The prepping lifestyle doesn’t just mean stocking up on the necessities like food, water, and clothing.
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Rather than venturing out in the wilderness as soon as things go awry, often, people would rather fortify their homes by making improvements. These improvements increase their security and make them more prepper-friendly which is important when preparing for a disaster.
There are tons of home improvement tips. With so many options available in the market, it can be daunting to choose what improvements you should consider.
Here are some of the best tips preppers can use:
1. Consider Building An Underground Storm Shelter
With the weather becoming more erratic, violent, and unpredictable over the years, having an underground storm shelter could become the difference between life and death.
An underground storm shelter is typically a pre-built structure made from reinforced steel or concrete. You can install your shelter under your yard or garage.
Steel is the preferred material for underground storm shelters because it withstands storms and winds. Your shelter is safe from flying debris since it is located underground.
Now, why build one?
If you don’t have enough free space to place an above-ground storm shelter on your property, building an in-ground storm shelter is a great alternative. You don’t need extra space for your storm shelter, and you can protect your entire family from natural disasters.
Plus, if you want to sell your property, installing an underground storm shelter would only serve to increase its value. The added feature would attract sellers to the property, making it easier to sell it and for a higher price.
If thunderstorms occur in your area frequently, then you may take shelter in the safe room of your storm shelter. Since the shelter is located underground, it can undoubtedly protect you from the storm.
You can also install the underground shelter in the basement of your home or your garage, so you don’t need to go out in the middle of a storm to get to your shelter.
So, where to install underground storm shelters?
Your garage or your yard are places where you can easily install your storm shelter. However, despite both choices being good, installing them inside your home would prove to be most beneficial since you won’t need to go out of your house and be needlessly exposed to hail, lightning, or flying debris.
What do you need to check before installing one?
When you contact any company that provides storm shelters, make sure that they have a certification from the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA). You also should remember to check if the particular shelter you chose has been tested and passed by the Texas Tech Wind Science & Engineering Center before installing it on your property.
2. Install solar lighting
New preppers should consider adding solar light into their home since it could make a huge difference in ensuring their survival in certain emergencies and disasters. Solar lighting is an amazing source of free lighting since it gives you a sufficient amount of light, especially when you encounter or experience emergencies that cause power interruptions.
When you install solar lighting, you will need to use clear tubes that extend to your ceiling from the roof. These tubes would help you to take full and direct advantage of the energy the sun provides, allowing you to collect energy during the day and use it when it is already dark.
Still, while many people say that solar tubes are not as helpful at night, they are useful for dramatically reducing your electrical consumption during the day.
3. Create a food storage pantry
Having a food storage pantry in your home will easily store food items meant for emergency and survival situations. Aside from storing food, food storage shelves are also useful for new preppers since they can use them to keep their food stock organized. A prepper’s pantry, when done right, can feed a family for months or even years.
However, the shelf space found in a spare closet or underneath your bed may sometimes not be enough to store your entire food stock. In such cases, turning a part of your home into a dedicated food storage pantry is an appropriate solution and will allow you to store more food items in preparation for an SHTF scenario.
4. Build hidden rooms
Building hidden rooms is an exciting home improvement solution, especially for new preppers. You can use these rooms to store valuable possessions.
You can also use them as perfect hideouts or safe rooms if you are in danger. If you need a place to hide, stay away from danger, or store guns and ammunition to defend yourself, a hidden room is an ideal home improvement.
5. Have an alternative power source.
In an SHTF scenario, you should come to expect that the power grid would get taken out, leaving you without your usual electrical power source. If you want to ensure that your home will still have the power to run during such disasters and emergencies that causes long power outages, installing an alternate power source would be beneficial.
One such example is a generator powered by renewable energy or an internal combustion engine. You can save yourself from the hassle of dealing with the challenges linked to blackouts, whether short-term or long-term if you have a generator. Solar panels and a solar-powered generator are also great alternative power sources.