15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
There are plenty of ways for the world to end. If it does, will you be ready?
Owners of these homes can live out the end of days in safety, security and luxury, having blown millions on their top-notch survival pad. Some of these homes have built-in moats, sit on top of mountains or on an island, or are converted from underground missile sites. Many are already outfitted with generators, greenhouses and water purification systems for true off-the-grid living, while others may need some work to make them apocalypse-proof.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
The Safe House
The Safe House is just the ticket for a survivalist looking to live in style. Located on the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland, this 1,860-square-foot home is a large, concrete cube home with movable steel walls that close up at night and sports modern interior design.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
The Safe House
The house opens up to a garden and in the process creates a courtyard where visitors wait until they are allowed inside. While it's not up for sale, you can ask for a custom build from Robert Konieczny - kwk promes. The cost of the home is not available.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Upstate Castle
If you want to be the envy of every other survivor at the end of days, this is the place for you. This 36,000-square foot home is a former National Guard armory and features two suites with king-size beds in each turret in addition to a 10,000-square-foot gymnasium to store rations or exercise, a rifle range to practice, a fallout shelter for additional protection and a billiard room.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Upstate Castle
The armory home is located in Amsterdam, N.Y., three hours from New York City and 30 miles from Albany in upstate New York. The owners bought it for $800,000 and spent $400,000 on renovations and redesign, with the intention to flip it for millions. But a sale hasn't yet panned out, and the price has been reduced repeatedly, down to $895,000 currently.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Monolithic domes
There are more than 5,000 of these Monolithic domes in existence today; they may be the most popular survival home available. The domes are made by inflating air foam, adding a layer of polyurethane foam, then topping that with rebar and spraying several inches of concrete over the rebar frame. They meet or exceed FEMA's standards for providing near-absolute protection from disasters, and they use 50 percent less energy than a normal home.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Monolithic domes
The curved shape, seamless construction and largely concrete materials make these domes resistant to wind, storm and fire damage. During earthquakes, the homes sway with the ground, which prevents collapse. They must withstand pressures of up to one ton per square foot, much more than the 404 pounds per square foot generated by the most extreme tornadoes -- such twisters have clocked wind speed of up to 300 miles per hour. Domes cost about as much as a normal home -- they run to about $130 per square foot, meaning a finished 1,000-square-foot home will cost about $130,000. But these are intended to last longer than a normal home, possibly beyond the end of life as we know it.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Atlas F
This Atlas F site is a former missile base, located on 19 acres in the Adirondack Mountains in New York and accessible by road. Or, if you prefer, you can land a plane on your very own runway. Atlas F sites feature missile silos that extend about 175 feet deep into the ground, lending protection from the outside world. There is a log cabin on the surface with an open floor plan and wraparound porch that hide the underground structure -- a two-story, three-bedroom, two-bath luxury home.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Atlas F
The climate-controlled silo tube has a spiral staircase leading down into the earth, a generator and well for fresh water. The steel structure is hanging from a gigantic spring suspension system, built to absorb even the shock of a direct nuclear hit. The site is on sale for just $995,000 -- down from $4.6 million.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Southeast Indiana Nike site
Just across the border from Cincinnati in Southeast Indiana, there is a 14.5-acre missile base that has been converted into a four-bedroom, two-bathroom underground home with kitchen, exercise room, indoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi. Nike sites are slightly different than Atlas sites, with underground facilities that are sunk just 22 feet below the surface -- they're not nuclear safe, but they do offer considerable safety from human intrusion and weather conditions.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Southeast Indiana Nike site
The home is practically invisible to anyone who doesn't know what they're looking at and includes a high-security chain-link fence topped with barbed wire, a remote-control rolling front gate and a horse barn. For $1.35 million, you can relax in your pool in safety and security.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Maine Nike site
This Northern Maine silo site doesn't have the frills of other sites, but it does provide a measure safety. The site is surrounded by a high-security barbed-wire chain-link fence and has its own well with new pump and water lines, a generator building and barracks that have been converted into a three-bedroom apartment and a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home. Moreover, you have the added security of an underground missile magazine to hunker down in. The $349,000 property has plenty of fruit orchards too, so you can make and stow your own food in the event of an apocalyptic nightmare.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Summit Shock Prison
The survivors of AMC's "The Walking Dead" have so far found a prison has to be a pretty safe space. So why not invest in one of your own in case society collapses and you seek safety for yourself and other survivors?
The 37-building former state correctional facility, built in 1961, is located on approximately 18 acres of land in the heart of rural Schoharie County in New York state. The property adjoins nearby state forest land, including the Mallet Pond State Forest and Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest, which are open for hunting, trapping and fishing. It has 10 petroleum bulk storage tanks, its own water tank, underground sanitary sewer piping, a storm water system and a backup generator.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Chateau Artisan
If you're worried about the masses invading your home when the world comes to end, this $10.9 million home provides unique protection. This 10,000-square-foot chateau is surrounded by a man-made moat. Dubbed Chateau Artisan, it sits on 14 acres of private, garden-dotted lands in Homestead, Fla., and is protected by huge privacy gates as well as infrared and traditional cameras along the road and around the house.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Chateau Artisan
The chateau, which has eight bedrooms and 10 baths, also features a large freezer, its own well, a generator supporting the entire home and impact glass. Worst-case scenario: If you find yourself short on victuals, you can cook the fish from your Koi pond in your barbecue gazebo. The chateau was built in 2007 by architect Charles Sieger for himself. Inspired by medieval castles and manor houses, he just had to have the giant moat.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Sister Rock Island
If you're keen on the protection of water but think a moat falls short, this $12 million home is for you. Powered by wind and solar energy, it is a self-sufficient island a quarter mile off the coast of Marathon, Fla., in the Keys. This 5,000-square-foot home has four bedrooms and three bathrooms and sits on a 1.5-acre "lot" surrounded by a protective coral reef.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Sister Rock Island
As the world crumbles, you can watch the sunset from your wraparound, 2,700-square-foot veranda. Sister Rock is accessible by boat or helicopter should you need to make a beeline from your private paradise to the mainland.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Jepson Island
If you fantasize about your own island home but find $12 million extravagant, you can buy Jepson Island for just $2 million. Located just outside New Haven, Conn., Jepson is the place if you seek a quick escape from nearby New York City.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Jepson Island
Though it's not completely self-sufficient like other water-surrounded homes, it does have one unique feature: a backyard for growing food, at least in the summer. Jepson has a little more than 1,000 square feet, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a boat dock. It is fueled by a propane tank and solar energy.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Tudor Farms
This behemoth hunting property in Cambridge, Md., costs $30 million, but in view of its 6,250 acres, you're really buying enough land to build a small town. The property offers a substantial main lodge, indoor riding ring and stables, indoor tennis/sports center, two guesthouses, and multiple barns and kennels, as well as its own geothermal heating and cooling system, septic system and access to native wildlife and two rivers.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Tudor Farms
The home itself has 11 bedrooms, 10-1/2 baths and eight fireplaces on three stories. It also features such fancy amenities as a yoga room and gourmet kitchen. The estate was originally owned by well-known (and super-rich) hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones, who spelled out his initials in manmade islands on the property.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Wolf Trap Historic Lighthouse
You won't necessarily be in the lap of luxury if you purchase this $250,000 old lighthouse home, which sits in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, but you certainly will get an isolated spot, built in 1894 specifically to withstand extreme weather. Though it will require some restoration, the lighthouse has three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living and bath area, and an outside deck, along with basement storage.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Black Mountain home
This $1 million estate is located outside Asheville, N.C., and is designed for people who want to live off the grid. The property encompasses more than seven acres, two homes, a guesthouse, solar panels, a generator, a private well and a greenhouse to grow fresh vegetables year-round.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Black Mountain home
The homes, situated in an isolated area of mountainous peaks, have four bedrooms, three bathrooms and luxury finishing throughout. Fishing is to be had at nearby Lake Tomahawk, and miles of mountainous terrain are great for hunting.
15 homes that will help you survive a disaster
Turnback Trail home
The address of this log cabin is Turnback Trail in Red Lodge, Mont., and that alone should give you an idea of how isolated it is. For $1.35 million, you can own this small, 736-square-foot cabin, which sits atop Sheep Mountain near Yellowstone National Park.