20 replies to this topic

[iPadawan]

My wife and I are house shopping at the moment, I thought it might be fun to see if anyone knows of a good Defensible home for sale around Knox county? You know, something private, hidden from the road and with a single point of entry/exit. Now, I don't really think I would NEED to ever Defend it.. But I would like to have privacy, a nice 3+ br home with a basement and lots of garage space.

A home that was designed to be defensible would have the privacy I would like to have. I have never really had any "good" neighbors, so I would rather avoid them.

Randy

[HvyMtl]

Well, what type of defensible? It sounds like the out of view, out of mind type of location. Which won't mean much to Zombies. They will roam.

One entry, on the house, or to the house? Sometimes having an extra out could mean the difference between being alive or zombie dinner.

I suggest it will need to be made of tough stuff. Like brick over siding. I don't live in the area, but I do have friends there. If they come up with something good, I will pass the info on.

Yes, this sounds cheesy, but try Homes. com and see if anything fits.

[Lester Weevils]

Would well-placed shooting slots be an essential feature of a truly defensible house? Might raise eyebrows in a yuppie burb.

Bullet-resistant glass or at least bullet-resistant shutters? Or both? In case of surprise attack, should the shutters be mounted inside so you can get at them quick? Alternately, no windows at all?

If not a log house, maybe a layer of bullet-resistant SOMETHING in the exterior walls? With today's armament, would log walls be adequate except for a weak-willed brief assault?

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Sipsey Street's Mike Vanderboegh has a knack for good fiction. In the first part of this story Mike describes our ancestors' appalachian frontier defensible house, the dogtrot cabin. Mike writes an excellent concise explanation.

Here is the relevant quote from Mike Vanderbegh's linked short story. Please click on his link and give him a hit. It is a good story all the way thru.
Sipsey Street Irregulars: Gabriel and the Spooky Owl. (A Christmas story for my grandsons.)

Gabriel's granddaddy lived way back up in the hills, in a converted dogtrot cabin. They called it a "dogtrot" because it had been built when there were still unfriendly Indians roaming around and the safest cabin to build was actually two square ones made of big square-cut logs and no windows downstairs, just stout doors that could be barred, and an open porch that connected the two squares and an upper story that spanned the two. (If you think about it, if all you have is for construction is a cross-cut saw, a hatchet, an axe and maybe an augur for boring hole for the wooden pegs to hold the smaller pieces together, it is a lot easier to build two stout log squares with a space in between them and then connect them bottom and top.)
The dogtrot was really designed to be a little fort. With no windows down below, the settlers would cut firing slits in the logs so they could fire through and each lower square could support the other with fire from flintlock rifles if somebody tried to break down the door of the other. The stairs to the upper level were internal to the rooms so nobody could get in the top part of the house without going through the lower and each stair ended at another stout door with firing slits on the other side. They even cut removable firing ports in the oak plank floors of the upper story which covered the stairs, so that even if an enemy got inside one of the lower squares, they could still be shot at by people defending the upper rooms. In the upper story, then, were the only windows in the house and even these had stout shutters with firing slits that could be pulled shut in case of attack. The thick logs and oak planks were well-nigh bulletproof to the weapons of the day.
I know, I know, I'm getting to the dogtrot part. Anyway, with a big open porch below, between the two lower squares, you could sit in a rocking chair out of the hot Alabama sun of a summer and stay cool in the shade. Of course, it being open and all, the dogs would also shelter there, and could run from the front to the back without encountering a door, so it got the name of "dogtrot."

Wikipedia says modern dogtrots are still built but the wikipedia picture of a modern dogtrot doesn't look especially defensible. Modifications could be made, but maybe the end result would do better on a lot shielded from road view rather than a suburban street?

Dogtrot house - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mike.357]

There is a house on Maloneyville, visible though but looks rather defensible.

Only a mil and a half. Might fit the need

[iPadawan]

What I mean by defensible is mostly out of sight and out of mind.. I control the entry to the property..
I would like for the property to have a long driveway to the house...

My REAL goals are privacy, not defensiblity.. But like I said, a house designed to be defensible.. would likely also fit my privacy bill.
So my single point of entry, pertains to the property.. It would be the single VISIBLE point of entry. One that I would know someone was coming, prior to them getting there.

I'll check out the Maloneyville one, Thanks!

*edit*
That is a nice home, but I would like more property, so I can ensure future encroachment won't happen Planning for the long haul in this one.

[Oh Shoot]

Maybe you could pick up the Millennium Manor, aka The Doomsday House, in Alcoa:



Apocalypse Party at the Armageddon House : Extraordinary Intelligence

- OS

[TMF]

Get a house anywhere and have a backhoe. Zombies can't climb, so when the zombie hoards decend, just dig a deep trench around your house and torch them as needed.

[mikegideon]

Get a house anywhere and have a backhoe. Zombies can't climb, so when the zombie hoards decend, just dig a deep trench around your house and torch them as needed.

Or just have lots of ammo. Zombies can't climb over a pile of dead zombies either.

[NYCrulesU]

Make sure you get enough land so that when the SHTF...the rest of us can move there too

[iPadawan]

If I find the place I want, there will be plenty of bunker space for my fellow brethren

[peejman]

I had to do house shopping a couple years ago. The vast majority of floor plans have no regard for "defense-ability". I'm not real thrilled with that specific aspect of the house we bought, but it was the best compromise of many aspects that was available at the time. Good luck with your search.

[HvyMtl]

Ok, thoughts. You want it where it is secluded. Well, yes, and if you are not home, this gives the thief uninterrupted access. However, I fully understand wanting few visitors.

Hmm. You want to build one, or buy. Buy makes it hard, as Peejman says, the normal floor plans are not so much defensible as livable.

So. Here is what I would do: If I could build, I would design it and have it built on a large plot of land, 10 acres+ It would be 2 story, stone. Highly fire resistant. The design would be a modern twist on the block house. Large enough for the family, plus. Here is the classic block house.
http://images.finear...lissa-parks.jpg

If buying, and not building, get the most land you can afford, with a house that is elevated above the rest of the land.

[greyofk]

The area between Riverside drive, Holston Hills and Brooks avenue has several brick houses for sale with decent land lots and long driveways. Some are surrounded by century old woods

[ochretoe]

Look up shipping container homes. Get you a plot of land like you want and go to town.

[iPadawan]

Thanks Guys, I will check the areas around Holston Hills and Riverside Drive.

I am not too worried about giving a Thief access to our home by it being private... There is almost never a time when no one is there. I have been looking at properties where the house is up on a hill, as to me this is ideal for ANY situation.. However, Of the very few I have found, only one house was even remotely livable. I saw a home with 24 acres in Heiskel, I may check it out.. But it is a hair further than I would like to be from work.

There are far too many good deal in Real Estate out there right now to build. To build is going to cost between 100 and 200 dollars a square foot, based on estimates I have received... And that is just for a normal house. But you can buy a home with land for between $40-90 per square foot. No brainer.. I may just have to make a few compromises.

Sure wish an old underground bunker or Silo was for sale locally They are always private AND Defensible.

[jport]

I was thinking something on a bluff overlooking a lake would be prime. Have a boat ready by the water just incase.

[Oh Shoot]

I was thinking something on a bluff overlooking a lake would be prime. Have a boat ready by the water just incase.

A boat on a lake gets you to the end of the lake.
A boat on TN River gets you to the next dam.

A little boat can be portaged, but can't carry much.

- OS

[Lester Weevils]

A boat on a lake gets you to the end of the lake.
A boat on TN River gets you to the next dam.

A little boat can be portaged, but can't carry much.

- OS

The garden variety simple, prosaic, old-fashioned and low-tech Iron Mole is without doubt the safest and most reliable post-apocalyptic transport. Even a worn-out banged-up Iron Mole bought used at auction will work fantastic. Just register the title, vacuum the interior, check the turn signal lights, hang a new air freshener, and you are good to go.

Just remember-- You MUST make certain to keep current the maintenance schedule. Especially the steering mechanism. Lest ye find yourself stranded after dark within Pellucidar city limits. Authorities are hardly friendly in Pellucidar. Pellucidar speed traps are nearly as tough as those in Valdosta GA.

[Gotthegoods]

Probably goes without saying, but keep all landscaping, trees, bushes well trimmed. Don't want to give those pesky zombies anywhere to hide!

[iPadawan]

Well, I did it! I found my private, secluded and defensible home. And best of all, 20 minutes from work. I close on it next month and I can't wait!

The house sits back from the road, hidden by trees. If not for the security gate and the 1/8th mile long driveway, you wouldn't know it was there. The house itself is an open airy house, so we can see all sides at just about any given time, The property is only accessible from the gate as well. Needless to say, I am stoked!