6 buildings Preppers should have on their property!

Hello my friend and welcome back.  In today’s post we are going to look at out-buildings that every Prepper should have on their property and why.  As we all know, when it comes to being prepared, planning is everything and planning the layout of your bug out location is critical. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s visit a while.

Many people really don’t take the time to think about and build all of the buildings that they could need depending on the disaster.  They start out by just saying “That looks like a good place for a storage shed!” and they start building.  The sad part is as they go along, they don’t properly plan for the other building that they may need, mostly because they don’t know what they will need.  In today’s post, we are going to look at buildings that every Prepper needs to have and why.

Out House or bathroom – Even if you have running water and indoor plumbing, you will still want to have one of these.  Why?  Because you may not always have running water no matter how well you have prepared. It really should be close to the house due to weather, safety etc. This building doesn’t need to be very big, but I do recommend adding a shower stall that uses a gravity fed water system that you can fill manually if need be. If you do plan to put this shower in the out house….build it in a sunny location to warm the water.  Having this available in a dry well-drained area with a system to recycle the shower water so it can be used in your garden will be a wonderful thing to have after SHTF hits. 

Chicken coop – I think that almost all of us plan on raising our own chickens because they are so easy and cost hardly nothing to keep.  The one thing that they will need is a Coop to provide a safe place from predators for sleeping and raising their young.  I have seen these range in size from a 6X6 building to as large as a house.  It just depends on how many you plan on raising and if you are going to barter the eggs of not.  This to needs to be on a well-drained piece of land and preferably close enough to your home to hear them if something tries to get to them at night. 

Outdoor Kitchen – Oddly enough, this is something that many do not even think about.  When it comes to surviving without air conditioning is quickly becomes a necessity.  You will want to use half walls on these to let as much fresh air in as possible in the summer.  A wood powered stove along with plenty of counter space will be needed.  You could also attach a wood shed to the back of it so the wood is handy when cooking.  A BBQ grill is also a great addition to add to it as well.  This will be a must have when the time comes and you will be glad you built it.

Barn – To me the barn for your livestock, with feed and grain storage as well is a no-brainier.  If you have livestock, this is a necessity.  A place to keep your animals warm in the winter and dry during the rainy seasons.  This will go a long way toward keeping your livestock healthy and will also give you a nice place to keep you’re your tools and farming utensils in as well. 

Workshop – When SHTF hits, there will be no running into town to replace a broken tool or pick up something to help you do your work around the property.  You will be on your own and if you need something then you will just have to build it yourself or fix what you have.  To do this you will need a good dry place to work out of the weather.  A good work bench and a place to store materials will be a necessity.  I have seen some with big doors and clear fiberglass panels on the roof to let in plenty of light while working.  You may also want to add a Blacksmith forge to it as well for working with metal.  This is an absolute must so if you don’t add it to your workshop then you will need to build a separate building of cover for it.   I like having the forge in the workshop because it can be used to heat it in the winter as well.

A storage building –  A clean dry place to store your preps will be another must have, whether you locate it above or below the ground is your choice.  I prefer to store mine underground that way it can also double as a root cellar as well.  No matter where you put it or what you make it out of, you will absolutely have to have one.

Another building that many people don’t really think about is a Power building.  Someplace to store your batteries for your solar panels and wind turbines.  Batteries produce an acidic gas when charging and it can be corrosive and even volatile if the it builds up enough. Do not store these in your house because it is very dangerous.  Instead, build a small building to house them and run your wiring underground to your house.  This is safest way to do it.  Be sure they have plenty of ventilation and fresh air.

I guess my point is that you really need to take the time and think about what and where you are going to put these building before you start putting them up.  If you think it through and take the time to make a plan, then you won’t be forced to try to squeeze a new building into a spot that should have already been planned for.  Well, I guess that is it for today, so until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and stay prepared!

-The Sargent-