March 2010 Archives

Starting a fire is easiest with good tinder. This video demonstrates my favorite method of producing tinder using a waste product from my home... and yours, too.

One of the biggest hurdles in my RECESS construction is the lack of access to the site. It's impossible to get even the smallest construction vehicle into my backyard. The only passage is a single, wheel barrow wide channel with multiple step downs and two sharp ninety degree turns. Accessing via the adjacent properties would mean either tearing down a block wall, or scaling 20' up one from the property below.




In the long run, these barriers serve as an additional layer of protection; insurance that any yahoo with a winch on his pick-up, or enough diesel cached to run a bobcat, won't be able to roll up to my bunker and pull the door off the hinge. In the short run, it meant that every pound of the 20 yards of concrete brought in thus far was done by hand. The final pour (another 7.5 yards of colored concrete) came in over the roof.

This last layer added between five and six inches of additional concrete slab to the top of the existing structure. The presence of the pump truck also completely annihilated my plan for "discrete construction." Every neighbor on the block stopped by to ask what was going on. The upside was that once the pour was complete and the deck stabilized, I had no qualms taking my neighbors back to see our new "deck," because the shelter was effectively hidden in plain sight.

 

Proper sanitation may be considered a tertiary need (behind nourishment and shelter), but it should not be overlooked. Your long-term survival and comfort will rely as much on your ability to maintain basic sanitary needs as your ability to gather food and fresh water. In a short-term scarcity crisis, the threat is minimal. A lengthy period of time without fresh water, soaps, anti-bacterial compounds, and antibiotics will inevitably give rise to a host of life-threatening infections and disease.

This DIY is exceptionally easy and serves primarily as a call to action for basic sanitation. You can always go further, with chemical or composting toilets, and palettes of pre-moistened anti-bacterial wipes. But, be sure to add a 5 gallon bucket and a few hundred plastic grocery store bags to your essential supply list.

With the initial structure complete, our next task was to cloak RECESS within the new landscape. Jess Dunn, a landscape architect and friend, helped to draft a clever design.

The plan masked the rectangular form of RECESS within a series of curves, and raised the level of the lower yard in an attempt to conceal the existence of the much deeper cavity. One fundamental design consideration was the total eradication of the original pool. The new yard plan had to break far enough from the structure of the previous one that even long-term residents of the neighborhood would approach this as an entirely new space - with an inherent belief that no trace of the original yard (or pool) was left.

We added a new deck of stamped stained concrete, new stairs that carried down to the lower yard, and broke every original line.




Here you can see the hardscape beginning to take shape. The decking material will be stamped, stained concrete. The slab sitting above the RECESS is 1000 sq ft, at a depth of 5 inches, reinforced with a rebar grid.

Sandbags are incredibly useful for fortification, reinforcing existing structures or barricades, and/or serving as a water barrier. I save and convert all of my family's old pants into sandbags. For the RECESS shelter, I use them to protect my automated sentry boobytrap.



hit the jump for an image of my completed sandbags and an informational PDF

A tiger is a solitary animal, opportunistic in its hunt, and moving with a stealth belying its strength and mass. A tiger kills out of necessity, carefully defending life-giving resources found within its territory.

Knowing where to find strategic resources is essential survival knowledge. Efficient and effortless access to those resources is equally critical. If the name of the game is resources, than what does it mean to be resourceful? One definition is "having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulty." In a RECESS situation, most "difficulty" will arise from the sudden competition for waning resources.

It's foolish to attempt to hoard all the resources you and your family will require in a life-threatening scarcity. The smarter survivor will have ample knowledge of their surroundings. Learn from the tiger: stake out your territory and take stock. I call this Tigerwalking.

When the shit hits the fan, safe travel may be limited to just a few blocks in any direction. Maintain a careful record of known food/water stores, strategic vantage/defensive positions, and equipment worth commandeering within a few mile radius of your home or place of work.
Like a tiger, you should pick and choose out of necessity, and defend your territory with your life.

Today, knowing the shortest route to a store that sells groceries, tools, or ammunition is useful. If that store is 15 min. from your home by car, your knowledge is of little use in a RECESS situation. In a crisis, there is little chance you will ever reach that store on foot, and an even greater chance that if you do it will be empty. If you are just now realizing the untapped potential of the tremendous heap of "stuff" contained in your own home, imagine that potential as you expand your territory to your block - or your neighborhood. The accumulated results of literally decades of weekend shopping trips are all around you.

Take notes,map key resources, and most importantly - practice discretion. Tigerwalk habitually - carefully scanning the contents of open garages, parked vehicles, and obvious new resources. Practice constant vigilance. Look around - then look again.

I've walked my dog along the same route for years. Just yesterday I noticed a home security camera that I'd never seen before. It wasn't new; the camera was well weathered. This camera is a clear sign of two possible scenarios:

1. The house contains something of value
2. The owners are paranoid - and as such, more likely to be armed.
   

In a RECESS situation, this house would be elevated to a location of interest and low risk.

Be observant, be prepared, and be organized. I use this Google Map and Flickr mashup designed to keep track of resources I spot while tigerwalking. When I see something worth remembering I use my iPhone and an application called MobileFotos to upload geo-coded photos to the map for later study. If you want to save a few steps, you could probably skip all the walking and spend your time online perusing Google Street View.
 
I've recently started streaming live video from my cell phone while tigerwalking. The performances are unscheduled and impromptu. You can can watch them here.

Before we pull the forms, my wife slips in to inspect and get a "feel" for the RECESS. At this point, it's a damp, dark, hole in the ground devoid of any trace of creature comfort. Much to my satisfaction, she emerged excited about the chance to "camp out in there" when we're finished.

Note the vertical white PVC pipe to the right of the hatch. This is a clean out for the bunker drain buried 6.5 feet below the surface. The drain pipe needs to be trenched out and extended 15 feet to a block wall on the downhill side of my yard.