Friday, February 1, 2013

Bunker construction


The current floor of the War Room

I haven't posted in quite a while - in fact I can't remember the last time the blog has been on such a long hiatus. Mainly it's been a combination of some family tragedy, other demands on my writing time and the fact that Cousin Basil and I have been hard at work in the War Room. 

We've lifted the suspended floor and dug out one side. Capability Savage added his paint and mescaline stained hands to the cause and the result has been that we now have a three foot deep storage area on one side of the room. Cousin Basil and I levelled the soil, taking care not to undermine the foundations of the house. My father in law put in wiring so that we can have a light in the storage space and few more power points to the room when the floor is down. 

Once that was done, Cousin Basil and I laid damp proofing and added a layer of sand and gravel over which was laid a layer of concrete. Learning how to mix concrete was very interesting. Youtube has some fascinating DIY videos. The eventual plan is to treat the joists, re-lay them and then add the new floorboards. 

The new floor will have a trapdoor access to the space under the floor and that will allow me to store wine, unpainted figures and other very necessary, but not always attractive to look at wargaming impedimenta. 

I think we'll have to wait for the concrete to set first though. 

4 comments:

  1. Sorry for your sad news, and well done on the construction. Building things for yourself is something I've always found intensely satisfying.

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  2. Looking good so far, you are a braver man than I, taking on such a DIY project, I have to say.

    Sorry to hear of the bad news, wishing you all the best.

    Lee.

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  3. My sympathies regarding the event in the family.

    Your mysterious under the floor wargames storage smacks a bit of a rum-runner's lair back in my grandfather's day. That really is a grand idea, I wonder what my wife would say if I suggested it. I'm more than a bit jealous as I pace around my basement looking for spots where I can stash things. Perhaps between the joists in the ceiling of the furnace room...

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  4. My dear Kinch:
    I devoutly hope that the downward trajectory of your excavation, and subsequent rise of construction, mirrors your spirits of late, and fortells happier days ahead.
    I am most impressed by your DIY prowess.
    Rumour has reached me that the space beneath your floor if for General DeGourmand's wine cellar and concubine storage.

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