At one time, dugouts were a very common type of dwelling. First of all, they do not require large construction costs; the second advantage is their stealth - in comparison with ordinary houses it is much more difficult to notice them. Third advantage: such structures are very well insulated. In winter it is not cold in them, and in summer it is very cool. The fourth plus is the speed of construction. Unlike most buildings, you can build a dugout in a day, if not distracted, and even more so if you do not work alone.
Naturally, in modern conditions, the practical need for a dugout appears infrequently. Fans of ecological housing can resort to such a refuge, but there are not so many of them. The second most important users may be the owners of gardens located quite far from the city: few will rob such housing, which is a good protection for the time when you are absent from your site. The third category of potential residents is extreme travelers, who intend to spend a month or two in the forest (taiga). In their case, this is an ideal refuge. But even if you do not belong to any of these categories, excess knowledge has not harmed anyone.
Let's define in terms
Most people believe that a dugout (made with your own hands or found and adapted to your needs) is necessarily something raw, gloomy and underground. However, this is not entirely true. The room, completely located underground, is called "fox hole" among specialists. In life, it is much less suitable for everyday needs and is only interesting to partisans during military operations. This dugout is more attractive and comfortable.
Dugout as it is
Naturally, the main purpose of such housing is survival, and as comfortable as possible. In addition to the advantages already listed, the dugout in the forest has a number of advantages. Firstly, it retains heat well even when the fire is extinguished. Nakatnik or hut you will not provide such a convenience. And if you equip the dugout with a furnace, it will not yield to a stone or adobe house.
Burrows located deep underground are always moist. This does not threaten the dugout, unless it is located in a swamp or too close to a reservoir, and even on sandstone. However, a reasonable person is able to foresee such consequences.
If you are interested in stealth - put sod on the roof and make it not too geometric. In a week, the coating will take root, and your shelter will look like another mound, even if it is located in an open place. In the forest in general, hardly anyone will notice your home.
Necessary materials
Honestly, a dugout is being built with one's own hands usually from what is available. However, if it is possible to deliver “unnatural” materials to the construction site that can facilitate future operation, it is better to use it. So, in the most favorable conditions, you need 12 knurls (if their length is 2.5 meters), 70 poles of 6 meters and 120 poles of 5 and a half, spruce branches - about five cubes, wire (eight kilograms) and 2 sheets of roofing iron. If there is a stove, a window and a door, the dwelling will be especially comfortable, but both can be replaced with improvised materials, albeit at the expense of convenience.
Additional tricks
In principle, the correct dugout allows walking on it in full growth. However, in the most primitive case of construction, a dugout, made by one’s own hands, cannot offer any special amenities. Living conditions can be improved if the floor is laid out with boards or tightly fitted poles. They can sheathe the walls of the shelter: both aesthetically and warmer (cooler in summer, thermal insulation nevertheless). In the case of the planned wintering, the walls are coated with clay and turfed; It is also advisable to equip the vestibule with a second door. It is possible to deliver modern insulation materials to the construction site (for example, foam boards) - the dugout will become even more reliable and warmer.
Replacement Options
Naturally, it is not always possible to deliver everything you need to the place of construction of the shelter. Do not worry: modern materials can be replaced with old ones. If you build a dugout with your own hands, but there is no way to bring the wire - kick the bast, cut thin branches (better from willow, if there is one nearby), get the young roots of the spruce. Moss is very good for warming. Naturally, it will have to be dried so that it does not rot near the walls.
Well, now you can figure out in detail how to make a dugout with your own hands.
Location Rules
Before you begin construction, it is worth planning everything right. To begin with, consider the prevailing winds. The dugout should be located so that the prevailing wind blows from the side, into the wall where there is no door.
The best place where your hidden home will be located will be a hillside or a slightly elevated area - so there is less chance of flooding with underground waters.
When preparing a blueprint for a future building, lay in stock the size. Before you make a dugout with your own hands, you must remember that from the inside it will be insulated, that is, at least sheathed with boards. And reasonable people will also take care of the insulation, so the thickness of the boards will have to be multiplied by three (two layers of wood plus a layer of insulation).
initial stage
When everything is calculated and marked out, the most difficult, laborious and uninteresting stage begins. If there is sod in the spotted area, it must be removed. It will be useful in the future for both warming and masking. The most uninteresting stage of work on how to make a dugout with your own hands is digging a hole. First, they dig with a bayonet-shovel, while the earth loosens. Then the shovel is used - with it the soil is thrown out of the planned foundation of centimeters 50 from the edge. No closer: the perimeter is designed to form the roof. The pit as a result should be two meters deep (in the dugout, you still need a floor).
Before you build a dugout, consider the location of the entrance. It should be comfortable and as invisible as possible. Even if you are not hiding, there is an element of intrigue and play in invisibility: it will obviously be interesting to your children. To enter, an inclined oblique hole is dug, into which steps are cut. Usually 3 pieces are enough.
Actually erection
When the foundation pit is already ready, poles for support are dug in and the rafters are placed. The latter can be strengthened in the ground or laid on a bed. They are knurled or logs laid on the ground. If you are thinking about how to build a dugout only from improvised materials, then both the rafters and pillars are made of recuperator. Who does not know, the knurl is tree trunks with a diameter of 5-11 cm. If the delivery of materials is possible, the knurl is replaced by metal pipes, a channel, a corner or other building material. The main quality required for poles and rafters is strength.
The roof is most important
In any building, the main thing is the foundation and the roof. If the walls are not too reliable, they can be strengthened later. With a base and coating, such a trick will not work: they must be reliable from the very beginning. Therefore, if you are interested in how to build a dugout with your own hands, pay special attention to the top. On the rafters, poles should be put, and not the thinnest, 3-5 cm in diameter. It will be your ceiling. They must be put up close, trying not to allow gaps. It will also have to be fastened - either by wire (bast, flexible branches), or by nails.
It only remains to install the stove (as a chimney, a hole is simply sawn in the roof, where the pipe is led from it) and sheathed with planks of plank beds. If you need some kind of aesthetics - use, for example, pictures. The dugout can be not only quite convenient, but also a beautiful home.