most of this stuff is unnecessary when survival is your only goal.
@@2436golden Nonsense, put a 50" tv, ps5, lazy boy chair & mini fridge. You just got yourself a man cave.
toilet sead cover with deoderizor for onof the buckets, and a couple of wide planks to put on the rows of buckets for more comforatble seating, in case you are in there for some time.... a radio and lights. would be nice. When you closed the door, I could see outside light coming in... that might be where the bugs are coming from
~~~ Dave here in the northern mountains of lovely Georgia. You are a wise and wonderful father , husband and person my old friend. I love you and all your family and you put joy into my heart. This will save your loved ones if needed.Thank our LORD brother. ....GOD'S LOVE AND JOY.
If that was mine I would be storing a bottle jack, a wrecking bar and some lumber behind that stair. It is not inconceivable that debris won't block you in in the event of a direct hit. Towels. Because hello, it's going to be raining like the second flood. Lube door, caulk it with RTV or something. Teach Gabby to get in that bunker. A storm is no time to be fighting with your dog. She will be terrified as it is most likely.
David good tips bro!
David In that note , it is a good idea to have the door opens inward. Like you said who knows what is going to land on top of the door . Nice and water proof shelter .
Same
The jack inside is a amazing idea never know during a tornado what will be laying on your door afterwards
T OB lol
It appears you need a better seal on the door, even when you closed and locked it you could see sunlight coming in. . .that's where the bugs are getting in.
Just eat them a good proteïne source
Need to plant some grass on the mound part. It'll help that dirt from washing away. EZ and fast installation. I'm gonna need one!!!
Lol. Gabby says heck No! My aunt's dog is the same.
Not just bugs, but gas, radiated air, rain, etc
You did a great job. Knowing you can keep your family safe is worth the hard work and I know it brings piece of mind . Have a blessed day.
You can can pick up some foam or rubber and make your own door seals maybe that would help with the bugs it would probably even help with the noise of the metal banging together hope the suggestion helps
TD Millz good idea thanks
TD Millz the metal sounds cool though 😂
wouldn't sound very cool with very high winds. It would be very loud and even scary, especially if there are children that you're trying to keep calm.
You should seed or sod the exposed dirt, it will make that much more secure and prevent settling and erosion.
Shane Cody Good idea!
You need to train your dog to go inside in case of emergency.
1AYTC id just carry her in in that case
Add some hollow rubber tubing seals around the doors, get some LED touchlights, bugbomb every 2 or 3 months, you're set!
Looks really good. I doubt many other people feel the same way as I do but I would put a small antenna tower with a rugged scanner antenna setup with a radio to receive NOAA weather and local first responders to monitor the exact position of the storm. Just a tip for some who might of not thought of this who find it intriguing
Garret R my buddy has a big tower he said I can have. that's a cool idea
Keeping It Dutch I would keep it fairly short for something like this and anchor it extremely well. Don't want your tower coming down as soon as the wind starts to pick up
I live in tornado alley and have done a similar thing with my storm cellar. We've used ours several times and have survived a direct hit by a Cat 5 tornado. Good place to keep camping gear and week's worth of emergency supplies per person and pet. Make sure to use and rotate your stored water (at least a gallon a day per person and pet) and replenish your stored food. A little backpack with personal items (clothing, hygiene items, etc.) and reading material, playing cards and board games is also a good idea to store. Nicely done!
I was wondering what it must sound like in the bunker in a storm. Might be a good idea to add ear protection plugs to your gear if you don't have them already.Great bunker!
Could also get those sound deadening panels and place on the walls..a pack or two at guitar center? not sure if they sell them but first place I would check..great shelter.
And a GoPro so we can see inside and hear it when it hits. Lol. I wanna see and hear it while you’re in there to see how loud or quite it is when one hits.
Great timing, I just watched the video from a year ago!
Dave thanks for watching both
Dave me to
Dave same
Dave me too
Dave same
I'd use a hammer drill to put up shelves, make bunk beds or tri- beds. Could lower the dirt in front of the hatch so it doesn't flood you out. More lanterns, just in case one quits. Look up herbs that repel bugs and spiders. Bushes around bunker to disquise it. Your dog will be real skittish in a disaster, you will have to carry her and hand her to ppl in the bunker. Nice dog. You are doing great. Keep it up. Love the videos.
You should get yourself 2 cargo containers. Butt them up on one side anke that your survivil bunker. Thanks area you have now would make a great entrance area. You would be able to pumb it wit running water and sewer. You could also have an area for generator's.
Years ago had a old time storm brick shelter. The thing is it the door was weighed down with lead, sure was heavy. The door had huge metal bolts inch to inch and half thick x3" and around 8" in length accross that bolted into the door jam. It was very well built and worked
Spray around your door entrance with some raid or simular product will keep the bugs out also some on the screens The residue will stay quite awhile and help keep them out
Adding a rubber weather seal would also help.
Congrats ! You are the first one I have seen that put the shelter away from the house. Most are next to the garage or house or under trees that could trap you inside.
We are thinking of putting one of these in our yard since none of our neighbors have basements. We get a lot of tornados here in central Missouri. Thanks for the update!
Donnie Thompson heck ya get one for sure. I'm in NE Oklahoma
I watched Twister....all ya needed was a pump house an a couple leather belts!!🤭😁🤣
Bugs are food man let them in
Great video Shay and good to see it holding up well after a year. I thought the inside would be very small but looks great. Thanks for uploading and all the best.
Second the suggestion of the jacks and shoring timbers. Tornadoes blow big ticket items around. It is not impossible to have a section of wall, roof, part of a tree...whatever, Land on top of the shelter. Having equipment to force the door may come in handy. Suggest a rubber gasket for the door, smaller grid screen on the air vents and silicone the dickens out of the tubes. Maybe try the rubber spray coatings. Bugs get through extremely small holes, I have found them inside my car tail lights they are sealed pretty tight!
We built our homestead on a slab, and are in a very high wind area (on a ridge by the Mississippi). We could certainly use a bunker for the tornadoes and straight-line wind 'events' (and potential zombies) we get around here. Now I need to start investigating one for our place -- yours looks quite nice, I'll have to look at those. Great video Dutch!
I would consider building shelves behind the ladder for 2 LED lanterns (keep batteries separate), 2 board games (Yahtzee, Risk, Chutes and Ladders, Life, etc), 4 light blankets, etc.
Look at Nuclear War Survival Skills if you wish to turn your Storm Shelter into a Fallout Shelter.
I like that it's simple. All you need is something to get you through a pinch.
Thanks for showing us around the storm shelter! Great vids Dutch!
Goin Batty thanks for watching
It's really hard to understand why so many fools made negative comments about your efforts, I have had a shelter for about 12 years and just to know it's there is a great piece of mind just to know it's there if needed
some things I did to mine was to paint it white, put weather seal around the door, added a strip of LED lights, and a 18 amp hour battery charged by a 30watt solar panel. I also installed a 12 volt TV and a scanner/weather radio, and put outdoor carpet on the floor. Im, sure all these fools would not hesitate to get in your shelter if they were looking at a F5 headed their way.
I always told the husband if we ever move to somewhere with tornadoes, a storm shelter would be the first order of biz. Way before a house or even an out house. Twisters terrify the crap out of me
Forging Freedom Channel yeah they can be bad no doubt
I went by the Dayton OH area last year, a month after theirs hit. I had seen tornado damage on TV news plenty of times in the past. Seeing it in person was truly shocking. So much devastating destruction. It was sad.
If there's a way, bugs will get in. Try simple felt weather stripping tape around the door for a better seal. Little bugs and spiders will still get in through the ventilation screens and grow bigger from basically eating each other, though. Cool. Good job.
Pour water as you backfill, enough to flood the fill. Maybe every foot of fill. That will compact the fill and minimize the sinking. Weather strip around the door will probably help with bugs and spiders.
Most "hurricane deaths" are from the tornados that spin off the edges of the eye.
It looks like you are ready for some bad weather. I'm glad you didn't use the bunker, but am sure you enjoyed the security of having it every time questionable weather came close.
It's great... but that door looks kinda weak. Not sure if it would cope with heavy debris hitting it at 200mph
Stop
Just stop
It's really not a bunker but a tornado shelter. I would definitely keep a few tools inside the shelter. The kind of tools you need to break the shelter wall or cut off the door hinges in case a heavy object lands on the door and you can't get out. It may also be a good idea to keep an old charged phone inside the shelter. Most, out of service phones, can still make an emergency 911 call.
Great Job Dutch!
Keep em safe!
hello,, Dutch the Bunker is looking good a year later,, hope that you guys never have to use it,,, but it is nice to have if something happens ,,,thanks for sharing ,,,,,
James Humerick thanks for watching James
I'm so glad you haven't had to use it, and I hope you never do. My husband had to fly out to OK a couple of weeks ago and the first thing he did was check for storms. Lol! Glad we are out of tornado valley. Stay safe!
Our Island Acres thanks for watching, yeah we have some bad ones out here. and it's that time of the year. hope we don't have to use it either.
Glad you have it. It’ll sure save your life if you need it. All I do is wait for the sirens to go off and go outside and look up!!! I thought that was taught in Okie schools!!!! Lol
Nice shelter, a gasket on the door would be a big help, tiny bugs seem to get in even when no opening can be found though! Just a suggestion, you may want to keep a large pry bar(or two) and a few blocks of wood in the shelter in case a large timber were to lay on the door during a storm. I've also seen one with a hydraulic ram from an engine hoist repurposed to open the door if something large were holding it down, with a removable pin to use the door normally. It would be terrible to survive and be locked in afterwards. I'll have to go back and watch all the construction.
Love your bunker. You may want to teach your dog to get used to it an emergency situation you need him in there quickly. You may want to put felt around your door on the upper lip of the door. To help keep some of the spiders and bugs out of your bunker.
Get some single sided adhesive foam from Home Depot or Lowe's for the door to seal it up tight. My suggestion for any bugs that get in is the Raid Max Dry Fogger. You don't have to wash things off afterwards like other foggers because there's no residue left behind. It also travels to places that other foggers can't get to because it's in a smoke form rather than liquid spraying straight up in the air then falling down. You should have grass going up to the entrance so mud is not track inside.
I love your videos and your shelter is great .... just some things I would do.... Get a bottle of home defence spray and spray just the inside frame to help keep the bugs out. Run out to wally world and get a 5 gal. bucket and a emergence potty lid . I had little girls and when they are scared they need to potty .... put some hand wipes and toilet paper in it to store .... maybe figure out a privacy curtain Dad .... they are little girls .... get a bucket of shredded pine or there is a blue stuff you can get that you mix with a qt of water. Next .... take a locking container .. so the buggies can't get in and keep some warm clothes and blankets down there . You never know what the weather will be like. Always better safe then sorry ,,,,, But you know that .... that's why you got an in ground shelter. Love your reports on Jessie .... Best of luck and Gods blessings.
Prepared is ready... can see the light coming around the edge of the door so it means you need to change the gaskets to prevent insects from getting in.
Sure beats my closet. My sister and her family has a shelter but their's has a ladder in it. Not good when you are disabled or become older. I'm so glad to see yours has stairs so it'll never be a problem for you all. My sister and their family has to bomb their cellar every spring too. I don't know if they have screens over their vents are not.
In Ontario Canada, most of our houses come with something similar. It's called a Cantina. It's made out of thick rebarred concrete slabs. We use em for storing wine or Italian deli meats. Lol
If an F-5 hits that square on those vents are gone.An F-5 can peel asfalt layers off the road.And people have been sucked out of low areas like basements and crawl spaces because of the power these have.Just saying the F-5 is still a mystery to man on how powerful they can be....the F-4 on down are survivable.....say if you layed in a ditch and it went over top of you.....this is what a guy told me a few years back.He sold fiberglaas shelters in Kentucky and Indiana and those were almost completely buried under ground with deep anchors into concrete.He said one guy that bought one in southern Indiana said the door was ripped off the hinges....but they survived the F-5.Saw your channel from Josh the stoney ridge farmer..So I subbed.!!!
Weak point is a single entry/exit point. I'd recommend an additional clandestine bolt hole/tunnel in the event egress is blocked.
Looks great! Even though we don't necessarily need one for tornadoes anymore, i'd still like to have one for emergencies anyway. We moved to East TN from Wichita (where Hubster is from) and it was incredible to see the difference in what folks live in. Back home (Oklahoma/Kansas) we're used to always thinkin' about safe places to go for tornadoes. These folks live in CAMPERS!! On BLOCKS!!! It's insane! lol. And I would say a good 65% of homes out here are camper/trailer/modular something or another. To find an actual stick built house is fewer and farther between. It was an adjustment for sure! We had the worst time finding a "REAL" house that had more than a half acre with it. LOTS of properties for sale with good chunks of land and a single-wide. cray cray.
Sullivan Family Homestead that is crazy...looking forward to watching some of your guys vids. I'm glad we got this shelter, we had one back In the house in town but when we moved to our land we knew we had to get one for sure lol
Awesome! We'd be happy to have ya! :-) Yeah, it is NUTS! Well, looks like ya did a great job!
Get some of that flex seal for the door, make a gasket with it.
Good information, I’m in Shawnee myself and have been trying to figure out what kind of shelter to get... this looks like the one. Thanks.
I use a homemade submarine and dive to the bottom of the lake.
Is it yellow?
@@bobayotte2940 LOL
Are your friends all aboard
In a worst case scenario, the shelter may have you in there for up to a day (or more.)
Just a few cheap items can make a Huge difference in comfort:
1. Outline the ceiling edges with battery op. led fairy lights. $2 a strand on TEMU.
2. Add rubber mats to the floor. Walmart has a pack of 24 (2’x2’) interlocking mats for $49.
3. Add folding camp chairs $8 each
4. Add a battery op. Camping fan.
5. Lastly glue acoustic foam panels to the wall. Not the whole wall, a line of foam panels around to the wall ( $30 on Amazon. ) stops the reverb, dampens the outside noise and makes it way less scary to kids.
I hope you placed one of those buckets in there for a bathroom.
Very nice set up!!
you need some shelving, blankets, souce for heat and lights etc... propane possibly?
Less is best. The shelter is already small for a family. I wouldn't start making it smaller by adding shelves. I do agree about lights, blanket and heat source.
I would want at least one shelf up high to be able to store some things on in case the floor gets wet, nobody wants to have a soggy blanket.
Corndog are you planning an extended stay? You don't need any of that stuff. A couple of gallons of water, a crowbar, 10 pound sledgehammer and a .45 cal 1911 is all you'll need for the time you'll spend in that concrete box. Tornados don't last for more than a couple of minutes .
Insects- I would use foam, caulk or cement in the seams, joints, crevices and the door on the inside. Put out some glue pest strips. Remember you’re in their space. 👍
Solar panel on the roof
Raise the intake and exhaust might aid in the bug issue and change to PVC
There are fittings available for just such an installation
Also look on UA-cam for a remedy I remember seeing one where you put something in the corner of your home and it keeps em at bey
Great Job
Just like a snowblower
You don't buy it to use it
You have it in case you have to use it
I can see wizard of Oz where total don't want to go in. Lol great video
Aww, Gabbie still doesn't want to enter the shelter. Bribe her with some snack foods! I'm not sure those latches are very strong. I'd hate to see your door sucked out by a strong storm. I now understand why your shelter isn't fully submerged - it's because of water issues. I would definitely drain the water away at the low end of your shelter (door entrance) with a French drain and keep that dirt away from blocking the door. It'd really suck if it became blocked during a real emergency. Keep up the good work and God bless.
A bunch of kids foam squares would be a great addition if you ever had to spend much time in there. Can be put on floor to lay or sit on.
Thanks for the follow up! Very cool.
I would glue sound adsorption panels inside, A small flat screen, DVD player a cable feed from the house, a small beer fridge, microwave and a backup generator (secured in storm proof housing outside). It would make an "in between storms man cave".
Could you put a rubber seal around the door?
Phew. I thought at first those buckets were those Jim Bakker apocalypse food buckets lol. They aren’t. It looks awesome man.
Go to an auto parts store and get a "D" gasket used for car & truck doors to replace torn ones! Comes in various lengths. In 3/4" to 1" thicknesses!
Hello, this is excellent place for vegetables storage in from summer to spring
Great Thing to have for your family!!!
I would recommend putting blankets in there with lanterns and batters a radio and stack the buckets
GREAT thank you for the video maybe some rubber seal around the door could stop the bugs ?? Well done on getting it built.
I'm sure others have covered this (pun intended), but I'd definitely sew some grass or even tough weeds all over that bad boy. Maybe even make the mound a bit taller and cover the roof with a foot or two of soil and seed, leaving a circular space for your air vent.
Also, I'd want my steel door designed so that it opens inward and not outward; the last thing you want is to have heavy debris land on your door after a tornado and not be able to even open the door to dig or cut your way out. Also, having the door designed to open inward seems like a safer and structurally stronger design, as the door would have to pass through concrete if being sucked up into a twister.
Weather stripping around the door should help.
Nice little shelter.
nice shelter. outstanding job, Brother Leatherneck. RAH!!!
I use mothball in my mailbox to keep the blackwidow spiders out, my wife added dryer sheets as well. she also keeps some kind of individual mint gum still in the foil wrapper on our shelfs in the kitchen she claims it keeps bugs away.
Nice shelter man
Try putting a seal around your door. That's probably where your bugs come in.
I'm from Chickasha Oklahoma and I love your channel.
The_Gingaa_Ninj a that's awesome...thank you
I'm from Macomb, better get you one. One life saved would be worth the price.
Looks good, thanks for the update. Dang spiders seem to be able to get wherever they want. Peppermint or spearmint the door and that will keep the creepy crawlies away. Fish on!
rain will continue to wash the dirt away due to the slope. I recommend you lay some sod on the slope so the roots of the grass keep the dirt from washing out
jun junk yes, makes since
Weather strip the door and make some cover plates that will block off the roof vents if needed......the turbine will rip off in a tornado.
We have the exact same shelter. Okie as well! Spiders & scorpions were a problem. We put a rubber seal around the door. We also double layered wire mesh screens in the ceiling vents(offset) & problems solved. Any smell from the adhesive in yours? Also...huge thing was how hot it got in there. We bermed ours really well then laid some sod! So much better. Glad you got it. We okie folks need them for sure.
Pamela Schmidthuber that's awesome..I'm in Northeast Oklahoma pryor, where u guys at. I need to do a seal also. no adhesive smell any longer. thank you for watching
Smart move👍 Vinny 🇺🇸
If I had a large land like yours, i'd burry a shipping container ! I'd put a door on the container, and build an entrance/stairs out of concrete. So basically it would look like your storm shelter now, but when you go down, there would be a door at the back of the shelter, that would open into the shipping container ! You could hook everything up to the grid, and have power/ internet the works ! The whole complex could be hidden, that no one would be wiser, when the zombie apocalypse has arrived
Planting grass might stop your soil from running away :)
Mark Nijboer yes for sure
What's inside the bunker? Trespasser's. LOL Always good to have that security from tornado's . Put some fibermesh screen. You need some kind of door sealant.
I see light coming through the door so just add a gasket problem solved plus the it will help if the wind is screaming loud well a little lol ... Thumbs up :) Peter
I’d just like to suggest adding a luggable-loo.... or just an extra bucket with toilet paper... especially with kids.
Build a heavy metal guard around the air vent to protect it from possible flying object, would be a pain if it got knocked of during a storm and all the rain starts coming in.....get a portable composting toilet, when you gotta go, you gotta go....
Really like this shelter.
Out West Homestead thank you
Great project! My concern is the above ground portion. I grew up in Kansas and I'm sure a tornado could latch onto that and rip it out like a rotten tooth.
I'm sure if you go to the Automotive store and buy a generic roll of door trim and install that around the door it will seal it. Plus a few LED tap lights for when its sealed
you should put some homely wallpaper up or photos/ posters of pretty outdoor settings on the walls to make it feel nicer and less prison like
Was just thinking about ur bunker man. How invaluable.
Frugal Drew yes for sure, it was a great purchase
Very practical.Good one.
but it is very nice.. good luck with it and be safe. .God Bless
Build a run down shed over the bunker... And some flowers or plants. tjl
Cool videos you have it was great finding your Channel
Perhaps add a cut sheet of plywood and foam for bed. Sleeping bags. You could be cold and wet.
Hope that you never have to use. Take care.
For about $10 you can get a solar LED light. Hang the bulb inside and the 3X5inch solar cell outside. It would stay charged and burn for hours (maybe days).
the spiders and crickets are getting in because the crickets can flat them selves out and fit in anywhere like around your door I seen light if there is the smallest space they will ge tin as will the spiders.. also many spiders grow very fast so it is possible that baby spiders are getting in through the screen and any small spaces as well.. hope that helps a little..
That thing looks tough!
nice shelter but I do have a suggestion just for you and your families Saftey. if you are soley using it as a storm shelter you need to make sure the two slide pins holding the door closed can be released by emergency personnel from the outside. scenario... wife and kids are visiting family and you are at home and a storm comes and you get injured getting to the shelter but manage to close it up you become unconscious and cannot release the pins then they have to break you out but if they have access to the pins they come in rescue you and shelter needs no major repairs.