SHTF house plans help you and your family to stay safe during civil unrest, natural disasters, or other unexpected crises. However, you must make the house plan depending on the type of location, the house size, your budget, and safe rooms. Other than that, you can stay in an area of preppers to get the help you require during emergencies.
But aside from building a house to stay safe during SHTF, you must prepare for extended power outages and complete blackouts that come along. Jackery Solar Generators are one of the best in the market, and they can deliver reliable power output to most of your household appliances for hours.
Key Takeaways
- Some common scenarios of SHTF include warfare, EMP attacks, natural disasters, pandemics, economic collapses, and others.
- An SHTF house is vital to ensure safety, self-sufficiency, communication, and medical preparedness.
- A few popular SHTF house plans are the standard shelter base model, standard shelter upgraded model, and larger shelter base model.
- Things to consider before building an SHTF house are the perc test, topside or down-under, location, budget, safe rooms, communities, and livestock.
Common Scenarios for SHTF
SHTF, an acronym for “Shit Hits The Fan,” has gained popularity amongst survivalists and peppers. While it’s a coarse term, it’s used to describe a critical and potentially catastrophic event that disrupts the normal functioning of a society. Simply put, it’s a situation when everything goes wrong, and chaos ensues.
SHTF typically damages the communication infrastructure and compromises essential services such as water, electricity, transportation, and emergency services. It may occur due to several factors, such as warfare, EMP attacks, natural disasters, pandemics, economic collapses, or others.
- Warfare: Military operations occur between two nations or groups of nations, and their effects include mass destruction of cities and severely impacting a country’s economy. Armed conflicts also indirectly negatively affect public health, infrastructure, and social order.
- EMP Attack: EMP or Electromagnetic Pulse attack is when a nuclear detonation creates an intense pulse of electromagnetic radiation. It interacts with the earth’s atmosphere and magnetic fields to create an EM field that potentially short-circuits electronic equipment.
- Natural Disasters: Natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and others, are SHTF scenarios that have many impacts, including economic, physical, and emotional.
- Economic Collapse: It disrupts the financial system, resulting in shortages of essential goods, widespread unemployment, and a breakdown of social order.
- Pandemic: A highly contagious and potentially deadly disease spreads rapidly, which overwhelms the healthcare system and disrupts societal norms.
- Social Unrest: Resulting from economic hardship, political instability, or social injustice, it potentially leads to infrastructure damage, violence, deaths, and disruption of essential services.
In the last decade, all have hit the nation at one time or another, and those who didn’t prepare well have suffered the worst. So, irrespective of the scenario and its aftermath, preparedness is the recipe for staying safe.
What Is SHTF House
SHTF, or survival home, incorporates structural technology to keep you safe against natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, storm surges, and flooding. For instance, building concrete walls, floors, and metal roofing protects your dwelling from fire and wind damage. An SHTF house is further important to you due to the following reasons:
- Safety: In addition to natural disasters, building a super-strong structure keeps away looters and civil unrest. It often involves building walls of concrete and metal roofing alongside secure windows and doors.
- Self-Sufficiency: During SHTF, the local infrastructure typically fails, resulting in a contaminated water supply, a downed electric grid, a lack of essential supplies, etc. Besides being strong, these houses include systems to generate power, collect and purify rainwater, and grow or store food. They can keep you alive for days.
- Communication: Communication is crucial during emergencies to stay updated on the situation outside, but traditional systems often break down. These SHTF layoutsinclude various communication devices, such as CB radios and ham radios.
- Medical Preparedness: In an emergency, access to medical services also might be limited. An SHTF house typically stocks a medical kit with supplies to provide first aid against common medical emergencies.
Basically, an SHTF house provides a prepared and controlled environment when the outside world perils and is dangerous or unpredictable.
SHTF House Plans
Households built to keep you safe from disaster and turmoil can be of various styles- from a crude shelter to secure you from imminent danger to an extravagant one where you can live post-SHTF as well. Here are a few SHTF house plans:
Standard Shelter Base Model
You can opt for a base model for temporary stays made of reinforced steel and concrete, which can withstand the pressure and heat of a blast. In these, you can keep storage space (under the bed and in the closet) large enough to store your essential resources like food, water, and medicine. Besides, a well-furnished kitchen is important for the stays, alongside a bathroom with a composting toilet and more shelving.
Standard Shelter Upgraded Model
If you’re a family of four and would rather opt for a permanent dwelling, you can upgrade from the base model, where the door is bullet-resistant, and the kitchen area has an added countertop space, sink, and cabinetry. Besides, upgrade the storage space with a few extras in the bathroom, like a tankless electric water heater and a shower. In this way, you can keep the basic structure the same while adding better features to make it an excellent survival space.
Larger Shelter Base Model
For a family of eight or more, build a dwelling with more open floor plans, customization, cabinetry, and bulk storage. Aside from more storage space, ask your builder for a security door, two extra-long double bunks, a water pressure pump, cabinets to store food, two closets, and added amenities like a dining table and NBC Air filtration. You can also install a solar charging system, fresh water inlet, and 12V LED lighting system to make your stay happy and comfortable even during dire situations.
Things to Consider When Building SHTF House
Irrespective of the type of SHTF house you build, ensuring that its property or location has adequate resources for you to self-sustain is crucial. Here’s a list of things you must consider when building an SHTF house:
The Perc Test
Before buying land for your SHTF house, the first thing to consider is if the Perc test is already done. It tells how large a septic drain field can be, which, in turn, dictates the size of your house. So, if it’s still pending, get it done; if the land fails, you can walk away to a different location.
TopSide or Down-Under
Construction of a topside or above-the-ground dwelling is common, but some seek to go underground, where the home layout is built underground, providing better defense in most situations. The latter is, however, suitable for temporary stays and not a primary residence, as continuously going down and coming spikes more curiosity among people than a traditional home.
Location
Rural areas are ideal for these homes, but residing in a mid-sized city can be a better idea. This is mainly because it offers the best of both worlds: less crime, more self-reliance capabilities, and a larger population, as well as access to essentials, medical services, shopping, entertainment, etc.
Budget
Like other construction, budget consideration is crucial in building an SHTF house. Creating a budget lets you plan your expenses and allocate funds accordingly. So, you can set realistic goals, prioritize your wants and needs, don’t overspend, and stay on track with the finances.
Safe Rooms
Safe rooms have become more mainstream, but some preppers have extrapolated the concept to an entire safe house. Here, every space is constructed like a safe room—it secures you from weather and intruders and provides ample space to store the products and needed resources.
Communities
Prepper communities are an ever-so-slow yet growing trend. They mean like-minded preppers co-locate on large plots of land. This is beneficial, especially during emergencies, if you exhaust the resources and essentials and still need to be self-sufficient for a few days. There is security and power in numbers; living around like-minded people is nice.
Livestock
Raising livestock is popular among preppers because it’s easy and provides a bountiful food source. But doing this in city backyard limits isn’t ideal, so you can get a rural plot of land with enough space where just a little effort and creativity work wonders.
How to Design Your SHTF House
Now that you’ve sorted the basic things, it’s time to design the preppers hideaway. Below are the things to do:
Preparing Your Land
As you purchase the land, the first task is preparing it well. So, install a well and a septic system if they aren’t already there. It ensures a reliable water source for construction needs and helps to plan the placement of houses, driveways, and other structures. Although getting a property with these already installed is recommended, you don’t need to worry about unexpected costs in installation and start with building the house.
Room For Expansion
Tiny houses are fun and cool to live in if you need a place for your weekend gateway or to stay safe during SHTF scenarios. But you can add on the finances to expand the house over time, especially if you have a family and are to stay more than a few days during emergencies. These constructions are the most expensive, so building a house with future expansion in mind makes sense.
The easiest way to do this is to build a series of smaller shapes connected by hallways or corridors and surrounded by a parking, courtyard, or work area. This way, you can start with one or two and continue to add more as your finances allow.
Landscaping for Food and Security
Whether you’re looking for a weekend getaway or a full-on bug-out location, landscaping must be part of the planning. You might want to create a parking and driveway, dig a basement, clear a portion of the land, or the amount of open space around the buildings.
You will also need a good amount of space to grow food and raise livestock. If the land is heavily forested, shade becomes a problem, and there isn’t enough space for the livestock to roam, making solar cooking more difficult. You must have enough space for your Jackery Solar Generators to charge and power up your house when needed.
Clear Out The Trees
If the area around your land is heavily forested, it’s important to cut a few trees to create some space and use it to expand your house in the future or build driveways and parking lots. Irrespectively, if trees are too close, the roots can damage foundations, branches can drop anytime on the roof and damage the building, and critters can slowly make their way into your home.
Enough Storage Space
Keeping enough storage space is a crucial aspect to consider when designing an SHTF house. You need to stockpile food, medicine, and other essentials, as multiple disasters cease transportation, and these go undelivered. Also, you must get a large-capacity refrigerator to keep your food fresh for a long time and to power it even during emergencies. Jackery Solar Generators come in handy.
Security
A house for SHTF also needs to be safe from vigilantes, goons, looters, or other miscreants, so aside from building unbreakable doors and windows, you must install security systems as soon as possible. But it won’t work during power outages and blackouts, and the Jackery Solar Generator is the savior. It can keep your security cameras and equipment running for even a week.
How to Fortify Your Home for SHTF
During SHTF, you may need to defend your home and your preps from looters and other criminals looking to capitalize on the chaos. It’s crucial to fortify your home before a crisis hits and prevent intruders from accessing your stockpile. Here’s what you must do:
Install Security Cameras
Security cameras and motion-detecting lights let you know if anyone is roaming around, making it difficult for them to take you by surprise. But the equipment needs power and an internet connection, which might be unavailable during emergencies. Investing in a reliable solution like Jackery Solar Generators is crucial for powering your cameras, lights, and other appliances throughout the day.
Secure the Perimeter
Start securing the parameters by installing a physical barrier like a fence, which is difficult to cross. You can further add barbed wire to the fence to make it more difficult to climb over. During SHTF, when there’s no power, Jackery Solar Generators can keep them active and keep your house safe.
Or, you can simply use threatening signage to discourage people from putting their foot on your property. Common yet effective signs include “No trespassing” and “Beware of Dog.”
Set Booby Traps
Setting booby traps is the last resort if there’s no other way to keep your property safe from intruders. These can potentially injure neighbors, friends, or anyone visiting your property. In such a situation, inform people who visit your property about the location so they aren’t in for a nasty surprise. Booby traps include pit traps, trip wires, snares, and even tire spikes to prevent their entry by any means.
Improve Door Security
You can install deadbolt or smart locks, which need your fingerprint to unlock (if you install a smart lock, you’ll probably need a Jackery Solar Generator to power them during emergencies). Or you can set screws for your strike plates and door hinges and install door jammers.
Set up a Safe Room Inside your Home
You can install a safe room inside your home, but it’s vital to fortify it, so make sure it has the following characteristics:
- Hidden entry points
- Enough supply of food and water
- Reliable door that can’t be broken easily
- Good connectivity to make emergency calls
- Good collection of self-defense arms
Also, keep the room hidden from everyone to ensure it blends in and isn’t painfully obvious.
Prepare Yourself and Your Family
Just setting up security cameras, booby traps, and designating a safe room won’t give you and your family the needed protection. It’s important you prepare yourself and others to stay safe. Hand your kids things like fire extinguishers, crowbars, and baseball bats that are safe, but limit the usage of Tasers to someone responsible enough.
Jackery Solar Generators for SHTF
Jackery is a global leader in manufacturing portable power stations, solar panels, and solar generators. These are intended for household and outdoor use and offer an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution for charging and powering devices during power outages or other emergencies.
The Jackery Solar Generator combines the Jackery Portable Power Station and Jackery SolarSaga Solar Panel. The solar panels collect and convert the sun’s rays into DC electricity, which is sent to the power station and further converted into usable AC electricity. The power station stores this energy and sends it to various appliances during unforeseen situations or disaster preparedness.
Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro
Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro offers enough battery capacity to charge 99% of household devices, such as refrigerators, phones, TVs, lights, coffee machines, air conditioners, etc. It can also power essential appliances like smartphones, radios, and medical equipment for more than a day. So, it can be a savior if you reside in an area hit by natural or man-made disasters.
Appliance Running Hours:
- Refrigerator (520W): 4.9H
- TV (60W): 42.8H
- Smartphone (29W): 88.6H
- Radio (5W): 514.0H
- CCTV Camera (15W): 171.3H
Customer Review: “Great service and great products. This is our 3rd Jackery. We've been fortunate to have solid backup power during storm outages last year.” -- Gary Sult
Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus
Jackery Solar Generator is ideal for power outages caused by unforeseen weather conditions like tornadoes, cyclones, earthquakes, etc. It can charge 99% of devices, including lights, laptops, medical equipment, refrigerators, and more. Besides, its double wheels, foldable handles, and ergonomic design mean carrying it to your SHTF home at any time won’t be a task.
Appliance Running Hours:
- Refrigerator (520W): 3.3H
- TV (60W): 28.9H
- Smartphone (29W): 59.8H
- Radio (5W): 347.2H
- CCTV Camera (15W): 115.7H
Customer Review: "Living in the Florida Keys, we have to prepare for hurricanes. Irma put us without electricity for 10 days. We needed a solar generator backup power. I ordered systems for us and both our children for their homes." — Steven Holmes.
Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Plus
If you’re looking for a more portable kit that can power most of your essential appliances, such as a CCTV camera, radio, smartphone, laptop, medical equipment, etc., Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Plus is ideal for home or outdoor emergencies you might face due to unforeseen circumstances. It’s a portable unit you can carry in a car or RV and supports charging 99% of your basic appliances.
Appliance Running Hours:
- LED bulb (23W): 46.7H
- Computer (500W): 2.1H
- Dehumidifier (280W): 3.8H
- Two-way Radio (50W): 21.4H
- CCTV Camera (15W): 71.66H
Customer Review: “We've had the unit for a while now and absolutely love how rugged it is. The solar panels work great, and the peace of mind of knowing we have a battery backup for all our devices and some appliances is awesome.”- John Brogan.
SHTF House Plans FAQs
What size of solar generator do I need for SHTF?
The size of a solar generator depends on the appliances you want to charge and for how long you’ll charge them. For example, the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus can charge a refrigerator (520W) and a desk lamp (60W),
Working Time = Capacity in Wh × 0.85 / Operating wattage of the appliances.
So, Working time = 2042.8Wh × 0.85 / 580W = 2.9H.
Note: The solar generator's battery capacity is multiplied by 0.85 to denote the power loss while charging devices.
How do you get plans for a house?
You can search the local building department or archives, contact the original architect or builder, find the original owner, or pay for a new blueprint to get house plans.
What is the preppers rule of 3?
The Prepper's Rule of 3 is a survival guideline that states an adult human can survive 3 minutes without breathable air, 3 hours in an extreme environment, 3 days without drinkable water, and 3 weeks without food, provided they have water and shelter.
How do I prepare my house for SHTF?
To prepare your house for SHTF, get an emergency kit containing water, a first aid kit, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, a flashlight, clothing, security cameras, motion detection lights, and food.
What is a reasonable amount of prepping?
The 80-20 rule is the best framework for prepping. It means having two weeks of supplies and a bug-out bag means you are better prepared for emergencies than 80% of the population.
Building an SHTF House Plan
Natural disasters and other emergencies hit any time, so having SHTF house plans is important to keep you and your family safe. Depending on the situation, staying at home is the best way out as you’ve supplies there. But amongst the supplies, it’s important to include a reliable power backup solution, and Jackery Solar Generators are among the best. It packs enough power for most of your household and medical appliances for hours and is an effective companion during SHTF.
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