If we are starting from scratch I'd want the house and driveway concealed.
Put the house on a small road with a 800' on longer driveway with S turns
so the house isn't  visible from the road. Put the gate on the first bend so that's not
visible either. Maybe do a gravel driveway so it blends in more

Pond on the property would be a benefit as well

well a lot of this is fantasy and or financially impossible. the best security IMO if SHTF is to have a prior agreement with your neighbors to help defend each other. It is impossible for you and your spouse to stay awake and defend your location without help. I am moving into a new subdivision and have already mapped out best fields of fire, best area for OP,etc. and I plan on a BBQ to get to know the neighbors and find out who is of like mind. from there make a plan. one way into the development helps.

I agree with you. Though we can make them more secure for minor issues.

But if I am building a house from scratch I can incorporate good design and usability for making them more usable for extended power outages and homesteading.

I drive for and turn a wrench for a concrete company.
If you pay attention you know who's doing what.

Bringing this thread back to reality; focusing on simple, cheap options that could be done and would only marginally add to the cost of house (relatively speaking) if you were having it built new:

1.) Exterior doors open outwards (and are reinforced and steel doors).

2.) Walls are made out of dirt filled concrete modular units; with an applique fascia over it, so it doesn't look like a bunker -- it does nothing to put AR500 shutters over your windows if they can just shoot though the walls. This wouldn't stop dedicated people with magnum rifles, but it would I think, stop or slow down a lot of .223 or 9mm; which is the likeliest threat you'd face.

3.) AR500 shutters and impact resistant film on windows.

4.) As said by others -- a below-grade basement is all but mandatory for various purposes (safe room, gun room, fallout shelter), etc.

6.) Careful planning of landscaping -- make sure that there are no trees within collapse/blow down distance of your house -- I've seen so many downed trees at my job that I don't want a tree within 50 feet of my house now. This also allows you to have a nice field of fire of approaching hostiles as well.

The rest is all just quibbling over details (Solar/well/septic) etc.

Since fire can be a very large concern, try to incorporate something like this but more permanent.  I have the idea of a built-in roof sprinkler system that is well concealed from view (for aesthetic reasons) and that pulls from either a well or a large underground cistern.  Solar powered pump to ensure proper function even with power outages.

Add on basic things like hurricane windows, door jamb reinforcements, hard wired cameras, and large pantry

I'd focus on keeping the house energy efficient and safe as possible (within budget) from fire.

If you could design a spot for a battery bank into the house that's big enough to run the "necessary" stuff like refrigerator and freezer and the well pump would be awesome. Try to design the home so it needs very little energy to heat or cool, so you can minimize the size of the solar/battery system.  A generator/transfer switch would be nice too.

Prewire for cameras and security lighting. Beef up the framing around the doors and windows so they can support shutters and a beefy door & frame.

A community of pillboxes with interlocking fields of fire.

Forgot to add to my previous post - if you’re really going the castle route, look at the Afghanistani walled compound idea. Sort of similar to the Roman villa, but includes your support buildings and part of your barnyard inside the compound walls.



You could also site your buildings so they could be “enclosed” at a later date with Hesco bastions kept in storage. You’d need a borrow pit and a front end loader on hand too, but that’s not uncommon. This would fit more with the American model of site planning.

No Castles. The costs would be extraordinary.

Just a smartly designed house focused on folks who have that sort of homesteading mindset.

One thing that I didn't see listed that may work is a solar tower/chimney for passive cooling.


Pretty much a small room on top of a tower with windows on all sides that would allow the hot air to escape and pull cooler air in via the lower windows in the house.

Could also double as a watch tower.  

Yeah, the Qalat idea wasn’t really for you.

My first post included my professional opinion. The Qalat is a GD opinion.

The farmyard is more useful in a US context. I wouldn’t build an adjacent shop building on spec, just as a future option. I’d rather have solar panels and batteries on and in the shop than in my main house anyway.

If we are talking the best bang for your buck you are better off just moving to the middle of nowhere. Over building a purpose built defensive structure.

It's not that I don't admire ARFcom's zeal for a fortress like structure its just that most cant afford something like that and honestly most folks aren't quite as hardcore as we are.

Like you say on a spec home you have to be careful not to overbuild. Something like this you also have to leave room for them to fill in with their "vision" to be more marketable. I would just give them good bones. Or more likely as we do now I would build on their site, though I have a development site in mind.

Earthbag construction results in exterior walls about 15 inches thick.  Somebody tested an earthbag wall with .50 BMG, and the wall won.  

Big part of the earthbag concept, is that it was developed to be low in material cost (it's the labor cost that hurts, if you are paying someone to do it) and resistant to earthquake damage.

I found it and uploaded it to my blog

NOTES ON TACTICAL RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE

There is also a decent article floating around on "Lessons from Farmers in Rhodesia" that I will also post if anyone is interested.

Monolithic dome in the middle of rough terrain, an outer half wall, and a full wall court yard?

This ticks many off your list.



http://www.ghosttownforsale.com/Mobile/

Heliport!!

I think the monolithic domes are very cool. However it would be expensive I think and a little weird for most people.

Aside from door jamb reinforcements.

THIS.




Unlike window security film (that makes it more difficult to breach the windows/glass, but STILL potentially leaves you with a cracked window that needs to be replaced/reglazed), this protects the glass from even taking impacts. Allows for easy opening for quick/emergency egress, and looks like (and serves as) an insect screen for days when you want open windows and ventilation.

P.S.
It also serves to protect against accidental window break "Oopsies" due to kids playing outside (or mowers kicking up a small rock).

Festung Europa or Maginot Line.

Interesting on the face of it. I would like to do some independent testing before recommending to our customers.

Would LOVE to see/hear the results!

Dungeon and sex room

Attached File

So here is how I really do it. This is just my preliminary sketches. I dropped part of an existing model into one side. I will likely rework that bathroom area a bit.

I just sketch it out in pencil and then I will have my draftsman draw it up with appropriate wall thickness, dimensioning and etc. Then I will stare at it on and off for hours and tweak it in ways to that make the most sense for use and cost. It’s always a balance.

This first floor plan is just a rectangle and is nowhere near done. Why a rectangle? It is the most economical design. From here I may expand the “Homesteader” line with various additions and designs to suit higher budgets.

I will of course update this as the design comes together. I am still wanting to hear suggestions. But keep in mind that building this home as is is already going to be 400k give or take in today’s market.

Attached File

A lot of people here seem to be designing against threat of medieval castle siege. I don’t think that’s very relevant today, even in places like South Africa where roving bands of marauders have actually been a thing.

Things I’m thinking of for resilient home design:
- Low upkeep cost. Economic depression or job loss can be a threat. Where it makes sense, design the house to require as few energy inputs as possible. This means careful site selection, making sure the windows are set where the sun doesn’t overheat rooms, and putting eaves or awnings on things. Insulate extra, to keep the inside temperature stable. Position doors and windows to take advantage of prevailing winds, for days when the outside temperature is nice. Have skylights to reduce electricity use. Etc.
- Natural disasters would probably be the next thing I’d harden against. Good building materials selection and details can mitigate damage from hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, hail, and even normal thunderstorms. The builder needs to care about details though.
- Something nobody has mentioned yet is the threat of obsolescence. A building that can transcend trends and is adaptable over time will not be torn down. Here I’m thinking about utility/electrical chases, leaving space for upgrades in the mechanical area, and not burying a bunch of stuff in inaccessible places. Not building to whatever the current trend happens to be is important too. How silly do those 2008 era Spanish style villas look today? How will today’s modern farmhouse thing look in 15 years? We should build houses for the next 100 years, not 10.
- Last on my list is attack by armed groups. My first thought here is controlling vehicle access to the house. Use trees and giant rocks to control avenues of approach. Trees (and those extra-large eaves) are also important for controlling sight lines from the ground and air. Remember that quadcopters are everywhere these days.There should be enough windows to allow observation/engagement  of every possible approach. A bunch of concrete planters can provide cover near and around the house, and could double as a rain garden. Walls don’t need to be bulletproof, just the portion you’d be behind in a gunfight. Exterior lighting should be soft and diffused, to not create deep shadows.

Feel like I’m rambling, will call that good for now.

Then you can’t have insulation and if the bullet catches a stud it’s coming right in.

World’s largest 3D-printed neighborhood comes to Texas
An entire street of 3D printed homes in Texas are move-in ready
SUNCONOMY TO DEVELOP 3D PRINTED CONCRETE HOMES IN TEXAS

I forget that some places are allowed to build without rebar.

Much of that sounds like an earth ship

Two story. No windows on first floor.

This is the way

Adobe...

agreed