My Project - Not The Usual Type

[rixxmixxhell]

I built a Underground living area with 2 room partitions.

I now have food stash, well, the little i have but it's for the future. And my Monitor Lizards love going down there.

It actually come from my need to build a raised area due to my garden geography. So i used the Dirt/Clay to raise the height. And i was also building Wormery Pits ( I used to sell worms to pet/fishing tackle shops, now trying again) so i needed the dirt in place of clay.

It sounds a lot of clay when you think of just one ton. But you will be surprised how much dirt comes from a small hole. Even one of my small ponds took 36 barrow falls of dirt alone. Around 3-5 ton.

Due to me not wanting to ruin the little bit of grass i had for my pets, i dug it from the under the Metal Shed. My Garden is being made to be very full of different ecologies, so i wanted a small area of nice grass to sit on etc.

I removed so much dirt (I used to be a landscaper by the way) that i realized I'd almost set a hole so deep that i could make a small living area, like a camp lol. In the end we decided to make it a whole room 12 x 10 x 6 Approx and split that into two with Stud walling with treated 6 x 4 sheets of plywood.

We shawed up the walls with 3x2 and used Train sleepers for the Ground. The shed already had electric lights and 2 plug sockets which the wires were already run in tubes under the ground from the house circuit board. So we have lighting in there and electric access.

The area on top of where the rooms are has my aviary on it, so there's no weight other than 4 foot of light sandy soil ( i dug some from the top to lighten the load for the room celling stability, the remaining clay forms a solid support (I dried the clay a little then wet then dry etc to get it more dense) so it will make a stronger celling, i also used a sheet of steel from the brakers yard to allow extra strength.

So i didn't start out originally for this purpose, but after some enthusiastic comments. I thought yeah man, lets do it.

I still have to build a construct for the entrance, with a hatch. Although i am slightly worried about moisture. My skills are good at this as i used to build basement extensions so i know how to place timbre and cross struts that makes each strut stronger by leaning on each piece if you see what i mean. Like a dome.

I have yet to place pebble stones on the floor UNDER the train log sleepers for drainage of excess water etc.

My next door neighbor inspected it a few weeks back hes a Bridge Mason he was naturally inquisitive as to what i was doing.

I told him that it's for storage and for hiding pets/Humans as a joke etc if any social problems arose. But was actually really for the fun of it. He said he'd like to put food in there!! I think i scared him! Whoops ;)

Now i have a nice level garden due to my filling, nice raised Rockery for my FAVORITE Flower species such as moorland flower, mountain flowers, wild flower etc.

And the clay i wanted to make my swamp for attracting Dragon fly and other numerous insects. I have a Bog swamp with newts and all kinds of life that i study.

Ill submit a drawing.

P.S - you have no idea how fun this was. My Bog pond area is coming just nice, still building it up. This spring I'm taking cuttings of flowers from the hills in Cleveland etc. Heather etc, wild flower.

I actually put a T.V in there so i could play - Silent Hill - in the Darkness. I swear, you can't imagine how f -ing cool it is lol.

It's warm but very high in humidity. My hygrometers measure the variable which sit around 80-90 %. If someone was injured and sat in there humidity stops quick healing of gashes, cuts etc and can aid the growth of fungus etc. So i need to figure out how to get the movement of Air through it.

I might use Pluming pipes, the 6x4 (inch) type ((used for laying underground wires)) to use as a chimney. Then i could cover with mesh at the top to stop clogging then cover slightly with loose grass.

P.P.S - Do not try this if you have a girlfriend. She will leave you because you'll be digging so much.

Truthfully. I just wanted to know if i could achieve this. In a reality where I'd need it. I'm glad i did it, because i learned loads!!! - Most materials i already had, or reused from other places like removed fencing etc for some of the timbre. Although i did purchase or locate other materials for free. I might use Breeze blocks brick up the walls - but for now i can't do that due to money, and I'm not sure if i want to make it bigger!!

I doubt it would help as a bomb shelter lol, who's gonna bomb my Stupid town
so please refrain from silly '''Your paranoid dude''' gibes.

I kept this one secret cause people think I'm building a bomb shelter lol, but now you know why i done it. I might post my journal i kept when building it, and still it's on-going.

One last thing. To remove the soil i used a simple barrow and had trellis to lift it on to. It took 2 months to dig it all.

Any questions ill be glad to answer. :)

:)

Rick

[brainfreeze]

How cool. What fun. Sounds a bit like making "dens" as a kid. Not just a secret retreat but one with a practical purpose should the need arise. You're sorted. I'm jealous.

[lookfar]

Wow, that sounds great Rick, well done you!!:D All your hard work has paid off nicely. Is there any chance you could post some pics at all?

[rixxmixxhell]

How cool. What fun. Sounds a bit like making "dens" as a kid. Not just a secret retreat but one with a practical purpose should the need arise. You're sorted. I'm jealous.

Thanks :) You could do something like it !!

If i don't come back to the forum you know it collapsed on me :eek:

----------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, i will post some pics. But what i will do, i will build a nice journal with complementing pictures, drawings, plans etc.

I don't have many because i don't own a camera and the ones i have are o.k Taken from my mums phone :)

I'm gonna build the journal with what i did, drawing examples. Etc. So not too long i will do that.

I have late Assignments to do so i must get to work on them bloody things.

I was gonna make a blog and link it maybe because I've just realized Ive done something quite cool.

I have some more digging to do and i have to re-set some pathing slabs.

As soon as i do this ill get some up which i took before i done it and during up to now. :)

I was worried about posting in case i gets a visit from local authority etc. If they do I'll send Lookfar to beat em up :D

How do i get pictures from my phone...I must buy a lead to go into the USB.

My current phone which has pictures on it is in Cash Converters I pawned it for money cause i was starving last week.

When i get it (It's on buyback) back i can use the memory card inside it and place it in my P.c Card reader.

Rick :)

Ill be glad to help you do your own :)

A true grown up's camp :D All i need now is a friend to share it with :o

[glacidtek]

rick... that sounds amazing....
I'm sure there are so many of us here, that want to do something simmilar, but are unable to see it through!

where abouts is it?in your garden?

[stickwhistler]

I built a Underground living area with 2 room partitions....

snip

...So i need to figure out how to get the movement of Air through it.

I might use Pluming pipes, the 6x4 (inch) type ((used for laying underground wires)) to use as a chimney. Then i could cover with mesh at the top to stop clogging then cover slightly with loose grass.

Have a look at this.
Moves a lot of air, is silent, and easy to build.
Make one from a sheet of plywood,
use a cheap towel to wrap the piston.

Used for forge air supply for centuries.

http://64.176.180.203/boxbellows.htm

The one shown in the site above is 4 foot long,
but you can build them 6" x 6" x 24",
only you have to pump quicker to get the same air flow.
I'm sure you will be able to build one suitable to the space
you want to donate to it.

Daniel O'Connor suggests a glass plate for the bottom,
but unused laminate flooring is also very good
if you use the decorative side inwards. :)

[rixxmixxhell]

COOL!!

I think I've underestimated the project it's turned into.

I have to come to a compromise because i have too big idea :D

I'm looking into your great suggestion.

These kind of exercises are great - relationship builders too. Pulling together to make something that has real results. Many cups of tea too ;)

I want to make it more.....professional. But constricts on money right now.

Like i would like better drainage in-case of heavy rain which it hasn't been tested with yet. But I'm pretty sure it will be fine as the entrance is inside the shed. That also stops wind and is easy to hide the entrance too.

Now i wish i had loadsa money to build a house under there !!

Rick

[rixxmixxhell]

O.k. That link you gave is FANTASTIC.!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH :)

I am setting out to buy a new Drill and saws. So i can make more professional wood working structures.

When i was 14, i was sent on wood manufacturing course, but i cant remember it all.

That box would also be easily hideble, i have a large climber Shrub next to the shed, it would hide under there perfectly.

I'm re-evaluating the value of this. Even if the actual project is for nothing. I have learned and learning so much more. I can't learn anymore my heads gonna explode.

Cause i have my zoology stuff, then all my gardening and learning about all that stuff, and now building techniques.

I;m hoping that by Mid-summer i will have all the necessary things in place as mentioned.

And i will be taking visitors :)

Hell, i might even get contracts to make these for people :eek:

*Runs to make Web site* OH NO, i can't learn that too. Too much lol. Need to duplicate self.

:)

Thanks again for that information. I'm gonna start reading and planning how i will go about making it.

[mountain]

Hey Rixx!!

I am really impressed with what you are doing! I knew you have been upto something. :D

Aww man!! I wish I could come play Silent Hill witcha, that sounds cool!

[rixxmixxhell]

Hey Rixx!!

I am really impressed with what you are doing! I knew you have been upto something. :D

Aww man!! I wish I could come play Silent Hill witcha, that sounds cool!

HI HUN :)

Well yeah, i kinda didn't realize what i set out to do untill the full realization that i made something quite cool. But I'm limited on skills, money and overall good weather.

I was going to wait to tell but i just wanted to.

And yeah, playing that game was excellent. And music sounds really nice and bassy.

And I got to tell you all...I'm closer to Earth mother :p

I swear i can hear her breathing - it must be the sounds of the surrounding area cars people etc.

Like if you go deep underground, you have a Hum of sorts.

I'm itching to get out and do more, but i can't cause i only have some sand and cement left and i need a good days weather to see to the garden.

I'm resetting the patio. So it's on hold for now, going to look at more things i can do with it.

Ive also realized. What happens if i need to fill it in!?? like, when I'm dead and buried....ill be leaving a small cave under there!!!

I best make health hand safety rules.

[mountain]

:)

[tom bombadil]

Sounds like fun for the body and soul.

:cool::cool::cool:



An idea for you.

Instal 2 computer fans. Powered by a battery and solar power.

Set them to have one draw air in, and the other to draw air out. Set them apart. It may seem like a lot of work for them, but it wont be.

Have the intake air (colder than the interier air) travel via a pipe to the ground floor, past a heating source (your stove) and have the outtake air travel out via a pipe up in the ceiling.

Kept on constantly you sould not suffer humidity problems.


Tom.

[infin8_possibility]

I built a Underground living area with 2 room partitions.

I now have food stash, well, the little i have but it's for the future. And my Monitor Lizards love going down there.

It actually come from my need to build a raised area due to my garden geography. So i used the Dirt/Clay to raise the height. And i was also building Wormery Pits ( I used to sell worms to pet/fishing tackle shops, now trying again) so i needed the dirt in place of clay.

It sounds a lot of clay when you think of just one ton. But you will be surprised how much dirt comes from a small hole. Even one of my small ponds took 36 barrow falls of dirt alone. Around 3-5 ton.

Due to me not wanting to ruin the little bit of grass i had for my pets, i dug it from the under the Metal Shed. My Garden is being made to be very full of different ecologies, so i wanted a small area of nice grass to sit on etc.

I removed so much dirt (I used to be a landscaper by the way) that i realized I'd almost set a hole so deep that i could make a small living area, like a camp lol. In the end we decided to make it a whole room 12 x 10 x 6 Approx and split that into two with Stud walling with treated 6 x 4 sheets of plywood.

We shawed up the walls with 3x2 and used Train sleepers for the Ground. The shed already had electric lights and 2 plug sockets which the wires were already run in tubes under the ground from the house circuit board. So we have lighting in there and electric access.

The area on top of where the rooms are has my aviary on it, so there's no weight other than 4 foot of light sandy soil ( i dug some from the top to lighten the load for the room celling stability, the remaining clay forms a solid support (I dried the clay a little then wet then dry etc to get it more dense) so it will make a stronger celling, i also used a sheet of steel from the brakers yard to allow extra strength.

So i didn't start out originally for this purpose, but after some enthusiastic comments. I thought yeah man, lets do it.

I still have to build a construct for the entrance, with a hatch. Although i am slightly worried about moisture. My skills are good at this as i used to build basement extensions so i know how to place timbre and cross struts that makes each strut stronger by leaning on each piece if you see what i mean. Like a dome.

I have yet to place pebble stones on the floor UNDER the train log sleepers for drainage of excess water etc.

My next door neighbor inspected it a few weeks back hes a Bridge Mason he was naturally inquisitive as to what i was doing.

I told him that it's for storage and for hiding pets/Humans as a joke etc if any social problems arose. But was actually really for the fun of it. He said he'd like to put food in there!! I think i scared him! Whoops ;)

Now i have a nice level garden due to my filling, nice raised Rockery for my FAVORITE Flower species such as moorland flower, mountain flowers, wild flower etc.

And the clay i wanted to make my swamp for attracting Dragon fly and other numerous insects. I have a Bog swamp with newts and all kinds of life that i study.

Ill submit a drawing.

P.S - you have no idea how fun this was. My Bog pond area is coming just nice, still building it up. This spring I'm taking cuttings of flowers from the hills in Cleveland etc. Heather etc, wild flower.

I actually put a T.V in there so i could play - Silent Hill - in the Darkness. I swear, you can't imagine how f -ing cool it is lol.

It's warm but very high in humidity. My hygrometers measure the variable which sit around 80-90 %. If someone was injured and sat in there humidity stops quick healing of gashes, cuts etc and can aid the growth of fungus etc. So i need to figure out how to get the movement of Air through it.

I might use Pluming pipes, the 6x4 (inch) type ((used for laying underground wires)) to use as a chimney. Then i could cover with mesh at the top to stop clogging then cover slightly with loose grass.

P.P.S - Do not try this if you have a girlfriend. She will leave you because you'll be digging so much.

Truthfully. I just wanted to know if i could achieve this. In a reality where I'd need it. I'm glad i did it, because i learned loads!!! - Most materials i already had, or reused from other places like removed fencing etc for some of the timbre. Although i did purchase or locate other materials for free. I might use Breeze blocks brick up the walls - but for now i can't do that due to money, and I'm not sure if i want to make it bigger!!

I doubt it would help as a bomb shelter lol, who's gonna bomb my Stupid town
so please refrain from silly '''Your paranoid dude''' gibes.

I kept this one secret cause people think I'm building a bomb shelter lol, but now you know why i done it. I might post my journal i kept when building it, and still it's on-going.

One last thing. To remove the soil i used a simple barrow and had trellis to lift it on to. It took 2 months to dig it all.

Any questions ill be glad to answer. :)

:)

Rick

Your garden sounds phenomenal, I would of loved to help build it with you mate.

...and I'd need a garden first before a girl could leave me for diggin! :D

[rixxmixxhell]

Sounds like fun for the body and soul.

:cool::cool::cool:



An idea for you.

Instal 2 computer fans. Powered by a battery and solar power.

Set them to have one draw air in, and the other to draw air out. Set them apart. It may seem like a lot of work for them, but it wont be.

Have the intake air (colder than the interier air) travel via a pipe to the ground floor, past a heating source (your stove) and have the outtake air travel out via a pipe up in the ceiling.

Kept on constantly you sould not suffer humidity problems.


Tom.

Hi Tom

Good idea. Like i mentioned, money is an issue so the little i have now, i will eventually get something like you mentioned. As you said, humidity can be an issue, and as this kinda come from nowhere, i wish i would of thought about it first.

Not sure about solar. My garden get late morning sun, then right around till it sets almost, so sun when its out isn't an issue. But thinking of cost.

How big do you rekon the fans should be , 12x10x6 approx is not as big as it sounds, so maybe 12 inch fan would work.

[rixxmixxhell]

Your garden sounds phenomenal, I would of loved to help build it with you mate.

...and I'd need a garden first before a girl could leave me for diggin! :D

HAHA...i hope by next summer my new pond will be all grown in and the flower seeds and stuff Ive planted in last week like the type of soil. Some of it is sandy clay, some if dense dirt and some light soil.

Come over in the summer :D

[tom bombadil]

Hi Tom

Good idea. Like i mentioned, money is an issue so the little i have now, i will eventually get something like you mentioned. As you said, humidity can be an issue, and as this kinda come from nowhere, i wish i would of thought about it first.

Not sure about solar. My garden get late morning sun, then right around till it sets almost, so sun when its out isn't an issue. But thinking of cost.

How big do you rekon the fans should be , 12x10x6 approx is not as big as it sounds, so maybe 12 inch fan would work.


Power-wise you might opt for a solar and battery set-up that is on constantly, and set up on a pole (max sunlight) that has a wire to the two fans.

The fans run all the time so size can be small, like on a pc. The aim is to circulate the air and shift it out. How-ever, on a cold night the same set-up will bring in damp air.

Something else. How does a central heating set-up sound? :) You will need (I know you said cash for the project was low, but listen-up....) a medium sized radiator, some pipes and a chiminea. If I need to tell you how to do it then you should probably not do it at all :rolleyes: but for others reading, this is the general idea; Lagged pipes take heat, generated from a chiminea or open fire situated outside the 'den' via oil in the pipes or water with a supply and a steam release vale, to an other rad situated inside the den. :D Might be fun.

Or simpler is to take hot bricks from same chiminea to a holding pan in the den. Dont use big pebbles as they might explode :eek:

The best but nost expensive effort might be to use a stove from this shop;

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/categories/search/cast-iron-stoves-2

look at the pot belly type.


or second hand. Just make sure its sealed. And buy a carbonmonoxide detector (6 quid). Dont forget to include costs for pipes and flues etc that might come to another hundred quid.


Fun fun fun.....


Tom

[decode reality]

I built a Underground living area with 2 room partitions.

I now have food stash, well, the little i have but it's for the future. And my Monitor Lizards love going down there.

It actually come from my need to build a raised area due to my garden geography. So i used the Dirt/Clay to raise the height. And i was also building Wormery Pits ( I used to sell worms to pet/fishing tackle shops, now trying again) so i needed the dirt in place of clay.

It sounds a lot of clay when you think of just one ton. But you will be surprised how much dirt comes from a small hole. Even one of my small ponds took 36 barrow falls of dirt alone. Around 3-5 ton.

Due to me not wanting to ruin the little bit of grass i had for my pets, i dug it from the under the Metal Shed. My Garden is being made to be very full of different ecologies, so i wanted a small area of nice grass to sit on etc.

I removed so much dirt (I used to be a landscaper by the way) that i realized I'd almost set a hole so deep that i could make a small living area, like a camp lol. In the end we decided to make it a whole room 12 x 10 x 6 Approx and split that into two with Stud walling with treated 6 x 4 sheets of plywood.

We shawed up the walls with 3x2 and used Train sleepers for the Ground. The shed already had electric lights and 2 plug sockets which the wires were already run in tubes under the ground from the house circuit board. So we have lighting in there and electric access.

The area on top of where the rooms are has my aviary on it, so there's no weight other than 4 foot of light sandy soil ( i dug some from the top to lighten the load for the room celling stability, the remaining clay forms a solid support (I dried the clay a little then wet then dry etc to get it more dense) so it will make a stronger celling, i also used a sheet of steel from the brakers yard to allow extra strength.

So i didn't start out originally for this purpose, but after some enthusiastic comments. I thought yeah man, lets do it.

I still have to build a construct for the entrance, with a hatch. Although i am slightly worried about moisture. My skills are good at this as i used to build basement extensions so i know how to place timbre and cross struts that makes each strut stronger by leaning on each piece if you see what i mean. Like a dome.

I have yet to place pebble stones on the floor UNDER the train log sleepers for drainage of excess water etc.

My next door neighbor inspected it a few weeks back hes a Bridge Mason he was naturally inquisitive as to what i was doing.

I told him that it's for storage and for hiding pets/Humans as a joke etc if any social problems arose. But was actually really for the fun of it. He said he'd like to put food in there!! I think i scared him! Whoops ;)

Now i have a nice level garden due to my filling, nice raised Rockery for my FAVORITE Flower species such as moorland flower, mountain flowers, wild flower etc.

And the clay i wanted to make my swamp for attracting Dragon fly and other numerous insects. I have a Bog swamp with newts and all kinds of life that i study.

Ill submit a drawing.

P.S - you have no idea how fun this was. My Bog pond area is coming just nice, still building it up. This spring I'm taking cuttings of flowers from the hills in Cleveland etc. Heather etc, wild flower.

I actually put a T.V in there so i could play - Silent Hill - in the Darkness. I swear, you can't imagine how f -ing cool it is lol.

It's warm but very high in humidity. My hygrometers measure the variable which sit around 80-90 %. If someone was injured and sat in there humidity stops quick healing of gashes, cuts etc and can aid the growth of fungus etc. So i need to figure out how to get the movement of Air through it.

I might use Pluming pipes, the 6x4 (inch) type ((used for laying underground wires)) to use as a chimney. Then i could cover with mesh at the top to stop clogging then cover slightly with loose grass.

P.P.S - Do not try this if you have a girlfriend. She will leave you because you'll be digging so much.

Truthfully. I just wanted to know if i could achieve this. In a reality where I'd need it. I'm glad i did it, because i learned loads!!! - Most materials i already had, or reused from other places like removed fencing etc for some of the timbre. Although i did purchase or locate other materials for free. I might use Breeze blocks brick up the walls - but for now i can't do that due to money, and I'm not sure if i want to make it bigger!!

I doubt it would help as a bomb shelter lol, who's gonna bomb my Stupid town
so please refrain from silly '''Your paranoid dude''' gibes.

I kept this one secret cause people think I'm building a bomb shelter lol, but now you know why i done it. I might post my journal i kept when building it, and still it's on-going.

One last thing. To remove the soil i used a simple barrow and had trellis to lift it on to. It took 2 months to dig it all.

Any questions ill be glad to answer. :)

:)

Rick


You're not paranoid at all and when I'm in a position to do the same, I'm going to consult you.:)

[jp13]

That is fantastic, I have often thought of making something like this, but as it is Housing Association property, I'm sure someone would report me to the landlord, plus I want to be the only one that knows it exists.
I know it would be a lot of work, as I have typical London soil - about 6" of topsoil and underneath, it's all clay.
I don't know if you reember a few years ago, an African woman in London made a mudhut 'house' in her garden, and it was fantastic, a really good job, she actually preffered staying in it, rather than the flat, of course the local council banded together to make her fill it in.
Then a few years ago, again in London, some geezer dug lots of tunnels, from his garden, I think he had a tent erected so that the neighbours could see what he was doing, he actually dug his way into other peoples gardens,
and this was got him noticed.
I think his tunnels were of really good quality i.e. well shored up. I think the council took him to court, but as he didn't really bother anyone, I think he only got a small fine.
I have always been interested in tunnels and hidden rivers, as in London, many rivers were built over by the Water department.
It would be great to see some pictures.
I think your enthusiasm is infectious.
Cheers

[rixxmixxhell]

That's cool man!! A hut - yeah a real cool space. Why why why do we keep living the way we are, one day, we will be able to build any house we want, like this one ..

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61401

I have not done anything since i wrote that, but im trying to figure out what to do with it!! Cause also what i forgot to mention, we have terrible ground here cause landfill probably when houses were built.

I once removed 45 ton approx from a garden in Muswel Hill, London with just a shovel and barrow alone, cause no access for digger!! But it was all clay and had to be taken away to land fill i guess, but in my garden i used everything i moved.

I too am worried about neighbors watching cause i know they do spy on me when i have my head stuck in my pond looking at it and just puttering about, my garden is only approx 70 ft by 40.

I wanna built a hut now you said it :D like a smoking den hehe with grass roof!!! man we could do such cool things :( :confused:

If we all chip in for a piece of land, we can build tunnels :D

Cheers :)