The apocalyptic home improvements to protect your house for the end of the world
With a worldwide health pandemic, people irrationally panic buying and a countrywide lockdown, you’d be forgiven for thinking the end of the world was nigh.
It can be costly to panic buy five years worth of loo roll and hand sanitizer, so leading tradesperson comparison site, HaMuch.com, has looked at where that money could be better spent preparing your home for the Apocolypse.
CCTV – £1,000
To fully protect your home from the inside out, you need eyes and ears everywhere and a CCTV system is a good starting point to make sure everything remains in order while the world ends around you. You can pick up a simple wireless system for about £50 but if you want a back-up power system, thermal sensing and video quality that doesn’t make everything look like a potato, you’re talking as much as £1,000 to get sorted.
Security Gate – £5,000
To protect your home from post-apocalyptic mutants you’ll need a sturdy front gate. You can get a simple manual gate for about £300 but for a reinforced, automatic gate system that allows access to others without leaving the house, you’ll have to stump up as much as £5,000.
Fencing and Barbed Wire – £460
If you’re investing in a new gate, you’ll also need to ensure your fences are robust and you may even want some added security. With fence panels coming in at £30 a pop and barbed wire costing £40 for 200ms, you can upgrade your fencing for £460 based on 14 new panels.
Re-enforced Windows – £2,565 to £10,260
An expensive but essential last line of defence, re-enforced glass can come in very handy when protecting your home during the end of the world. It doesn’t come cheap though. Your average re-enforced glass will cost £25 per square foot, but this climbs to £100 for a bulletproof option. With the average window sized at 5.7 square feet and some 18 windows in even the most modest of homes, you’re looking at a cost of £2,565 for re-enforced glass and £10,260 for the bulletproof option.
High-Security Locks – £130
There’s no point in protecting your windows if your doors aren’t protected. On a budget, you could fit two high-security locks to your front and back doors plus labour for £130.
Rainwater Harvesting System – £3,000
Now that your home is protected you can think about getting by. The most essential need is water and investing in a full rainwater harvesting system will set you back £3,000 is worth every penny should your water mains switch off.
Polytunnel – £484
You’ve sorted water, now what about food? You could invest in a greenhouse for thousands of pounds but a simple polytunnel will increase the success of any vegetables you plant and can be easily erected in your garden.
Solar Panels – £8,000
In the worst-case scenario of the power grid going down, you may need an alternative energy source. Solar panels are your best bet and an advanced system is worth the £8,000 investment to keep your home running.
Extension for food storage – £5,000
A cost-effective way to make more room to store your food is to splash £5,000 on a basic extension of one storage room. Otherwise, you’re looking at as much as £1,950 per square metre for a single story extension to the whole house.
Bomb Shelter – £32,000
If you want to go all out and really prepare your home then a bomb shelter is the way to go and the last fall-back line of defence in your home. For a 200 square foot shelter, you’re looking at a bill of £32,000, but it could be worth every penny.
Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented:
“We’re in no way suggesting that the end of the world is on the horizon but with the way some people have been panic buying ‘essential’ items, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
Like many, the trade sector has been hit hard due to the spread of the Coronavirus and with Government advice to self-isolate, many can no longer work as they are unable to visit peoples homes.
So we thought that those who are fearing the worst and are currently sat on two years worth of toilet roll and hand sanitiser might want to go the extra stretch in protecting their homes and pump some cash into a hard hit trade sector in the process.”
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Estimated costs
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CCTV
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Basic wifi app-based = £50 Premium system = £1,000
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Gate security
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Simple manual gate = from £300 Automatic gate system = from £5,000
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Barbed-wire fencing
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Fence panel = average £30 per panel. Barbed-wire (200m) = £40. 14 panels at £30 each and 200m of barbed wire = £460
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Bullet-proof windows
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Bullet resistant flat glass can start from around £25 to £100 per sq ft. The average window is 5.7 sqm and a modest home would require 18 windows at 102.6 sqm. 102.6 x 25 = £2,565. 102.6 x 100 = £10,260.
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High-security locks
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High-security lock = from £80 upwards for two. Locksmith call-out = from £30-50
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Rainwater collector butt/harvesting system
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Simple rainwater butt = £50 Full harvesting system = £2,000-£3,000
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Polytunnel / greenhouse / vegetable garden
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Polytunnel greenhouse = 10x10ft = £484 Glass greenhouse = from £2,000 – £5,000 depending on size
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Solar panels
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Smaller systems = from £1500 Advanced systems = from £8,000
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Extension – food storage (tins/dry goods etc)
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A basic extension storage room = from £5,000. Note a single-storey extension can cost between £1,350 and £1,950 per m2
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Underground bomb shelter
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200 sq ft shelter = approx £32,000
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