Hello. I have been doing research and following threads such as underground fort, but still have a very bleak idea of how to construct my underground fort. Obvisouly it can't be much bigger then 12 by 12, and 8 feet high, which is as much as i would need and rather big. 8 by 8 by 8 would siffice just fine. But i need help on the basic ocnstruction and choice of materials. Wood seems as though it would rot against the dirt and collapse much easier. Also how do i deal with the water and drainage, and keep the place waterproof. All ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated. thanks

Use waterproof/resistant materials and have a metal grate at least a half inch above the subfloor.
The subfloor should be angled towards where you want the water to go. It should have a slope of 1/12 for proper drainage. The metal grate is your floor. Any thing else you need answered?

yes a need a lot answered pretty much a basic plan. I am a noob when it comes to construction and such. What is the subfloor and how does it compare to the floor. And how do i build a foundation. thank you

Should be pretty simple ...

1) Dig big hole in shape you need

2) mix concrete and pour for floor at thickness needed, with a drain as necessary , have gravel underneath ..

3)make up wooden frame around the edges with a few inches clearance with enough strength/bracing to hold wet concrete

4) pour concrete around edges to make wall

5)figure out how you want to get in, make a ceiling out of corrugated iron with your choice of topping


just generally something like that .. :)

i see so you think ic an make everything out of concrete. and how do you propose i get gravel underneath the floor.

i see so you think ic an make everything out of concrete. and how do you propose i get gravel underneath the floor.

Ummm ... shovel it in before you put in the concrete? :D

Or you could find a very large diameter pipe such as used in culverts which might work ..

Or a shipping container with appropriate bracing ..

Lot's of opportunities, it isn't rocket science ..

Too vague.

I'm not going to hand you an instruction booklet.

Google mother fucker, can you use it?


-N-

hey jolt thanks for your help. yeah ive been using google for the past few weeks just looking for some other suggestions you dickhead. dont bother posting if you dont like my topic

And wouldnt the cement just seep in between the gravel forming a solid, doing nothing for drainage?

What is the subfloor and how does it compare to the floor. And how do i build a foundation. thank you

I think what he meant is that these kinds of questions can be answered very quickly using a Google search, which frees up the other posters to deal with other more specific questions that have less straightforward answers, or deal with the merits of one design choice over another. It's in your best interest, really . . .

And if you're really new to this, this is an interesting link, just to see what's out there as options . . . http://tinyurl.com/y56ghj

Good luck.

Should be pretty simple ...

1) Dig big hole in shape you need

2) mix concrete and pour for floor at thickness needed, with a drain as necessary , have gravel underneath ..

3)make up wooden frame around the edges with a few inches clearance with enough strength/bracing to hold wet concrete

4) pour concrete around edges to make wall

5)figure out how you want to get in, make a ceiling out of corrugated iron with your choice of topping


just generally something like that .. :)

lol then when the fort collapses on top of you and you suffocate to death, i get to laugh.

you have no idea on how concrete, reinforcing or formwork actually works.

1. Dig a hole the size you want, plus 30cm(1 foot) on each side.
2. Place gravel on the bottom. This helps absorb and dissapate water should any get in. Stomp it down as hard as you can.
3. Pour concrete on top. Ideally you'd put some 10mm rebar in there, but w/e. And a drain hole.
4. Walls will be tricky.....Get some more rebar, and make up a basic frame for the wall/where the concrete is going to be. Dig some trenches ~15cm wide and as deep as your shelter and maybe 1m long(2 per side), and place more rebar in there. Join this lot to the stuff for your walls. Make sure it's joined well. It should(hopefully) stop the walls collapsing. Get some 1/4 inch plywood, and place on the inside face of the rebar. Brace securely. Hopefully you joined the rebar to the ground piece aswell, and so the plywood sits inside the floor piece(so it doesnt leak everywhere). Pour concrete inside the rebar section, and tap the ply wood with a broomhandle or something to make sure it fills it completely. Dont stand in the hole incase your supports are shitty.
5. Hopefully you've done some research, and now your walls are perfect.
6. Make a roof, using corrugated steel roofing stuff. Brace it with some 2x4's, bolted to the walls. Make a 1m sq section which will be your entrance. Cover the roof with a thin layer of dirt, and some grass. Ideally the roof will be on a slight angle, to get rid of excess water.
7. You'll need ventilation, but you can just leave the door open.


Even the stupidest person know how to google. Just google "How to make a reinforced concrete wall" or something like that.

Dont do this unless you do heaps of research first.

ok thanks wolfy what do you think about using cinder blocks to build the wall?

Hello. I have been doing research and following threads such as underground fort, but still have a very bleak idea of how to construct my underground fort. Obvisouly it can't be much bigger then 12 by 12, and 8 feet high, which is as much as i would need and rather big. 8 by 8 by 8 would siffice just fine. But i need help on the basic ocnstruction and choice of materials. Wood seems as though it would rot against the dirt and collapse much easier. Also how do i deal with the water and drainage, and keep the place waterproof. All ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated. thanks

I purchased the $50 and Up Underground House Book (http://www.undergroundhousing.com/) and consider it A great tutorial on how to create cheap and efficient underground spaces. If you would like scans I will send them to you or post the important pages for totse.


The methods of building underground spaces in this book don't require concrete (time&$$$) and present stable designs for cheap and possibly expensive underground living spaces. I recommend this book to all totse members thinking of creating underground spaces.

that would be very helpful if you could give me some ideas from the book. What materials is it made from if no cement?

1. Dig a hole the size you want, plus 30cm(1 foot) on each side.
2. Place gravel on the bottom. This helps absorb and dissapate water should any get in. Stomp it down as hard as you can.
3. Pour concrete on top. Ideally you'd put some 10mm rebar in there, but w/e. And a drain hole.
4. Walls will be tricky.....Get some more rebar, and make up a basic frame for the wall/where the concrete is going to be. Dig some trenches ~15cm wide and as deep as your shelter and maybe 1m long(2 per side), and place more rebar in there. Join this lot to the stuff for your walls. Make sure it's joined well. It should(hopefully) stop the walls collapsing. Get some 1/4 inch plywood, and place on the inside face of the rebar. Brace securely. Hopefully you joined the rebar to the ground piece aswell, and so the plywood sits inside the floor piece(so it doesnt leak everywhere). Pour concrete inside the rebar section, and tap the ply wood with a broomhandle or something to make sure it fills it completely. Dont stand in the hole incase your supports are shitty.
5. Hopefully you've done some research, and now your walls are perfect.
6. Make a roof, using corrugated steel roofing stuff. Brace it with some 2x4's, bolted to the walls. Make a 1m sq section which will be your entrance. Cover the roof with a thin layer of dirt, and some grass. Ideally the roof will be on a slight angle, to get rid of excess water.
7. You'll need ventilation, but you can just leave the door open.


Even the stupidest person know how to google. Just google "How to make a reinforced concrete wall" or something like that.

Dont do this unless you do heaps of research first.


How are you tying your wall together? it's all going to come apart unless you use ties and correct form.

I purchased the $50 and Up Underground House Book (http://www.undergroundhousing.com/) and consider it A great tutorial on how to create cheap and efficient underground spaces. If you would like scans I will send them to you or post the important pages for totse.


The methods of building underground spaces in this book don't require concrete (time&$$$) and present stable designs for cheap and possibly expensive underground living spaces. I recommend this book to all totse members thinking of creating underground spaces.

A lot of people talkin'
But few of them know
Best kind of house is created below?

Sounds quite interesting for those of us who want to move to quieter, rural realms & who don't want big expenses to do it.

A concrete wall would have to be sectional - otherwise it would crack with the changing moisture and temperature levels . . . Also key an eye out for nearby trees and roots that could be trouble years down the road. You've seen them buckle sidewalks, for example, or threaten foundations

ok i have a basic plan for the entire place ie foundation, walls, floor, but still am not sure how to attach a roof that is strong enough to support the earth on top and will be waterproof. I thought of making a basic skanted roof with 2 by 8 joists and covering it in think wolmanized plywood. Then covering everything in a few layers of black tar or rubber matting. my only concerns are moisture coming through and rotting the wood, however i dont belive a can make a cement ceiling. Any suggestions.

How are you tying your wall together? it's all going to come apart unless you use ties and correct form.

All the rebar is joined for the full perimeter, and the ply wood is supported by whatever it takes to hold the concrete until it sets. Also why theres the extra bits extending into the surrounding ground, in sort of a hash shape #, although not on a slant.

Cinder blocks would be ok, but you'll have to find a way to stop them collapsing. Ever thought about making a semi-buried shelter? You can bury half of it, and leave the rest on top. It reduces the chance of a cave in, and it's also cheaper if you have cinder blocks for the above ground portion. The below ground bit can still be concrete, but make sure the plywood is kept in the right place until the concrete is set, then remove it, or it'll rot. Also depends on the soil. If it's sandy, you'll need to wet the sand before hand to stop it caving in. If it's wet mud, you'll need to find a different spot. If it's "dry" mud or clay, you should be ok, just cut the shape you want out of the ground and get to work.

Use galvanized, corrugated iron roofing sheet. Use some steel/aluminium "I" beams to add strength. Either leave a gap for an entrance/exit, or just hinge the whole lot.

A thought on the roof, You cold make the roof cement, you could fill the inside with something, I prefer a large bag filled with air, and pour cement on top of it. you could use a concrete slab. there are also some environment specific options but I don't know anything abot where you are planning to build.

i cant build a cement roof. And i thought about building tre shelter half underground and half above ground, but i want it to be hidden because well be smoking green and stuff in it. Unless theres a really good way of disguising it but i can think of any

you definitely don't want a cement roof, you will need more materials to make a load supporting roof.

What my book advises is that you build your underground home/ chillspot into a hill with the entrance on the high side of the hill.

you will need a good amount of lumber and polyethylene.

basically you need to dig the area size that you want then dig holes at each corner to stick wooden posts into to support parts of the roof. Depending on the area of your "hangout" you will need more or less posts in the center areas.

These posts are to be a few feet under ground the surface level of the hill. After doing that your going to have to construct your roof , which is more or less taking more lumber and making notches to fit into your posts to hold up the roof. Once again depending on the size area you will need less or more support and lumber.

Finally cover the roof in polyethylene and cover that with dirt.

Of course you will need to make an entrance but the way you design this "hangout" is all up to you. Ideas like this take a lot of work and efficient design.

yeah but i am afraid lumber is going to rot and become dangerous being buried in the soil.

yeah but i am afraid lumber is going to rot and become dangerous being buried in the soil.

If its pressure treated, rated for in ground contact, then it will hold up for a number of years (min. 10-20)

If you are really concerned, get posts made for building docks., i.e. in water

ahh i have decided to use the pressure treated wood, my only concer is the arsenic but oh well. thanks for everyones help. now can somebody come up with away to connect the roof to the walls and make it waterproof with a slant to drain water?

You can use tree's/bushes from the surrounding area to camouflage your shelter.

for the roof, have 1 side be 2-3" higher then the other, then just attach the roofing. Simple.