Building Bunker Villa on a budget using Quonset Hut structure

Fifteen years ago David had friends building underground shelters, but he didn’t understand the attraction, until an ice storm took out his power and left him without electricity for a couple weeks. After building his own “concrete box” underground which doubled as both disaster bunker and guest house, he realized there was a faster and cheaper way to go underground. Instead of spending a year and $100,000 to place rebar and concrete forms, he began to bury Quonset huts for clients as a quick and more affordable solution to erect subterranean shelters.

After digging into a hillside or into the ground, the Quonset hut itself goes up in a couple days on top of a cement foundation (the corrugated metal structure was originally developed by the US Navy during WWII as a quick, lightweight housing that could be assembled with unskilled labor). Then a layer of spray foam is applied, followed by a layer of shotcrete (sprayed concrete). Instead of rebar, David uses Helix Steel or “micro rebar” to reinforce the concrete. Time can vary by the size and location of a project, but David estimates the entire process takes about a month.

We visited the underground Quonset shelter he built for a client in 2010. It has 3 bedrooms, a full bathroom, a kitchen with dishwasher and cast iron stove, plus a well with access from inside and a loft filled with several years worth of dry food.

https://vikingshelters.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@UClEaGOcDH8YxVIlcSaFZOLQ

On *faircompanies

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