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Anyone here have a Rising S bunker?

27K views 61 replies 29 participants last post by  Cuteandfuzzybunnies 
#1 ·
I have been wondering if, with the thousands onboard here, any of you folks has a bunker manufactured by the company Rising S. This company looks imteresting, and the many floorplans must appeal to some. If you have one, I would love to know your candid opinion. I realize this is asking a lot re: security, etc. but if you would be kind enough to pm me, and let me know what model you have, and if you would change anything, I would so appreciate it. I understand if you don't want to share where you are, and I am not interested in that anyway, just your ideas as to the company's dependability, professionalism, and quality of your bunker.

Thank you.
 
#2 ·
I hate to say it, but no consumer shelter builder does enough business to have a solid rep. Figure out which design you want, then contact them and ask them how much additional site prep, delivery, installation, and finishing will run. If they give you the runaround on those costs... that will tell you everything you need to know. Because if they’re doing enough business, they will have enough experience with those costs to be able to give you a reasonable ballpark estimate. If they say they want you to sign something or put money down for them to draw up plans before they’ll discuss any of that.... dump em.
 
#3 ·
The only review I see from the BBB is this one (one review and 16 years in the business):

I came to Rising S Company for a 10x40 bunker for me and my family. Gary L***** led me through the whole process from start to finish making me comfortable with my decision of choosing them. He let me know the costs upfront so that I wasn't surprised by anything midway through the process. When they came and installed my bunker they were nothing but professional. It took them less than 2 weeks to get it in the ground and ready for use. I now feel that my family and I are safe no matter what happens. Thank you Rising S Company for your superior customer service and I will make sure to let all of my friends and family know that there is no other company that could have made it all feel so easy.
Of course they have their own testimonial page but what business in their right mind would post anything negative.
 
#5 ·
Assuming the bunkers are made of steel I'd be interested in knowing how they keep them from rusting through.

I hike a trail that goes through a corrugated steel tunnel about 16' in diameter, made from the same galvanized steel that bunkers are made from (assumption on my part, tunnel runs under a 4 lane highway) and 20 years after installation it has so many rotten holes it's now closed for repairs.
 
#6 ·
Their website states the bunkers have a coating applied to the exterior.
 
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#9 ·
I just went back and read some of the reviews. Death traps, doors leak, inside full of mold, mildew and rust, nbc filter rusted, solar battery rusted and mainly the lifetime warranty and all claim
Ms are voided by the purchase contract. That was only like 4 reviews. I think all of them said water ran in the doors. If you can't keep water out, what about radiation and nbc.
 
#15 ·
I have no knowledge of Rising S, or any other bunker mfg. But keep this in mind as you search.
Reviews of any product will consist mostly of those that really love the product, or those that really hate the product. Those in-between rarely will submit reviews.
Of the reviews, mainly the negative ones, will be the results of the consumers lack of attention to detail or inappropriate usage, maintenance, installation etc. Or, the review does not take into account the product they are doing a review on, has nothing to do with the problem they have or had. I've seen too many reviews by the owner of a brand new Chevy, Ford, what have you, complain and go sideways of how bad the mfg of their car is, because the owner had a flat tire just weeks after it's purchase. Tire was not mfg by the automaker, and it's because the owner ran over a nail out on I-10.
Just saying......
 
#16 ·
The volume of these installations is so very low, and they are not mass produced like a car or washing machine. Getting statistically meaningful reviews would be difficult. Plus every installation will be different.

This project should be persued like a construction project. The OP would do better to look for local contractors who have done this work and who can provide references for the work.

A call to the local emergency management office might help find companies that do this sort of work. They may even have floor plans for DIY shelter designs that could be built by any competent building contractor.

In the end, you are buying a building structure that happens to be mostly underground with all the details and concerns that come with that. To look at it as a product that happens to end up being buried in a hole is probably emblematic of where her money might end up.

A detailed set of plans, scope of work, payment schedule including inspection milestones, should be part of a written contract having a firm price.



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#17 ·
The cost of manufacture, transport, and installation of most steel bunkers exceeds the cost of getting a local company to excavate a hole and build you one from cement blocks. With a bit of self education or a dirt cheap community college course in basic masonry work you could really save a bundle.
 
#23 ·
I don't know or really care about Rising S Bunker. I never have even considered having a pro or some company build anything on my land from a shed, to a cabin and especially not the underground protective shelter many call a bunker on my remote WY mountain land.

I never could afford a pro or anyone to build for me. I barely was able to afford the almost 4 acres of land in 1987 which was $8,000 and today probably worth well over $50,000 not including any buildings I have built.

But I tell much with many pics in this thread > https://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=107463

There is or at least was a sponsor of this S-boards and I like about all that I have seen. IF I had plenty of money I would buy from them. > Posted on my everything about bunkers thread in May 2010 but he is still around: JC Refuge: If you're serious about prefab shelters or saferooms, have a look and get in touch with me ...

www.safecastle.com and his link and info packed blog > https://blog.safecastle.com

Main links to his safe room and other protective shelters >>> https://www.safecastle.com/pages/sheltershome
https://blog.safecastle.com/search/label/safe room

About rust proofing metal is I have used a couple gallons of Rustoleum and even at least a gallon of truck bed liner to rust proof steel beams, steel doors etc etc.

AND for anyone who thinks a bunker or somehow that even a storm shelter or safe room is stupid, foolish or a waste of money >>>

Here are a Few advantages to having a Bunker some even call it an Underground house >

"We believe that when designed and built
properly on suitable sites, Post/Shoring/
Polyethylene, or PSP, underground dwellings
are the finest that can be constructed.
They have 23 distinct advantages over conventional
structures. These are:

1. NO FOUNDATION. - except the earth.
2. LESS BUILDING MATERIAL. - using lumber or logs.
3. LESS LABOR.
4. MOST AESTHETICALLY PLEASING.
5. LESS TAX.
6. WARM IN WINTER.
7. COOL IN SUMMER.
8. BETTER VIEW. - especially if built on a hillside.
9. BUILT-IN GREENHOUSE.
10. ECOLOGICALLY SOUND.
11. INCREASED YARD SPACE.
12. FALLOUT SHELTER.
13. CUTS ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION.
14. DEFENSIBLE.
15. CONCEALMENT.
16. CLOSER TO SOURCE OF WATER.
17. RELATIVELY FIREPROOF.
18. PIPES NEVER FREEZE.
19. SUPERIOR FLOORING.
20. CAN BE BUILT BY ANYONE.
21. WEATHERPROOF. - extremely good tornado, blizzard and storm protection...
22. LESS MAINTENANCE.
23. SOUNDPROOF."

The previous quote is from Mike Oehler's "The $50 and Up Underground House Book" page 10

Link to some pics of Mike Oehler's > http://www.undergroundhousing.com/structures.html
 
#24 ·
Don't forget, Mike, that as cool as your DIY bunker is that it isn't really good for low elevation flatlanders or those with labor issues.

I'm not sure how elevated the OP is. If she does have a bit of altitude and labor resources then you idea is definitely worth her looking into.
 
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#25 ·
Yeah, my DIY bunker which for years I just called an underground storage cabin / shelter is not for everyone. My Rocky Mountain hill side with extremely good drainage etc. also makes it great but unusual for most. And glad I built it when I was in my early forties even though it only took me ten summers. :thumb: I also built a couple sheds, grew container gardens etc during those ten summers twenty or so years ago. I Must move up there permanently and clean up the sheds, bunker etc. plus build a log / lumber garage over my 2013 small but nice camper trailer.

And I know the OP grandma real well over the years. She is in Canada and all I should say I suppose. She or anyone who can afford it could hire a builder to build some kind of protective shelter.

I think these plans are some of the best for an underground and probably even an above ground storm / fallout / storage shelter even build it out of lumber. I used about 100 log poles and some lumber but these plans are great and tested in sixties nuke tests.

Diagram at the bottom of the link and there is also a pdf on the main page to download for clearer pics > http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p933.htm
 
#30 ·
I really like answering specific questions especially about bunker and other protective shelters.

First of all, a basement is better than nothing. People more than fifty years ago made a fallout shelter in a corner of their basements with the Cuban missile crisis and cold war. I read in a newspaper a few years ago about a man and his wife were down in their deep basement when a big tornado hit. They said they were safe with no injuries but scary since stuff began to swirl around down in their basement. I doubt that would happen in a sealed deep bunker / underground fallout / Storm shelter.

If people do have a basement then they should have at least a week or month or more of stored food, stored water etc. And make sure everyone in the house goes down into the basement in the case of a tornado etc.

BUT a basement is not a bunker or a fallout shelter. To have a good protective fallout shelter then there should be at least 3 feet of dirt on top. Or here is a quote found on the net which is similar from what I have read over the years. Some say have less thickness but better to be careful than sorry. :"Some beta particles can penetrate and burn the skin. : To reduce typical gamma rays by a factor of a billion, thicknesses of shield need to be about 13.8 feet of water, about 6 feet of concrete, or about 1.3 feet of lead.
Thick, dense shielding is necessary to protect against gamma rays."

And here is what I wrote in my "Everything about Bunkers" thread 10 years ago. Replace the word NBC shelter with basement and it shows the big difference between a bunker ( which is mostly used militarily ) and other underground shelters even basements >

A defensible bunker and an NBC shelter are different. A shelter must be a buttoned-up, closed-in place that will protect the inhabitants from a hostile environment.

A bunker is designed primarily to defend strategic locations from hostile intruders. Obviously one cannot defend his bunker if he has his head pulled down so far he doesn't know what is going on outside.

The best shelters can include both which is what I have done and will show later exactly how I built it for about $2,000. People can also use their shelter/bunker as a storage area and root cellar. It would probably be best just to call it a root cellar or storm shelter instead of a bunker for most people.

This video shows even much better the difference between a basement and actually any shelter and how protective a bunker is, especially the last 3 minutes beginning at 4 minutes into this unique video >>>

 
#27 ·
I apologize if I didn't explain myself in the original post... I am not presently (or in the foreseeable future) able to drop the hundreds of thousands of $$$ to have a bunker put in. I was more intereted in if anyone here had actually HAD Rising S put one in for them, and what they thought of it.

A lot of speculation about it, but I am looking for personal experience. I HAVE read many online reviews, and seen numerous videos by Rising S and their customers, but thought, with all the people here on the forum, there would be SOMEONE that has one.
 
#28 ·
I would stay far away from them...there is a great video from the guy that owns Atlas about them...he is a stand up guy (the guy from Atlas) the Rising S owner is NOT!! ... go check youtube for how he ratted out his own customer to the F B I ...guy went to Prison for 3 years I think...trying to find the video now...I wouldn't be surprised if it got taken down...do your research on the owner...he has been to court so many time for felony type stuff ...but a lot of it gets dismissed...word is, because he is a rat and informs on his customers....on top of that his products are terrible compared to Atlas

my goal in the future is to use Atlas for there 10 x 34 with an add on generator pod.
 
#34 ·
After watching this video I don't see how anyone would buy a Rising S bunker.

 
#31 ·
Why not build a solid CBS/ rebar structure and then push top soil and sod over it like a munitions bunker? It would solve all the drainage problems. The entryway could still be designed to block radiation. Unless you are expecting a direct hit, it woukd be good enough and much cheaper.

There are some bunkers from the Cuban missile crisis in the Everglades that are this simple.



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#33 ·
Why not build a solid CBS/ rebar structure and then push top soil and sod over it like a munitions bunker? It would solve all the drainage problems. The entryway could still be designed to block radiation. Unless you are expecting a direct hit, it woukd be good enough and much cheaper.

There are some bunkers from the Cuban missile crisis in the Everglades that are this simple.
You and I don't see eye to eye on the political side, but it is real hard to argue about the fundamentals of a post-WW2 munitions bunker.

These days with the ability to make blown concrete domes, the concept only gets better.

A concrete dome at ground level with several feet of settled earth over the top is both bombproof and KISS at once.

That a healthy industrious person can make it themselves using rental gear makes it affordable too.
 
#38 ·
The American Galvanizers Society (IIRC) says galvanization lasts about 25 years. At least for radio towers . I would imagine much less for structures that are buried and have no other means if corrosion control.

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#45 ·
I went into their site and asked - they told me they took it down - it was an informative video - as the guy that went to jail was in it and told his whole story - (seemed like a real good prepper guy from Texas) and then they also showed from court documents all the times that the Rising S owner was charged with crime after crime - and he just walked away ... their thought was deals of rating others out — I wouldn’t be surprised
 
#46 ·
I've looked for corroboration on the "ratting out " of a customer, but can't find anything. Is there confirmation of this anywhere that someone could point me to? Or does someone remember the name of the guy sent to jail, or WHY he was incarcerated?
 
#51 ·
Stay away please, go to youtube and Atlas Survival Shelters
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPf0h MaIoO2dyf3MDUTcCOg and Website - http://www.atlassurvivalshelters.com these will tell you the truth even if you do not buy from them they will give you the information you need to make a informed decision watch the youtube channel. r s bunkers not the people I would put mine or my family life in so please whatever you do run away and do not believe anything they say about their competitor or anything on google about atlas survival shelters its all lies. look in to the people that run r s bunkers not people I would put my life in!!!!!
 
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