Bunkers and buried homes, 3 MISTAKES not to make

Here's #3



I think this will be a train wreck, let's hope nobody is inside when it happens.

Thank you for posting those videos, they certainly show you what not to do.

I could not imagine that shipping containers would make a cost effect underground bunker. The walls are not designed for side loads so must be strengthened. The floors are ply wood so have to be moisture proofed......why not do the job properly dig your hole add the drainage, then concrete floor, concrete walls and concrete slab roof, and back fill. Cement delivered is around $120 cubic meter.... so it is hard to beat.

They can work efficiently with the right planning. Something to think about is that the container is already a concrete form work. Many shelters in the US build a steel box, brace it then fill the surrounding hole with concrete. Concrete prices vary drastically depending on where you are. If you go for the closest concrete batcher, then he will remember what you are building and joke about it at the local.
If you have the right engineering tools, then the container is a good source of materials to build a good structure from. The best design I have seen with a container is to turn them upside down in the hole. You then build a wooden raised floor on what was the roof. You then apply suitable reinforcement for the new roof. To fix the walls weld 100x100 angles into the corrugations of the walls at 500mm spacings. this allows you to install insulation and utilities then clad. To make it stronger again weld a large square section the length of the container at the midpoint. This can be designed to be a ventilation duct as well or exhaust duct. Lots of other ideas to make a cheap bunker

Haven't had the chance to watch all of them just yet with audio, but selfsufficient has hit the nail on the head. You could use it as sacrificial formwork for placing your concrete, or strengthen it for the purpose intended. But not use them long term in their untouched form.

Tilt-up construction is not my favourite is quality control can be an issue.

That said, it can totally be done given the right design and construction. As the connections for tilt-ups are usually pinned, you want to make sure the panels are arranged in a fashion to provide adequate bracing to perpendicular panels, otherwise you can end up literally building them like a house of cards.

The best usage I have seen of a shipping container was as a storm shelter for cyclones
it was a forty footer fully lined with a 12/240volt system in it
It had designed from the ground up to being occupied long term in the event of a major cyclone destroying all the local infrastructure

basic outline of it was the shelter was above ground in a man made hill it was about 2 meters above ground level then earthen walls around it and over the top along the sides of the container there were walls made of corrugated iron and railway tracks for bracing it was well built and had a lot of thought put into it no cyclone was ever going to move it as the whole thing was pretty much buried but the ground pressure actually sloped away from the container due to being built raised up rather than below ground level all round it was very nicely built and quite comfortable I wouldn't mind living in it the best thing was they took a lot of idea from caravans and boats when designing it on the inside

now for what its worth this is the idea of what I would like