Home, Sweet, Home

We all know from the last election that security is a major preoccupation of the American public. Hell, that theme won the last election for a guy who not only is a danger to the country, but a danger to the world. So I'm guessing there is a good market for this:

For Sale By Owner - The Ultimate Secure Home

Strategically located in the awesome San Juan mountains of Southwest Colorado, this patented steel-reinforced concrete earth home was built to withstand almost any natural or man-made disaster you can name. It is more secure, safe, and functional than any conventional house could ever be, yet still has a level of comfort that one might not expect to find in an underground home.

Currently Offered at $495,000

This is really a prize:

Disaster Proof Construction

This dome home, a patented-steel reinforced concrete structure, properly called a thin-shell dome, was designed by structural engineers to withstand almost any natural or man-made disaster you can name. These buildings have withstood tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes - some measuring over 7.0 on the Richter scale - and in every case they have come away with no structural damage at all. Not only that, but a bomb shelter built with this exact type of construction, was tested at a U. S. military facility against a simulated nuclear explosion in the multi-kiloton range and was completely undamaged by the test. Amazingly, a burning candle inside the shelter was not even extinguished by the blast. Every other shelter tested in this trial sustained some measure of damage.

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Because the owners built the house for themselves, with no thought whatsoever of resale, much of the construction was done to overkill. One example of this is that, instead of just going with the 4" wall thickness recommended by Formworks, they sprayed considerably more concrete on the structure. The finished concrete wall thickness is about 13" at the base and tapers down to about 5" at the top. This was much more concrete than the engineered specs called for.

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These days, video cameras are ubiquitous. Almost every business has at least one camera. Likewise, burglar alarms are commonplace in residential settings. More exclusive homes also commonly incorporate video surveillance into their security systems. This house has multiple cameras stationed outside which allow the occupants of the safe room to safely watch any outside activity on a video monitor. The cameras' weatherproof housings, which are well hidden and strategically positioned high in pine trees, are heated, allowing the cameras to function even in sub-zero temperatures.

In addition to the video system, the house, safe room, and property are equipped with numerous other security devices and features, which, when combined, create a highly effective and comprehensive overall security system designed to protect against unwanted trespassers and intruders. However, for privacy reasons they are not being described in detail here. This is because the current owners believe that a new owner would not feel comfortable with the home's security if these special features had been disclosed to others' curiosity.

The site linked above goes on and on and on about this house and there is no way I can do justice to all the juicy stuff there. It is a paranoid's dream house and the description is full of goodies like this (and this isn't even the best of it):

Another interesting part of this new Colorado law is that they repealed a former provision that allowed the Governor to prohibit owning or using firearms in the event of a declared emergency. It reads, "Repeals existing statutory provisions authorizing the governor to prohibit certain activity in connection with firearms or ammunition in the event of a riot, insurrection, or invasion, and requiring any person to obtain a permit from the governor to undertake certain activity in connection with any firearm or ammunition in such circumstances." The elimination of this provision could be very important in the event that the national threat level goes to code red.

But go see it for yourself. Correction: go to the website and see it. If you really want to see it you have to undergo a security check by the current owner. If you are a terrorist, please don't even bother. They won't show it to you. Period.

There is one thing that didn't seem to be covered, however. Birds. Might I suggest the addition of an electrified bird feeder? 20,000 volts should be adequate for even the largest 5N1 infected aquatic waterfowl.