Question of Curiosity - Tactical House Plans?

[........]

Everything needs to be tactical now days. I was reading an article on line, the link to which I have sense lost, attributed to James Wesley Rawles about tactical house planning. Designing your home to defend against intruders, home invasion and all the good other stuff. It discussed Coopers Corners, a simplified version of the theory behind star forts ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_fort ) and the use of Roman or Mexican style court yard housing.

Has any one read any thing on this?
Any one know what I'm talking about?

A few searches for coopers corners did not show me any floor plans or practical applications. This is to feed my own curiosity as I have no interest in building in and living in a star fort.

Though if any one has any Roman/Mexican survivalist court yard house plans I'd love to see them. Although European in design I think this is basically what they're talking about ( http://www.eplans.com/new_american_hous ... L64235.hwx )

[Vicarious_Lee]

I read this thread as "Tactical House Plants", and while I'm not disappointed that it's something else, I'm about to start searching ZS for Tactical House Plants, because I know that search will be fruitful.




and spiky.

[JonClark]

CPTED

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

http://www.google.com/search?client=saf ... 8&oe=UTF-8



I think this is what you're looking for...Relatively deep topic, lots of theory and subjectivity....

[Launchteam1]

Not exactly a reply- but, Lately I've been thinking about better security measures for my house. First thing (I think) would be beefing up the entry points- doors and windows. Since the majority of door locks that I've seen are useless, I will beef them up by replacing all the hinge screws with longer, hardened screws. On the lock side I plan to add a piece of 1/8" steel upwards of 18" long with the cutout for the latch to go into. Put several hardened screws thru it into the jamb and it should greatly increase the resistance to kicking out. I'll replace the patio door with a regular steel entry door with only a very small window.
Windows are going to be a bit more difficult. For the back ones I'm going to make home-made "Burglar Bars" and possibly expanded steel. I don't want to make the front look too obvious, so I'll probably do something on the inside.

[ODA 226]

I'm developing a "Tactical Wasp Spray"!

[........]

CPTED

Related is defensible space. I think right now I'm looking for actual floor plans.

@Lunchteam1: Dogs.

[gravediggerfour]

Doors that open out are always a pain in the ass to get into by force. I know I read on ZS about a master light switch that turns on all the lights in a house, this would be an awesome idea in my book for the master bedroom. Col. Cooper also covers house planing a little bit in his book "to ride, shoot straight and tell the truth".

[JonClark]

Doors that open out are always a pain in the ass to get into by force. I know I read on ZS about a master light switch that turns on all the lights in a house, this would be an awesome idea in my book for the master bedroom. Col. Cooper also covers house planing a little bit in his book "to ride, shoot straight and tell the truth".

Master light switch is a great idea.....

But as a person who breaks doors for a living: Outswing doors are easy....Way easy....A steel framed RABBETED jamb inswing is tough....Woodframes, stopped jambs and outswings are a cinch with a 24 inch bar.....

CPTED

Related is defensible space. I think right now I'm looking for actual floor plans.

@Lunchteam1: Dogs.

Yeah Ive got nothin

[Launchteam1]

@Lunchteam1: Dogs.
Lord Bane; First off- it's LAUNCHteam1, (I've already been accused of eating too much! LOL)
Second; I have dogs and love my dogs, but from another point of view- From the point of the "Bad Guy" I think it would be a lot quicker do dispatch a dog than get thru a reinforced steel door. I've always viewed dogs as a great deterrent, but I'm looking just at the structural aspects here.

[gravediggerfour]

Doors that open out are always a pain in the ass to get into by force. I know I read on ZS about a master light switch that turns on all the lights in a house, this would be an awesome idea in my book for the master bedroom. Col. Cooper also covers house planing a little bit in his book "to ride, shoot straight and tell the truth".

Master light switch is a great idea.....

But as a person who breaks doors for a living: Outswing doors are easy....Way easy....A steel framed RABBETED jamb inswing is tough....Woodframes, stopped jambs and outswings are a cinch with a 24 inch bar.....

CPTED

Related is defensible space. I think right now I'm looking for actual floor plans.


@Lunchteam1: Dogs.

Yeah Ive got nothin

Proper tools always make a job easy, having a good hoolie set is priceless. To the common thief thats just going to kick a door in however I would rather have out swinging doors.

[........]

Regarding my origional post, I did not find what I was looking for BUT I did find something better.

Forget Coopers Corners.
Forget bunkers.
A tower.

*Edit2: the links below do not work if you click them as ZS edits out the ")" in the link. Either copy and paste in full or click the link and add ")" to the end of the web address. Ex: garage-(33929 should be garage-(33929)
Small: http://www.houseplans.com/262-square-fe ... age-(33929)
Large: http://www.houseplans.com/1517-square-f ... age-(36369)
and if you want to attract attention a light house: http://www.houseplans.com/2082-square-f ... age-(32127)

From the point of the "Bad Guy" I think it would be a lot quicker do dispatch a dog than get thru a reinforced steel door. I've always viewed dogs as a great deterrent, but I'm looking just at the structural aspects here.

If by dispatch you mean hand him some hamburger although most bad guys don't go around dispatching dogs. I'd work in layers, the stuff you here every where, thorny bushes out side windows, make sure there is nothing scalable to the second floor or roof, good lighting, lighting thats not exposed and hanging low you can unscrew by hand, and motion sensors. Your door could be titanium but it can still be kicked in if the frame is weak, reinforce the frame. I'd use an alarm system set up in zones so if anything in the house moves except you an audible alarm goes off. Limit the movement of the dogs to zones or keep them outide. Entry from the main house to the bedrooms can be limited by placing a lockable door there as well. Panic room is another option. I don't like the word panic. Safe room.

[Ufdyixcaff]

.

[........]

I figured out why the links did not work (see the Edit above) other wise pictures of two of the three:

[Ufdyixcaff]

out swinging doors = stuck inside if hit by heavy snowfall. It also leaves the hinge side to the bad guys.

[Kutter_0311]

I will be the second to refer you to To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth , specifically the chapter in Section 1 titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture"(whole text/pics on this link).

Lots of good stuff here beyond the lame looking 'star castle' design. Excellent guidance regarding building an outpost into a castle, etc.

Read it...

[NX02GT]

I will take a picture next time I'm out, but there are 3 houses in my area with detached "towers" if you will near me. I have wondered for a while now their purpose, maybe this is it. I thought they were mother in law rooms where the top room could be locked from the outside. One of them DEF. belongs to a prepper, he has to have a 3 year supply of firewood outside his house. These towers are all separated as I said, but taller than the house itself, much like the picture you posted. The only one that gives any noticeable advantage is one on a corner of a street at the top of a hill so it can see a pretty good ways (mile maybe?). No help here on your floor plans etc, but on your question, yes, I think about what my house would be like when I build it, in a security aspect, all the time.

[BullOnParade]

I will take a picture next time I'm out, but there are 3 houses in my area with detached "towers" if you will near me. I have wondered for a while now their purpose, maybe this is it. I thought they were mother in law rooms where the top room could be locked from the outside. One of them DEF. belongs to a prepper, he has to have a 3 year supply of firewood outside his house. These towers are all separated as I said, but taller than the house itself, much like the picture you posted. The only one that gives any noticeable advantage is one on a corner of a street at the top of a hill so it can see a pretty good ways (mile maybe?). No help here on your floor plans etc, but on your question, yes, I think about what my house would be like when I build it, in a security aspect, all the time.

I second the fact that I'm constantly conscious of a floor plan whenever I start to daydream of building a house. I want a hardened room, I want the house set back quite far from the road, I want a gate on the driveway. I visit friends apartments and think "I like that lock" or "The window in your main door is a PERFECT balance of security/functionality". I've never sat down and started to put floor plans together. I do have mediocre cad software, I should put something together to see what size of property I would need, how many square feet my dream home would be.

[NX02GT]

Part of the thought is also how easy you want to come and go, and how much natural light you want in the house. Want no burglers/assailants/zombies in your house? How about an underground house with a submarine style hatch on top? Joking aside I think something like a split level with no windows on the lowest floor (the one part way underground). Then your lowest windows are an extra 3-5 feet off the ground making it much harder to get into from the outside. I hate sliding glass doors, I never feel safe in a house with them only. When I do finally build a house of my own, it will take things like that, door material, window height, lock style, ability to see what is outside from in, etc into consideration, not just what awesome counter tops we want. I always ignore my lease and change my locks to really good deadbolts I have.
Also, anyone who has lived in Europe, or at least Germany, knows about the metal shutters (rouladens) that are over pretty much every window and back door there. I don't understand why no one has them here, especially in hurricane/ tornado zones. I want them on my house.

[Blacksmith]

In the not so great parts of the world the wealthy and middle class take their security a lot more seriously.

Here are examples of upper middle class:



[img]http://www.hess.bz/images/IRAQ/BPA%20and%20Palace%20022.jpg

Note the high wall, serious gate, turreted roof. These are pretty typical of the better off people.

Here is an example of a more wealthy person:



That is a small Saddam Palace outside of Al Hilleah. Many more of those are springing up these days as things get calmer.

Here is another house for a more wealthy person: http://www.life.com/image/56334005

It should be noted that the vast majority of Arabs live crammed in hovels or cement apartments buildings. Just about everyone in who has a house has a walled compound if they can afford it.

[........]

I will be the second to refer you to To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth ,

Jeff Cooper! The source of "Coopers Corners."

Read it...

I will, thank you.

I will take a picture next time I'm out, but there are 3 houses in my area with detached "towers" if you will near me. I have wondered for a while now their purpose.

Are you on the ocean? I found the towers while looking at the style "beach homes" on some house plans web sites. I know a "widows walk" was a look out so the wives of sailors or fishermen could watch for thier husbands to come home. I would assume these, historically, servered a similar function.

I should put something together to see what size of property I would need, how many square feet my dream home would be.

There's home design software out there ($40-100) or for free you could troll through plans sites (google house plans). With the advanced features you can search by style (again, I found towers under beach), features (court yards as James Wesley Rawles suggested) and some include free cost calculators.

[maldon007]

I dont know if it has been brought up, but in some outside the US homes, I have seen a "security zone" inside the house. Basically similar to a safe room, only instead of one room, it was all the bedrooms & one of the baths. One was an actual barred door, like a prison cell door, that closed in the hall to the bedrooms. The bedroom windows being hardedned as well.

I guess the thought being, the most likely time of home invasion is late at night... Also, whatever outside hardening there is, gives the occupants time to get into the extra hardened inside area, as the bg's are breaking in.

The barred door/gate is a little on the ugly/overt side... but a heavy steel security door could work as well (or almost).

[ei8htx]

I think perhaps more important than house design is the immediate area surrounding it. If your house is in the middle of an open area surrounded by lights, just approaching the house is difficult. I suppose this is where the courtyard comes into play as well.

Has anyone given thought to a house that's easisy defensible from an intruder inside? Things like stairways upstairs, bedroom locactions (floors), proximity to safe rooms, etc. If someone does break in, where would it be optimum to make a stand? What design would best accomodate this?

ETA: Specifically, I'm looking at the pictures blacksmith posted of the house in the center of an open hill, and suizen's monolithic dome, open ceiling pic, which to me would seem effective at confronting an intruder who's broken in the front door.

[NX02GT]

I will take a picture next time I'm out, but there are 3 houses in my area with detached "towers" if you will near me. I have wondered for a while now their purpose.

Are you on the ocean? I found the towers while looking at the style "beach homes" on some house plans web sites. I know a "widows walk" was a look out so the wives of sailors or fishermen could watch for thier husbands to come home. I would assume these, historically, servered a similar function.

They are a mile or less from Pudget sound, but there is no way they could see the water from there.

[NX02GT]

I think perhaps more important than house design is the immediate area surrounding it. If your house is in the middle of an open area surrounded by lights, just approaching the house is difficult. I suppose this is where the courtyard comes into play as well.

Has anyone given thought to a house that's easisy defensible from an intruder inside? Things like stairways upstairs, bedroom locactions (floors), proximity to safe rooms, etc. If someone does break in, where would it be optimum to make a stand? What design would best accomodate this?

ETA: Specifically, I'm looking at the pictures blacksmith posted of the house in the center of an open hill, and suizen's monolithic dome, open ceiling pic, which to me would seem effective at confronting an intruder who's broken in the front door.

My house is smaller than my apartment I lived in when my son was born, which was supposedly just under 1000 sf, My house is defensible from either front or back door pretty much no matter where I stand in it. My bedroom is a loft, I can simultaneously look out a window over my front door/son's bedroom window while seeing the whole back deck, living room and back door. I can crank my pressure based alarm to the point that if I forget to close the flu on my fireplace and the wind blows it will go off. If someones in the house, I'm probably already aiming at them.