when Greg Mizer I took a list of the houses of Pepperell Last August he touted all the desirable features. 2,400 sq ft cape style home: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 car garage, 1.88 acres of wooded grounds.
He also advertised bunkers.
Listed at $850,000, the home had a disaster-resistant 7,200-square-foot underground bunker complete with reinforced concrete walls and climate control.
Maiser, RE/Max Professional Sold Squad Realtor, said: Holden companion. “Everyone feared what would happen if the Russians nuke Boston and all financial records are lost.”
Mazur said there were “prepper types” who were interested in the property, as well as celebrities who considered using the vault as storage space for their antique car collection, but the property was three months old and its It was sold to a local business owner who planned to use the space. as a workshop.
Features like underground bunkers and secure rooms help the home stand out from the competition. “People looking for a large workshop or hideaway to prepare for a nuclear winter aren’t on every street corner.”
General Manager Gary Lynch Rising S company of murchison, texassaid demand for the custom underground bunkers, storm shelters and safe rooms he builds has been steady. ,” Lynch said.
His typical customers, he said, are business owners who want to protect their families. Some people worry about nuclear war, others about civil unrest and natural disasters, he said.
Prices for bunkers vary by location, size and design, but Lynch said that on rural land, shelters for six to eight people can be built for less than $200,000. The structure includes a bed, bathroom with shower, cooking area, lighting, and an emergency escape route. He completed a Springfield bunker that entered from his house in the pool last summer. The 500-square-foot bunker could sleep four of his men and included space for storing weapons and food. Cost: $212,000.
Founder and President Brian Camden Hardened Structures LLC of Virginia Beach, Virginia, specializes in the planning, design and covert construction of fortified homes, underground shelters and bunkers. His team consists of an architect, an engineer, his project manager, and a former US Navy SEAL.
About half of Camden’s customers — all millionaires — are Americans who want fortified homes or underground shelters. “These are all people who see it as asset protection. These are generational homes designed to be passed down.”
One of Camden’s local projects was a 2,500-square-foot fortified home in Maine with an underground shelter on land that had been owned by the client’s family for generations. About two hours from the main city, the owner built the house out of fear of terrorism.
However, some homebuyers don’t care about nuclear war, break-ins, or civil war, they just want cool features in their homes. This is something our neighbors don’t have. Kerrin RowleyColdwell Banker Realty Realtors in Hingham, Sold a house with a bunker in October 2021The house was built in 1860 and the bunker was originally an old barn with the base sunken several feet into the ground. After the barn collapsed, the previous owner put a roof over the foundation and grew a bonsai in the space. Rowley’s client used it as his party room with a bar, pool table and seating area. The house sold for $2.5 million.
“It definitely intrigued potential buyers,” she said. “They loved having a bunker and a party space.”
President Steve Humble creative home engineering and the hidden door shopboth Gilbert, Arizona., make their living by creating unique doors that lead to hidden rooms. He creates both custom his doors for entertainment that lead to playrooms, cinemas, smoking rooms or wine cellars, and doors for security that lead to vaults and panic rooms.
Humble said the pandemic “has been incredible for business,” driving customers who are redecorating their homes and concerned about civil unrest. We sell highly customized doors and secret doors priced under $1,000. A safer door, especially one that’s bulletproof, can cost upwards of $20,000.
Those interested in building bunkers, safe rooms, or other types of hidden rooms should exercise great caution. Make sure your contractor has specific experience in these projects and is not just a general contractor.
“It’s easy to put a bookshelf on a set of hinges, but it’s not going to be a cinematic product where you pull a book and the door opens,” says Humble. “Secret doors are highly engineered machines. Always consult an expert. You can get a better product.”
Robyn A. Friedman is a freelance journalist who has covered the real estate and housing markets for 20 years.send comment to address@globe.com.
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