Hiding your preps (+) by: On the Fence and Leaning Thu Dec 07, 2006 at 21:53:18 PM CST
I didn’t copy all comments
depending on what type of insulation you’ve got - most newer construction uses blown-in fiberglass. so… move the fiberglass out of one section, cut some thin plywood in strips to fit between the rafters, lay them on top of the sheet rock and secure them to the rafters (to support the weight of the preps)… put your preps spread out on the plywood, and move the fiberglass back in place. probably don’t want to use all your attic space for it. there are still temperature considerations, but the preps go **under** the insulation… probably not workable in winter, but the other 3 seasons **may** be ok. i wouldn’t put them close to the access into the attic - i’d expect at least a casual search. maybe leave a crunched soda can for them to find, so you can remark about the last service people that went up there..
by: c3jmp @ Sun Dec 17, 2006 at 15:56:22 PM CST [ Reply ]
coolers we have quiet a few coolers, and aquired a very large this past summer, and it dawned on me that these too, could be buried in the ground, sealed with duck tape. Less effort than a fridge.
by: cottontop @ Sun Dec 17, 2006 at 14:29:21 PM CST [ Reply ]
Hiding in plain sight Wow, thanks for the tip Carrey! Mine are the same way, all that space and I never even noticed!
by: Northstar @ Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 11:00:22 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Even more hiding Theres alot of room under my kitchen cabinets. I have one “set” that is drawers all the way to the floor, while taking them out to refinish them I found that there is quite a bit of space underneath the “usable” cabinets. The cabinets with doors would have to have the “floor” of the cabinet taken up to get to the open space underneath, but that wouldn’t be too hard to do.
Our children change our lives, whether they live or not. www.misschildren.org
by: Carrey in VA @ Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 10:13:05 AM CST [ Reply ]
More hiding I’ve got pedestal-style end tables that I’ve filled with stuff — I didn’t even know the space was there until the cat — with an almost magical ability to vanish — was caught slithering out of one. I’ve also wondered about putting things under a raised portion of the floor. (We have a step-down into the family room.) Heating ducts, assuming the heat isn’t working, could also be storage areas, if hard to access. And since walls are hollow, I can imagine making a slot hidden behind chair-rail molding to drop in cans, with another slot under the kick molding for removing them. All this assumes things are getting bad; I’m not going to knock holes in the wall until I have to! Same goes for putting things up underneath the fabric coverings of furniture. There’s a lot of potential empty storage space there, if reinforced with ply on the bottom, but one would have to tear up the dust covers to get to it, then restaple. Sounds like a good handyman project for SIP. :-)
by: Northstar @ Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 08:54:06 AM CST [ Reply ]
table This might sound really silly, but it poped in my head, while re-reading this thread. Stack two 5 gallon buckets on top of each other. Duct take around where the two join. Put a piece of plexaglass, or cardboard on top, throw a round table cloth over, set flowers, centerpiece on top, and instant disguise. Perhaps in a corner of a room, so it won’t get knocked over. Just be sure to blend it in with your room.
by: cottontop @ Sun Dec 10, 2006 at 07:27:35 AM CST [ Reply ]
Hogan’s Heroes would be proud! I love this thread. Lots of creativity. I saw on one post that someone had filled a bunch of 5 gallon buckets with rice, I think, and then put them put them all down in a single layer. They put a mattress on top with a dust ruffle and you couldn’t tell that they didn’t even have a box spring except it was a bit tall.
by: On the Fence and Leaning @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 17:19:06 PM CST [ Reply ]
I don’t know if someone else has suggested this First stack a bunch of prep items in the back of a rather large closet. Then make a false wall in front of them with a bunch of concrete or cinder blocks. This wall needs to look pretty straight and sturdy and look like it is really the back of the closet. Then store regular clothes items in front of the wall. Maybe even put up a rod across in front of the cinder block wall on which to to hang clothes.
by: JV @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 11:52:32 AM CST [ Reply ]
LOL! n/t
by: JV @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 11:41:30 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Box springs I bought platform beds with drawer units. One each for both the master and guest bedrooms.
No box springs required. Mattress sits on a platform.
Besides the drawers on each side, you can fit about 8 cases of #10 cans in the dead space under the bed and between drawer units on a King Size bed.
There are end caps of thin wood on each side to keep dust out and keep preps out of sight.
I have 16 cases of FD food stored that way in a nice climate controlled atmosphere, and it’s all out of sight even from guests.
— This space for rant
by: Bird Guano @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 11:05:45 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Extending season, hiding the garden I bought two FlowerHouse Starter Houses to use with my raised beds to exend the growing season. They are simple and lots less expensive than a greenhouse. Since this diary is about hiding preps, I’ll also say that I’m positioning my new raised beds in a cedar-fenced area that I built for my dogs, who will move indoors soon except for walks on a leash.
My neighbor is building a privacy fence - good for me because I can’t afford to fence my entire yard. I’ve thought about making a natural fence of landscape roses for the other side of the yard but can’t afford that right now, either. Knockout roses would be a great choice for such a fence - they are robust and pretty, and they grow quickly. In my yard, the ones I have grown much bigger than the catalogs and tags suggested that they would - about 6′ high.
Thorny blackberries would make a formidable edible fence but do spread easily unless planted in raised beds that keep the roots from running rampant into adjacent areas.
Part of my garden - my kitchen garden - is right out in the open off my back deck. It’s planted with flowers and herbs, but I’m working in more vegetables in a companion planting system. I knew nothing about companion planting when I started this garden, but am going to use its principles of intermixing flowers and veggies not only to control pests but also to disguise the purpose of the garden space to casual observers.
by: InKy @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 10:20:38 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
raised beds You may want to think about “raised beds” and just forget the roots. Put down some plastic “mulch” sheets, put a row or two of cinder blocks around and then put in your own dirt (with peat). Make them narrow enough to reach half way across. here is a search to get you started. http://www.altavista…
By the way: I use two cinder blocks high, use the holes to “hide” some preps, and put the thin flat blocks on top to cover the holes.
Here we have a short growing season so I can put plastic on top and have a “hot bed” to help start the plants early.
Be Prepared
by: DennisC @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 09:45:44 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Pretty good sleeping <grin> Actually, we sleep fine. The cans don’t impede the job the box springs is doing at all. My dad used to sleep with a sheet of plywood between the mattress and box spring because of a back problem. If I needed to I could add a sheet of plywood to the top of the box spring … like capping it off, but I don’t need to … just a sheet of plywood on the bottom of the box spring to keep the cans from falling out and keep the box spring square in the bed frame.
by: Kathy in FL @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 09:35:55 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Build raised beds I’m in Kentucky, and we have stacked stone fences for the same reason - rocks and more rocks. It can take me an hour or two to dig a hole with a pick and a shovel to plant a small tree, and I can have as much rock out of a hole as soil. The only sensible solution is raised beds. I’ve made eight of them now and procured soil and amendments. Anything that will hold dirt can work, even old tires with the side walls cut out or kiddie wading pools with the bottoms out, though I don’t much care for the look. I used ACQ-treated lumber to build mine, but some people would not.
by: InKy @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 08:50:40 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
martha stewart actually I would like to see her in a pandemic situation. who would write her scripts, and get Her preps?
by: cottontop @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 08:38:30 AM CST [ Reply ]
Just this lohrewok - Glad you like the list. This would be the first time my name and Martha Stewart’s have ever been linked. Martha would gasp ;-).
by: InKy @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 08:33:56 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
I have the same problem LauraB. I can’t have a descent flower garden, or plant plants. 3 inches down and you hit rock. Because I’m in the middle of a grove of pine trees, roots are another problem. Finding a place to plant is a nightmare.
by: cottontop @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 08:31:48 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Calling all box spring remodelers lohrewok - I haven’t gutted my box springs yet, so I’m all ideas and no practical experience, I’m afraid. I won’t have time to carry out some projects until SIP begins, though I’m starting to gather materials to have on hand.
My box spring has a wood frame, of course, which includes wood pieces spanning the bottom from one side to the other. I don’t know what’s involved in removing the springs, but I would remove them and lay plywood or wide boards sawn to length over the cross pieces to form a base to my “box.” I’d anticipate having to create a supportive frame that lies over the boxspring where the springs used to be. It would have cross pieces, like the bottom, and a board support running lengthwise on top of the crosspieces as a brace and as a place secure plywood sections as box lids secured with hinges. I’d cover the whole thing with mattress and dust ruffle.
Handy folk could tell you whether they think this would work, or what would work better. Maybe somebody’s already done this?
by: InKy @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 08:29:16 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
LOL @ INKY You get the Martha Stewart award of “Hiding your preps”! Seriously though, those are some good ideas. I don’t understand the box springs one. If I’m remembering right, there is a piece of dust fabric for the bottom of ours. Its basically just a frame. So how can you store stuff there?
by: lohrewok @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 07:33:42 AM CST [ Reply ]
More places to hide things Since I won’t have a small army but only my wits, I’m thinking hard about how to hide preps. I have to downsize projects to things I can manage myself), so I will consider burying a couple of marine coolers instead of an old frig.
Preps can be everywhere. I posted some of these ideas on the old thread, but since we’re starting over here, I’ll think again.
I had mentioned the box spring idea on the old thread, and I see it refined above :-). I think an ideally designed box spring storage solution would have hinged plywood access doors on top, or at least a plywood top in three removable sections (easier to handle than one big one sheet).
Line a dirty clothes hamper with clothes, with preps stored inside. Top with visibly dirty laundry and a couple of pairs of ripe socks.
A round small trash can in each room might be fitted with a couple of round tins to hold preps. Top preps with the usual trashbag or at least a layer of clean paper trash.
Have magazine baskets. Under a layer of magazines, place preps. Works for toy boxes and anything else that can appear to serve as storage for something else.
If your toilet isn’t usable anymore, drain and put stuff in the toilet tank. I think people have already mentioned washing machines and dryers somewhere.
Buy big old stereo speakers at a yard sale, gut them, and build or place shelves inside. Be sure to line the screen fabric on the front with black fabric so that people can’t see your preps from the outside. There’s spray on fabric adhesive that would make that really easy.
Seal grain in mylar bags (w/oxygen absorbers) and make decorative pillow covers for them. Array them attractively on a daybed in a guest room.
Make use of eaves space in a house for storing things that can stand heat or cold and for an emergency hiding place. I had an access door cut to my eaves space when my house was built, and plywood laid across the floor. I can hide the access door with a bookshelf.
Preps can be hidden on bookshelves behind books - that’s an easy one.
Label a couple of boxes as Christmas decorations and store them in a closet. Put Christmas decorations on top, preps underneath.
A dog house might be a good place to store stuff outdoors, if the dog can spare some room. If there isn’t a dog, food bowls and a chain would suggest that the dog is just inside the house. I have little dogs. Maybe I want to record a friend’s German Shepherd when he’s barking at a cat and be prepared at all times to play that recording should I hear someone breaking in ;→. Maybe I want to play it once in a while anyway, with the windows open.
The back of a headboard on a bed could be quickly outfitted with narrow shelves (3″) just big enough to hold canned goods.
by: InKy @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 07:18:20 AM CST [ Reply ]
With all the rock around here… It takess me 15 minutes just to get one perennial in the ground we are littered with so much friggin rock (you wonder why CT is famous for its stone walls?). I have the land to bury but need a back-hoe to get the job done!
by: LauraB @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 05:59:49 AM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
read this somewhere Some sort of survivalist, extreme article, mentioned placing rifles in capped, 8″ PVC pipes. Buried straight up and down in the yard. The article mentions the possibility of others with metal detectors coming into the yard and looking for them. Sound too far out? They mentioned that if you didn’t buy ammo with cash only, someone somewhere knows you buy/bought bullets. The work around? Take many, many pieces of rebarb steel and drive them into the ground all over your yard. The thought is that after digging up a few peices of construction trash they will move along. Highly unlikely but neat to talk about, don’t you think? I just appreciate thinking outside the box.
by: On the Fence and Leaning @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 21:46:06 PM CST [ Reply ]
yes but… worse case is after the waves, if JIT shipping collapses and economy busts, you may have to be self sufficient for some time.
by: On the Fence and Leaning @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 21:41:44 PM CST [ Reply ]
If they get in for your preps I know this is a little off point, but the purpose of a sip is to stay away from those who are carrying the virus. If someone comes into your home looking for your preps he/she will be exposing you and the surfaces in your home to the virus.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
by: lakeman @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 20:00:15 PM CST [ Reply ]
submarines and other cans Do you think anyone would notice if my rooms went from 7′ in height to about 5′? ;/)
Honestly is always the best policy.
by: Grace RN @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 19:44:01 PM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Watch out for Oremus Well put! DH is retired law enforcement, my SIL is active law enforcement and both are active hunters.
‘Nuf said!
Honestly is always the best policy.
by: Grace RN @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 19:41:21 PM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
Lodge Actually it was a fishing lodge, but I guess fishing is the hunting of fish. LOL The lodge was closed for the winter so I’m a bit surprised that it had that much food in stock. Clearly, though, if he had found it, he could have broken in and still be alive.
There are several of those lodges along that stretch of the Rogue River but unless he made it to the trail and then knew which way to go, he would have never found one. They are usually accessed by river rather than by land.
Even the trail along the river is pretty rugged and even dangerous in places. It’s certainly not the kind of place I’d want to be this time of year.
by: AVanarts @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 15:25:11 PM CST [ Reply ]
point well taken thank you for reminding us of that.
by: cottontop @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 15:23:30 PM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
yep, that’s the one I loved the book. Unfortnately my husband didn’t, since I started bugging him about some type of root cellar. We don’t even have a crawl space, which I think they even talked about, that you could use. The fridge idea just stuck with me for some reason.
by: cottontop @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 15:19:45 PM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
camaflouged I have two large “tool boxes” and I also have a few buckets buried. The buckets are one-time items so I don’t worry much about “giving away” their position since they will be gone. I have planted a series of plants (local forest shrubs) to help me find them in the snow but not give away their position to anyone not “attuned” to nature. Using plants as signs is an old Druid trick. I treat those buried things as very long term back ups. They have things like 10-year life times. I would not want to have to dig them up for rotating. The buckets way out by my “fall back position” in the forest (I live in the middle of a forest).
Be Prepared
by: DennisC @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 15:16:09 PM CST [ Parent | Reply ]
So much for hiding preps http://www.cnn.com/2… This is such a sad story. The dad of the family that got stranded in Oregon was a mile away from a fully stocked hunting lodge that had “enough food to last months.”
Aside from being so sad, I sure hope the lodge doesn’t belong to a fellow wikian quietly prepping out in the middle of the boondocks, cuz that cover is now blown!
by: Edna Mode @ Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 15:14:32 PM CST [ Reply ]
I have this really old cold room that was used for canned items…It’s in the back of the basement and a few years ago I built another room around it and let my kids paint the walls, splashed of color, hand prints, tennis balls in different colors were bounced on the walls, the door to the cold room blends in where you can barely see it with light on, I don’t think it will be discovered easily if the power is out. I also have food hidden in window seats, closets, boxes of junk.
you know I joke about Hogan’s Heroes, etc. but I love this thread. The creativity is phenominal. Maybe I can write a book. Is all of this open domain now? ;-)
One thing I plan to do wtshtf, is to pack boxes with food and other preps and label each with a fictitious name, like “Jane’s photos”, “Jane’s Memorabelia”, etc., and all in the same color marker. Then the kids/family will be able to spot preps, but (hopefully) theives wouldn’t find interesting.
Something to think about: As soon as one hidden thing is found, whoever is doing the looking will triple their efforts and look into EVERYTHING so if you are going to hide, for whatever reason, better do it 100% right the first time.
Debbie in Ala- What a good idea! Write things like, “kids school stuff, christmas decerations, halloween stuff, ect.”
Oh man…this is just so sad. The idiots who would attempt to steal from us are the same idiots who refuse to be responsible in other areas of life. I honestly don’t think I need to worry about that my pooh-pooh doctor friends are going to rob me…I predict they will all just die of shame WTSHTF. But my stupid relatives who already hate me for working hard and getting ahead won’t hesitate to descend like vultures. I’m planning on posting a big nasty biohazard sign and taping off the property with biohazard tape and reverting to my upbringing in the matter of firearms. We own ‘em and we’ll use ‘em if we have to. I have a room filled with organized, inventoried preps and I am thinking how I could possibly disguise it…but it would be difficult and, I think, pointless. Once somebody is on our property or in our house, we will probably want to just deal with them as aggressors in an unfriendly way.
The only friend I have who knows about our preps and who actually got a look into the basement yesterday commented that there really didn’t look like there was as much stuff there as she knew there was, that it would all look much more imposing if it were nicely shelved and arranged. She says she knows there’s a lot of stuff there, but it really doesn’t look like very much. She doesn’t really understand the notion of not wanting it to look like exactly what it is.
I guess I’ve been successful in the way I wanted my storage area to look. :)
My preps are distributed between several areas, not all at the same house.
I HATE having everything in one place.
I suspect that if someone is so hungry and desperate for food, water, etc., that they will break into another person’s home, no stone will be left unturned. Can’t imagine that labeling a box “tax returns”, for instance, will deter them. Maybe if we’re lucky. We are talking desperate here. Buried underground though just might work. (Wishing for a privacy fence about now;) JMHO.
Nearly Ready? That’s pretty much my take on things. If they get over the fence and past the dogs, They probably ought to be shot?
OKbirdwatcher- I don’t see someone being mathodical ingoing through one’s home. It could happen, sure, but these will be desperate people, not thinking 100% clearly. they are hungry, and food id the only thing on their mind. Seeing a box marked tax returns, or pictures, halloween, will most likely convince them it is. That isn’t what’s really worries me. I’m confident they won’t find my preps in a beat up box marked baby clothes, at the top of my closet. What worries me, and hubby, is people ganging houses, forcing their way into your home, and taking it over. It can happen, sure. Hubby and I certainly can’t stop 4 or 5 people, and secure our chilren too. If their going to rummage through your home, they just migh plan on staying, depending on what these people have in mind when they find you. After some discussion on this, hubby and I are starting to feel, that we are too exposed in our home for a secure situation. We have way too many windows, and three large glass doors. So we are thinking of the possibility of having sheets of plywood on hand to “board up”, should it really start to get bad. I’ve been thinking about converting the loft, (attic is too small). There’s only one way in, about 10 ft. hight to first window. Alot safer than being in the house, but miserable for living conditions.I will start laying things like cots, blankets stored in totes, ect. What it all boils down too, if we have to retreat from the house, we have the loft to go to, and stand a better chance of dodging their bullit. Any holes in this theory, please let me know.
cottontop - Your loft (I’m assuming you mean like hay loft?) as a Plan B sounds viable to me, but then having to imagine these kind of worst-case scenarios is fairly new to me;-/ When I try to discuss these possibilities with DH, he usually ends up saying something like (“Well, if it gets that bad, we’re all screwed anyway.”) which kinda means: end of discussion. He simply cannot fathom such a thing actually happening. So, we don’t have a Plan B…yet:-( Good luck with yours and keep us posted on how it progresses (maybe I can borrow some of your ideas).
OKbirdwatcher- My hubby gets like that sometimes, and I can’t say I blame him. Posting this made me really feel like it’s just a hopeless situation no matter how you look at it. The loft is above our garage, and it’s quiet large. (if you want the whole story concerning this loft, see my post in cottontop’s sandbox.) Hubby has already come up with what I precieve to be a clever solution to closing off the stairs. Double sided hindged doors, complete with lock, and 2×4 slid through the handles. This is some thick and heavy wood he’s using for the doors, so anyone thinking they could bust threw would have a hard time, even with a sledge hammer. The upswing with a heavy hammer will wear them out,given they’d be weak from hunger. I haven’t really heard anyone talk about fortifying thier homes, like boarding up windows, using blackout curtains, ect. My Dad and I discussed things like this back in the Y2K time. Securing the home was next to food, water, heat. So, hubby has sorta found his niche in all of this: secure home. And I will do the rest of the prepping.
There was a thread on this. Someone was building shutters (metal? wire?) ready to install after TSHTF. One thing to remember is you might have to climb out a window to escape fire or something. That makes it trickier. Also blackout curtains were discussed. I bought a set of blackout drapes, but don’t know if I want them up beforehand. They aren’t that good looking.
About moving to the loft, maybe a tent would make it warmer, as was discussed (somewhere else, about setting one up inside the house.) (I did a search here for “tent in house” and “house security” or similar and got many many screens with alphabetical listing. So no luck.) Anyhow you have ideas that maybe should be discussed again. I have bought 2 sheets of plexiglass and screws and washers to reinforce my French doors. Also the odd piece of lumber to reinforce the edges of the plexiglass.
If things get that bad, LEAVE!!! How can you stay holed up in a loft when there are prowlers inside your home? They will eventually get to you because they know you have resources at your hidey hole.
The secondary plan, your contingency, must be a way to evacuate to a safer place. How and where is entirely up to you, but it makes no sense to plan for an emergency and only have ONE plan.
KellyP- Well, leaving is not an option for us. We have nowhere to go. Grant you, the best thing would be for my in laws, (I have 3 here), to all join together, and conduct one SIP, but that would only work if evryone is prepping. And I’m the only one. They do not believe this really even exist as a threat. One doesn’t even beleive the 1918 pandemic happened, because it wasn’t mentioned in school.(If you can believe that mentality!) Our plans are still a work in progress.
Jane- yea the tent in the livingroom was my idea, because that’s what we did during our great ice storm of ‘98. Man, we slept toasty warm. Alot of BTU’s from body heat! I wanted to ask everyone what they thought about putting up blackout curtains. Yea or ney? I’m thinking of this as if people are going to find their way to us, and in all honesty, I feel there is nothing, absolutely nothing you can do to stop that from happening. Unless you are in a very remote spot, plan on someone finding you. In which case, we need to be thinking of how we are going to deal with this, as oppose to how we are going to stop them. I am not going to keep my preps in the house(now that I have another place to put them). And there’s always the possibility, that if you did leave your home, you’d come back to squatters who would not leave willingly, as they would have no place to go, adn removing them might prove to be difficult, as law and order would not be fully restored. I can see why people just don’t want to think of this as going pandemic. It’s overwhelming at times. You are going to have to totally change your way of life.
“If someone comes into your home looking for your preps” they perhaps would have no qualms about anything; look what happens to people who’s homes are invaded now.
:-(
whose homes
(This would be easier to plan for if communities had been told a year ago they had to deal with, think about, publically discuss this and make contingency preparations, or no federal/state funds…)
Will the houses of people who have/are succumbing to the flu going to be marked somehow? I have a sign that says BIOHAZARD/AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. When intruders come . . . how about having one person in the house to go into the bathroom and “throw up,” appear very sick. Or someone in a sick bed hacking away? Have I gone over the edge?
Imagination helps, imo. Someone suggested Halloween makeup to make yourself look sick, or giving your house the look of one that’s already been looted. Although how to do that without having the door left open, I don’t know. Maybe a fake body on the porch? Made up as a flu victim, or with a “pool of blood” stain underneath? Depends on your location, I guess. In a suburb, with near neighbors, a dummy on the porch might just bring police, at least in the earlier days.
I don’t think people need to go that far. Remember, you are trying to stay low key, and rational. But if you could do just one thing to “enlighten” outsiders that approaching your home and family will be dangerous as far as contamination goes, what could you do? I do think that would be the best defense. If people walking up to your home sees “a clue” that contamination has already hit, maybe, just maybe, they’ll think twice before looting. However, you do not want to bring attention to authorities who think you have contamination, and show up to get you. Just something at the front door. I would advise against posting any signs like BIOHAZARD, ect. This is an guarantee military police will show up on your front door. Think low key,powerful message. If approached, use scare tactics, such as “It’s too late for you now.”
cottontop, remember that if you’re boarding up your house, you need to consider what you’ll do if your house catches on fire or you need extra ventilatiaon for some reason, like negative ventilation for your sick room, etc. Have a way out from your upper story & keep the power drill handy for down below if you have to go out that way!
I read a post a while back about putting a bicycle hook on either side of the door, placing a 2X4 on the hooks. Would this work? And be safer in case one needs to exit?
It WOULD be a lot safer! You need to be able to get out in a hurry if there’s a fire, especially if it’s not just you alone you have to worry about — children, pets, elderly, moving about in darkness perhaps, you need something simple & quick, but safe. Remember that your ‘weakest link’ would be what your hooks are mounted into — you can’t just stick them into the wall with nothing solid to nail them into. If you have to, build a frame around the doorway then mount your hooks on the doorway. Paint the frame the color of the walls if you need to make it look good until it’s ready to use.
Back during Y2k, I made my husband hang floor joist brackets on our walls of our living room, up near where the ceiling would be if it were standard height. It’s a vaulted ceiling though and 17′ high at it’s highest point. I was concerned that if the power went out, we would have all the heat from the fireplace drift upward away from us! So we hung these hooks & bought long boards to fit into them so that we could drape plastic over them to make a false ceiling to keep the heat lower to the sitting area. They looked horrible, even painted and we never had to use them. My husband hated them from the very beginning & I told him when HE came up with a better idea, he could take them down & we’d use his plan. He never could think of anything, until we got a really easy to use staple gun that I gave him for Christmas a couple of years ago. Now we ccan staple sheets of plastic from one wall to another and make a fake ceiling to hold in the heat! I bring that up because building a frame around your doors in order to have something secure to nail brackets into won’t look pretty if it’s strong enough to keep someone from kicking the door in, but it’s there for a reason. If you must have it look nice, cover it will wallpaper border or paint it or trim it out with molding somehow — do anything to make it more agreeable-looking so that you can live with it because, unlike my plan to just keep warm, your plan is intended to save your life!!
IWOI, shouldn’t be necessary to build any kind of frame around a door. The door already has a solid wood frame, it’s just hidden under the trim that surrounds the door. Just screw the hooks into the trim that surrounds the door, within about 1.5 inches of the edge of the trim that adjoins the door (if you look closely you’ll probably be able to see at least faint little nail holes in the trim where it’s nailed to the underlying frame, that’ll tell you exactly where the frame is, and the frame’s a minimum 1.5″ wide). The wood you’re screwing into will be a minimum of 3.5 inches thick, so the “screw” portion of the hook should be at LEAST 2.5″ long, while 3″ or even 3.5″ would be even more secure. Nails wouldn’t hold up very well in this application to someone trying to kick a door in.
I’m feeling more and more depressed about this whole subject. If you don’t prep, you’ll die of starvation. If you do prep, you’ll die of violence from thieving hordes of starving people. Why bother then? What’s the point in having farsight and storing supplies, but then be completely overwhelmed when the mob comes for you and you have to fight for your life? I could just take all the money I’ve spent on supplies and take a nice long vacation in the Bahamas or something.
I’m so disgusted with this whole issue right now.
Kim? — 24 December 2006, 09:59
Go down to Home Depot and look at the frames that are on the doors. That is all that is there. Those frames are held to the wall studs by a handfull of screws (or nails) and the trim. Yes the trim is part of what holds the door frame in place.
The typical residential exterior door is a pitiful thing that can be knocked in with a surprisingly small amount of force.
In one home invasion I read about a couple of years ago, the whole door, frame and all, flew into the room from the force that was used.
I saw an ad a while back for a Door Club. It’s a metal rod that is fastened to the center of a door and braced into a metal plate that’s fastened to the floor.
Another thing is, it probably depends on the age of your house. Old houses may have more wood around openings. I hope.
KellyP, sigh, I know what you mean. It’s depressing, but if I gave up now, I’d be so angry with myself later. Maybe I’ll watch a comedy on tv or vcr tonight. It’s good to take a break.
Wow!! We haven”t truly contemplated being besieged by starving mobs here in the Ozarks.Nearest neighbor is a mile away.One doesn”t trespass lightly here.Often if you drive up to a house your presence will be announced by several barking dogs.Waiting in the vehicle until invited “down” is common,tho not always done.
Everyone is armed usually with several weapons.Many have “carry permits”.Anyone planning to storm a residence here would be met with a hail of buck shot,pistol fire or possibly worse.Part of our prep is ammunition.I plan to cut trees accross drives,post signs re:trespassing etc.Violence of course will be a last desperate measure here.
AVanarts at 12:26, if you think that your door frame may be flimsily made like what you describe, probably one of the easiest fixes for that would be to open the door and drive several long (say 3″) screws through the wood frame of the door and sideways into the studs that frame the door. It will help to pre-drill the holes just slightly smaller than the screws, and the screws should be countersunk so they do not affect the appearance or opening/closing of the door. Given enough time & determination, a person could still break the door down (in fact could gain access to any building, fortress or not), but simple measures such as this will sure slow them down and perhaps force them to look for easier pickin’s. Codes specify that the wood studs (the “rough-in” opening that the door and it’s frame fit into) should be double studs, ie, two studs fastened together side-by-side, which would make a “frame” that holds the prehung door a minimum of 3″ thick side-to-side. By mechanically firmly attaching the prehung door into the wood stud “frame” you’ve got alot of holding power.
And Mountain Man at 17:37, it’s the same “etiquette” that’s practiced at our off-grid cabin. Up there, no one would dream of just coming up & banging on the door, rather it’s considered proper (and wise) to instead stop at least 25 feet from the house and holler “HELLO IN THE HOUSE” before advancing further. I personally love the concept.
Kelly, I agree. I thought about this whole Idea of hiding my preps, and realized that was absurd. If a mob comes to find my preps, I guess I can say I have none and if they are not in plain sight, I might get away with it the first time. But as time goes by and I’m not starving, that isn’t going to hold. Nor is my door. One person suggested a sign on the door that says “sick with flu, highly contagious” to discourage people. But if they come in, they come in. I have been trying to put away some extras in case I need to share. I am hoping people remain human in this crisis, as long as I do, and that we all help each other as best we can. To try to isolate yourself and hold out against the world is self defeating in the long run. You are going to need others help when all this is over, so I think we should hope for and promote the best in people, not look for and fear the worst. Hold onto the christmas spirit. The real one.
Our condos were built before we had building codes! There’s not even firewalls between units — just a fire retardant fiberboard type stuff and nothing that extends through the roof to separate the attics. We never know what’s inside our walls, but I do believe our doorframe is probably two pieces of wood nailed together to create a door jamb — probably.
We have 3 sliding glass doors and 2 of them flank the fireplace in the living room & they’re so close to the edge of the fireplace mantal that we had to cut notches out of a beaded board trim we installed around the frame many years ago.
I’ve got extra food that I’ll share with instructions that neighbors could get by for a day with what I could give them but they need to spend that day getting themselves to their relatives’ houses & pool their resources to survive, not depend on me.
I DO have food ‘hidden’ around the house but that’s because I don’t have a huge house to begin with — only a 2 bedroom condo & so I’ve had to get creative just to get food stored without us having to stumble around it all the time! :-)
I’m so disgusted with a neighbor right now who just had kidney stones removed and her daughter is driving over every day to bring her food because she’s feeling so bad. She HAS some food, but she hasn’t felt like cooking, but even if she were well, she’d have been without food in just a couple of days. Funny thing is she works for a fast food company as a marketing person. Maybe that should be my lead in to talk to her again-‘what has your company done so far to deal with food & caring for employees, etc. especially since it depends on chicken as their main product!! Then I can ask what her church is doing, etc. Time to do my own “flu marketing” again I guess.
Thing is that most people who don’t usually store food won’t continue if you get them started. Get them 5 gals of water & they’ll water the plants with it and not fill the container back up again! Wadda ya do???
“Thing is that most people who don’t usually store food won’t continue if you get them started.”
so true. My plan, similar to yours, is if neighbors come asking (which I think will be the case at first, not demanding in an angry mob) I will poor mouth and hand out a one or two day ration of rice and tuna, maybe some powdered milk for the little kids. I will advise them to try to get together with family or get supplies from the little neighborhood grocery. If they come back a day or two later (still alive) I may give them a little more, but then tell them I’m almost out. (which if there are too many of them, I may be) If this pandemic is as serious as we believe, mobs coming after your meager supplies may be a moot point. By the time things get that desperate, there will plenty of houses of the dead to raid, not to mention closed supermarkets, restaurants etc. You may be one of them doing the raiding at that point.
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I was talking to the wife of our incoming mayor. He will be sworn in on Tuesday. I told her that I had read in a national magazine (I forget which)that our county, along with the two ajoining counties , had been listed as the safest in the U.S.A… She didn’t know that, but she agreed with me that she too felt very safe and secure at all times. I have never felt smug, but less fearful of intruders than most of the posters have over the last year. It is all a matter of perception.I do have wasp spray, fire extinguishers and my trusty Winchester, but I doubt I will be using them except in self defense or in extreme and dire danger. Quite frankly, I would never go to the door in the event of a full blown pandemic. I would talk out of a second story window to any neighbor I knew, but would never , ever ,bother with a stranger if it comes to civil unrest. A neighbor I recognized would get a can of sardines and some rice or tuna, but little else, because I am not stocked up like a grocery shop. I fully expect the firemen, the police, and the men in my town would band together, arrange some community relief. They are a co-operative group already and have always behaved in a socially responsible fashion. I realize it is only because I do feel safe and secure in my community, and anyone in a more violent situation or who has druggies or violence close to them would feel insecure. While I am not sentimental about life in general, I do think some communities are capable of getting it right. The new incoming mayor is a very fine man. As is the mayor of the next town. These men are the antithesis of the career politician. They are realistic about their jobs and politics, but truly love their towns. Frank Capra movies may be passe, but there are good men in the U.S.A…You may believe me naive. I am not. I actually am very realistic and perceptive about people and human behavior. I really do think towns like mine , are all over, and will get it right in an emergency. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again. We are good people in a great country.
I truly believe in the innate wisdom, generosity,and socially responsible makeup of the vast majority of American people of all races and creeds.The inner city populations of gang members, preditor type unemployeed and those blaming all their misfortunes on others will be a problem in a severe crisis.Past looting,burning etc is what those areas can expect.But the vast majority will band together with little panic or disorder(IMHO).
I didn’t mention towns like Newark, or Camden, no question they will have trouble. New Orleans certainly gave us all a black eye in the the world. It still is, with the billions in aid,that were misapropiated. The people are a mix, and at the mercy of the worst of their neighbors. If they tolerate the worst, if they accept corruption, then it will never change.I only speak for small town, semi rural America. I have been fortunate. We don’t all get lucky in where we have settled. I have lived in very fine cities and avoided the worst. Pure chance.
I haven’t seen the idea mentioned (maybe it was and I missed it) but when I lived in California the advice was to keep an earthquake kit and emergency rations locked in the trunk of your car, as well as in your home. That could be one solution re hiding your preps, is to keep some of the supplies locked in the trunk of your car. Then should the worst happen and people come to raid your house, leave in your car (with your stuff)and stay with friends or neighbors. I think for the most part anyone raiding for food is not going to stay on in your house, they will probably take what you have and go back to their own homes in a short while.
Just recently invested in a large “Gun Safe”. It holds our firearms (of course), a fair amount of ammo, our main “bug out bags” including two weeks MREs and our emergency electronics. About 1/4 of our food is in the cupboards in the basement kitchen, the rest is much better hidden. If we do decide to head for the hills - We have made dry runs, loading everything, including about 1/2 of the food, into the Excursion takes about 30 minutes. We have plotted out (GPS & detailed maps) 2 separate routes to our ‘safe house’ in the boonies all using other than main roads. We have also plotted several alternates for those 3 crossroads where I think we could see potential trouble. I think we are about as ready as can be either to SIP or bug out. Funny, it feels good to think we are ready but I still find myself every day musing over what we could have missed.
EOD, it’s good that you feel that way; that means that you’ll not get complacent about your preparation plans. Anything could happen from a crossroads being flooded or covered in wind debris to being blockaded by locals, etc. so it’s always good to know your routes & know whether there’s construction along the way or something like that. Also a good idea not to have your food in one location!
Your gun safe must be HUGE! :-)
Pretty big, plus its absolutly stuffed LOL
Sounds like money well spent! If I were to buy a large one we could consider it a remodeled addition to our condo!
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Thanks for sharing so many great ideas/tips to hide preps. My concern is how/where to hide the trash/garbage?
If somone were to come into the house and see lots of empty food containers, trash bags - you would think they could put 2 + 2 together to conclude that the presence of trash must mean that preps are in the house.
Does everyone plan on hiding the trash in a similar fashion around the house/yard?
Burn and bury. Smog alerts will not be anyone’s concern if things get that bad.
As for bolting the door… if you have a bunch of people trying to get in, they will or burn it down.
Burn and bury. Smog alerts will not be anyone’s concern if things get that bad.
As for bolting the door… if you have a bunch of people trying to get in, they will or burn it down.
Burn and bury. Smog alerts will not be anyone’s concern if things get that bad.
As for bolting the door… if you have a bunch of people trying to get in, they will or burn it down.
not if they get lead poisoning first
Good one Onandanon, I get it! I’ve come to believe that hiding is the best policy these days, but I do casually encourage neighbors to store food for “emergencies”, and I always add that they should make certain their kids are too, since they’ll end up taking their stored food and going to their kids’ houses for safety — hint hint!
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