Quote Originally Posted by omnione View Post
A few simple features that I didn't see mentioned yet:

* Steel roof - for rain harvesting while retaining potability
* Water well drilled from the basement - with adequate ventilation and solar pump
* Concrete or earthen construction throughout, so that the structure is less susceptible to fire damage.
* Attic mounted cistern sitting on sturdy steel beams, for both the thermal mass and gravity fed water
* 1" hardened plate steel below each window
Rain harvesting is illegal if you've got a well. Its not potable by most standards after coming off a roof no matter what the roof is made from.
Well in the basement is a bad idea for any kind of maintenance. Resleeve? Move your house over.
concrete interior walls is a waste. Just use steel studs and fire rock. Also saves tons of money.
cistern and well could be put in uphill and save a ton and increase the size and reduce maintenance costs.
1" steel hardened is for tanks. 3/8" hardened is what we just did a group buy on and they hold up very well.