East Austin bunker under home

[92f-fan]

Is your foundation designed to support itself and the house with no soil under it ?

[dicion]

It's a slab, I'm also pretty sure it's post-tension, so I'm pretty sure it would be fine if I put something not too big under it.
Biggest issue would be having to x-ray it to make sure I don't cut any tendons if I do put the hatch in a closet.
Otherwise, I'll just have to put the hatch outside ;)

I know tons of civil and construction engineers, and would of course have them look at any plans first, for their opinion

[davidtx]

My wife watches all those home related programs on HGTV and friends non-stop. Recently there was a program that showed a bunker that some guy built below his house. He is dead now, but they interviewed his wife and son. The first level was very impressive - and then they started showing you secret passages to more rooms and more levels. Apparently this was his hobby/obsession - he dug it all by hand over many years. I tried to find a link to this, but haven't been able to.

[KD5NRH]

"Mr. Del Rio wasn't a madman with no experience — he was a state employee for years."

I need to get a job with the state, that will prove my sanity, ya think?

Read it again; they're just saying that government employment makes him an experienced madman.

[lrb111]

My wife watches all those home related programs on HGTV and friends non-stop. Recently there was a program that showed a bunker that some guy built below his house. He is dead now, but they interviewed his wife and son. The first level was very impressive - and then they started showing you secret passages to more rooms and more levels. Apparently this was his hobby/obsession - he dug it all by hand over many years. I tried to find a link to this, but haven't been able to.

I've seen quite a bit of the underground diggings on the History Channel's "Modern Marvels". They sometimes repackage video they have into different shows. So, some things may be seen in several shows. I'm pretty sure parts of the hand dug underground shelters showed up in the following shows.

"The House Part 1" October 15, 2001
"The House Part 2" October 15, 2001
"Bunkers" October 23, 2001
"Doomsday Tech" December 28, 2004
"More Doomsday Tech" December 28, 2004
"The Basement" April 26, 2005

[Originalist]

Point 1: He did indeed violate building codes. I am sure that digging a 2 to 3 story hole under your house in a residential neighborhood is a violation. In my mind if he was living up on Ruby Ridge with his nearest neighbor being in the next county, it wouldn't be anyones business let alone a code violation.

Point 2: He might have violated hazardous material storage regulations.

Point 3: The Police are storing his weapons while he is unable to enter his residence, and did not confiscate them.

We can all feel free to speculate about the implications of the above points, but as the story currently stands I don't see what the issue really is.

If they took them without his permission, no matter what they call it, they were confiscated!

[jester]

If they took them without his permission, no matter what they call it, they were confiscated!

Or stolen.

[Grog]

Thanks Grog.
I'll bet you are under 55 and know how to use a computer. , OE

36, but I never touched a modern computer until 2001. The rest is history

[mctowalot]

Wow, free storage and tons of cement? Who's the winner here?

[TLE2]

My retired neighbor is welding up a carport this week.

Have you reported him yet? This kind of activity using unstable gases in an obviously dangerous manner should be reported!

If he was building a terminus to a drug tunnel (to the border?!!) then maybe.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

On page 1 of this thread, RPB said: Perhaps adding EMP protection would be a good idea

Here's where the homeowner needs to go to make the best decision on that:

http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?model=24

9MM, .40, or .45 GAP - Decisions, decisions. :-)

SIA

[Purplehood]

"Mr. Del Rio wasn't a madman with no experience — he was a state employee for years."

I need to get a job with the state, that will prove my sanity, ya think?

Read it again; they're just saying that government employment makes him an experienced madman.

Speaks volumes for the skill level of some of our state employees.

[A-R]

Two years later and the homeowner in this case is suing the city for illegally seizing his property

http://www.statesman.com/story-2345041.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[74novaman]

Two years later and the homeowner in this case is suing the city for illegally seizing his property

http://www.statesman.com/story-2345041.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well good luck to him.

I'm sure the city attorney can pull up a laundry list of civil codes he violated by digging to make it justified. After all, he was digging without a permit, what if there were gas lines, electric lines, sewer lines, yada yada yada. Doubt he'll get very far with a lawsuit.

[C-dub]

Man.. this is exactly what I want to do under my foundation!

I figure a room or two would be nice for Z-Day. Store lots of nonn-perishable food down there. Sump pump for when I have power, hand pump for when I don't.
I think I'd definitely brace the walls a little better than he had, though.

Figure I'd saw cut an entry hatch from one my closet floors down into it... cover it with a rug. Would be perfect!

Be careful there isn't a water or sewage line under there.