[ale] Running stuff as root == bad, was Re: FC13 question == The Bunker

[Drifter]

This was decades ago on a planet far, far away.  :)

But imagine a concrete shoebox, 30' X 60', oriented so the long axis faced 
about 225 degrees. Buried into a hillside; exterior wall essentially all 
glass sliding doors. Concrete roof supported by large steel trusses so no 
interior partitions were supporting walls. Dropped ceiling hid chase area 
for all wiring/plumbing.  Stair-stepped above it another box the same 
size, so that the SW facing wall was inline with the back wall of the 
lower level. Same construction as below, but sloping roof so that the SW-
facing wall (again all windows) rose to 12 feet, sloping to 8' at the back 
wall.  This upper level was the main living space. Entrance through back 
wall.  From parking lot, the house was not visible as it was buried into a 
hill. Sod on roof. Only hint that the house had to be there somewhere was 
a chimney poking out through the top of the hill.  Entrance was down a 50' 
long open tunnel -- eight foot wide -- through the eastern half of the 
hill to the front door. Entrance into living room, facing large glass wall 
looking out onto mountains five miles away.  Possible to walk out from 
upper level onto roof of lower level.  This space originally planned as a 
garden, later enclosed as a greenhouse.  Mostly open, giving a nearly 
1,800 sq.ft. party space.
It was a neat house.
All passive solar, of course. Zoned HVAC. Typical winter only used 100 
gallons of propane.  Electric usage in summer about 10% higher than 
without HVAC.  Before HVAC, heated the house with one fireplace upstairs 
and one large wood stove downstairs. Never got really cold, but never got 
really warm either. About three cords a winter.

Only construction hiccup was the dozer digging out the hole hitting sand 
right where the footer for the back wall of the lower level had to go.  
That footer had to support half the weight for both roofs.  Engineer said, 
"that's easy; just use a spread footer." Yeah, right! One footer, 60 feet 
long, 9 feet wide and 18 inches thick. That's 30 yards of concrete for ONE 
footer!  One other minor difficulty:  After six months the concrete walls 
were so hard I couldn't shoot a nail into them.  Had to bore a hole for 
every damn fastener. Major PITA.

Sean

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On Sunday, August 01, 2010 12:45:18 pm Damon L. Chesser wrote:
> On Sun, 2010-08-01 at 12:31 -0400, Drifter wrote:
> > Keeping in mind that no >TRUE< Libertarian would ever "carry a card,"
> > I am probably the only member of this list who not only claims to be
> > a Libertarian, but also constructed and lived in a "bunker,"
> > self-defined as a structure made completely of concrete, including
> > the roof. It was a 3,600 sq.ft. bunker, so no one felt cramped for
> > space. :)
> 
> More info on the bunker, pics, plans, cost, benefits ?
> 
> > Only problem was the lack of an attic!
> > 
> > Sean
> >