Hey! First post here 
I'm planning to build a bunker, or rather just an underground room out in the woods. I've thought of different ways to do it but have come to the conclusion that I think is the best (and maybe even the cheapest?). I have no experience with bricklaying, etc.
What I had in mind is to dig my hole, LBH 5 x 3 x 3 (+- 1) meters. This is where the room will fit. Then I'll lay down macadam or similar for good drainage at the bottom, as well as insulation. On top of this, I plan to lay a concrete foundation, but since I have no experience with this, I'm open to other suggestions. The room itself will consist of a single long segment, which is really just a sheet of metal bent into a semicircle, forming an arch. All in all, the maximum height inside the room will be just over two meters, with beds and such placed along the walls. On top of this, I want enough insulation to make sure the room stays around 20 degrees if possible. Then I'll cover it with about half a meter of soil so it's invisible again.
I now have some questions.
1. How much insulation do I need to keep the room at a comfortable temperature? I'm located in the Stockholm region.
2. Is it possible to buy sheet metal segments, roughly 3 meters long and 50 cm wide, bend these, and fasten them in place down in the hole, then weld them so they hold together? Can sheet metal be bent that well?
3. What's the easiest way to fasten the metal to the concrete foundation? Are there any convenient links that can be cast into the concrete from the start? Will it be tight enough?
4. Can the metal handle the pressure from the earth above and from the sides? I chose the arch shape for this very purpose, but I'm still not entirely sure. How thick does the metal need to be to withstand the pressure?
5. Does anyone have suggestions for practical and strong doors?
6. Is there anything I've missed? (Excluding building permits.)
Electricity will be available via car battery. Ventilation will, of course, also be arranged.
Some things to add are that I know it's easier to bury a container, but I don't have access to heavy machinery and advanced tools.
What do you think?
Disclaimer: The room is only intended for short stays, not as protection against atomic bombs, zombies, or meteor showers. It will also not be used for cannabis cultivation or a meth lab. No one will be held captive down there.
I'm planning to build a bunker, or rather just an underground room out in the woods. I've thought of different ways to do it but have come to the conclusion that I think is the best (and maybe even the cheapest?). I have no experience with bricklaying, etc.
What I had in mind is to dig my hole, LBH 5 x 3 x 3 (+- 1) meters. This is where the room will fit. Then I'll lay down macadam or similar for good drainage at the bottom, as well as insulation. On top of this, I plan to lay a concrete foundation, but since I have no experience with this, I'm open to other suggestions. The room itself will consist of a single long segment, which is really just a sheet of metal bent into a semicircle, forming an arch. All in all, the maximum height inside the room will be just over two meters, with beds and such placed along the walls. On top of this, I want enough insulation to make sure the room stays around 20 degrees if possible. Then I'll cover it with about half a meter of soil so it's invisible again.
I now have some questions.
1. How much insulation do I need to keep the room at a comfortable temperature? I'm located in the Stockholm region.
2. Is it possible to buy sheet metal segments, roughly 3 meters long and 50 cm wide, bend these, and fasten them in place down in the hole, then weld them so they hold together? Can sheet metal be bent that well?
3. What's the easiest way to fasten the metal to the concrete foundation? Are there any convenient links that can be cast into the concrete from the start? Will it be tight enough?
4. Can the metal handle the pressure from the earth above and from the sides? I chose the arch shape for this very purpose, but I'm still not entirely sure. How thick does the metal need to be to withstand the pressure?
5. Does anyone have suggestions for practical and strong doors?
6. Is there anything I've missed? (Excluding building permits.)
Electricity will be available via car battery. Ventilation will, of course, also be arranged.
Some things to add are that I know it's easier to bury a container, but I don't have access to heavy machinery and advanced tools.
What do you think?
Disclaimer: The room is only intended for short stays, not as protection against atomic bombs, zombies, or meteor showers. It will also not be used for cannabis cultivation or a meth lab. No one will be held captive down there.
If you don't have access to heavy machinery, how should you roll a sheet into a half-moon? The sheet you can bend can't handle any earth mass in my opinion. An igloo that is dome-shaped directs the forces into the ground without collapsing, but it puts some demands on sheet forming.
Rent the digging service, place a container there. It's difficult with condensation and moisture in a container even above ground, assuming it should be heated.
American forums are very much into storm shelter and zombie apocalypse.
Rent the digging service, place a container there. It's difficult with condensation and moisture in a container even above ground, assuming it should be heated.
American forums are very much into storm shelter and zombie apocalypse.
There are earth cellars in kits, which should work for what you want. Made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic. http://www.vallendammen.se/jordkallare.htm
Containers don't hold up under pressure either; they collapse from the sides if not reinforced, many have tried. Metal rusts, as mentioned. But the fantastic thing is that you, TS, live in the Stockholm area, where there's a lot of rocky terrain to buy (northward and past Norrtälje, for example). Find a plot with deep crevices, put a roof over the crevice, and presto, you have your "bunker." Or take a look at the old earth houses that people lived in, which were more or less buried. Natural stone is abundant in Roslagen, so you might even be able to get that part of the building material for free, and it’s already on site.