When you realise your dream home is in a bad location!

[Medusa]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who bought their dream home and then realised in prepper terms that the location is bad. Lets turn back time to 1998 and the arrival of child number 4, a much loved and wanted surprise! Current house is too small, prepping for nothing but month to month financial survival, feeding the family, paying the mortgage and bills etc but realising that we need to move. Find dream home, spend the last 16 years renovating said dream home whilst bringing up the family. Forward to 2016 and child number one has moved out but still trying to persuade child number 2 that it really is time they moved out too. Discover an interest in prepping, start stocking up on food, water, fuel and other essentials in case of various SHTF occurrences whilst kids 2, 3 & 4 think I'm mad and husband merely tolerates my concerns and preparations. Realise that choice of dream home is actually in a pretty bad location, semi-rural but on a massive A road within short driving distance of a small city and a couple of small towns and linked to several small villages. If this was you and financially viable would you move?

[grenfell]

Depends entirely upon what you think the future holds doom and gloom wise. Then ask yourself if the world isn't going to go to pot overnight and that A road won't be full of ravenous angry hoards would moving to a remote country home be viable with regards to income , schools and access to services.

[Arzosah]

What grenfell said, to be honest. Its a prepper issue: preparing for the very worst, when the very worst is really unlikely to happen. "Lesser" events are much *more* likely to happen - from the individual sort of losing a job, having a life threatening illness that needs regular treatment, snowfall that cuts you off, flooding, all of them would be much harder in a very isolated spot, even if you could find it within reach of the needs (and wants!) of each member of your family.

Where you are now, I'd be asking myself: what makes this my dream home? How far away are the neighbours? Are any of them into prepping, or do they have prep related hobbies, at least (I live in a small town, two allotment holders, a radio enthusiast and a chicken keeper literally a stone's throw from my house). Does my house really stand out, in the area or in the street? How can I make it less obvious? Who knows that I prep? What's my security like? Is there a stream nearby? Or a pond?

[sniper 55]

Can you make your house less visible by planting trees or anything? My thoughts are people fleeing towns wont stop at the first village but head for more out of the way places.

[Arzosah]

Can you make your house less visible by planting trees or anything? My thoughts are people fleeing towns wont stop at the first village but head for more out of the way places.

If it was a question of that, yes, I agree - think of Lesbos, where the boats land from Turkey. The islanders pass out water bottles, and the people in the boats keep going (avoiding the politics, just thinking of a stream of refugees past the door).

[Deeps]

I imagine that 90 odd percent of us live in 'normal' houses in 'normal' cities, towns and villages and not a fortress designed to keep the hordes at bay. Houses aren't really designed to withstand sieges etc but for comfortable living. As has been said, you start getting into the more unlikely scenarios when you start considering having to think about streams of refugees passing your way, not impossible of course but if things are that bad then what can you do ? Its unlikely that any of us can prepare for every conceivable scenario and we'll prioritise what each of us will see as the most important to us as individuals.

As for financial viability, that also has to be weighed up against practicality, you could build a secure house out the way and far from busy roads but then you have a different set of day to day issues like having to drive everywhere, if there's snow you end up stuck in the house. If your kids that are still at home and need to get places its hard for them to see friends etc. There's also the ageing aspect to consider, at some point you'll get to the point where being in a community becomes more of a necessity due to old age catching up with you, unless some of your kids are about to help out life is a lot easier in a more urban environment.

[featherstick]

What deeps says.

You are where you are. Preps are not just about fortresses and stockpiles, but also about neighbourhoods, contact with people, local resilience and resources, and future-proofing. Where we live is vulnerable to zombie apocalypse, but it's also great for transport, facilities, green space, and getting older, which is much more likely to happen. I know that our pals on this street would take us in if the house burnt down, at least for a short time.

[Deeps]

What deeps says.

You are where you are. Preps are not just about fortresses and stockpiles, but also about neighbourhoods, contact with people, local resilience and resources, and future-proofing. Where we live is vulnerable to zombie apocalypse, but it's also great for transport, facilities, green space, and getting older, which is much more likely to happen. I know that our pals on this street would take us in if the house burnt down, at least for a short time.

Nicely put, even fortresses aren't impregnable, and unless you have the numbers to defend wherever you are then sooner or later you'll succumb so there's a lot to be said for community. I know some on here are looking to forge prepper groups but for me I have a bunch of people who live around here anyway and will have just as much to lose if we're overrun with refugees/zombies/Mad Max-like hordes and I interact with some of them socially anyway, if I'm being too cryptic, its my neighbours. They might not all have 6 months worth of stores but I'm sure there will be a few surprises amongst their skills and equipment if it came down to an excrement/whirly thing interaction.

[poppypiesdad]

You are in the perfect location , apparently everyone is bugging out to Scotland ( goodness it's going to be busy up here) , so stay put , im bugging in however and going to "raid" the empty towns to forage , after the apocalypse.

Anyway
Sounds like we're not in too a dissimilar predicament.

Main A road 2.5 miles
Minor A road 1.6 miles
C class road next to us
8 house Hamlet 1/4 mile
3.5 miles small village
8 miles each way to large town
Our only saving grace is our elevation , people would probably not bother to hike up hill more walk around as the roads run along the valley the easier route .

Stay where you are if I'm honest , but you alone know if you'll be safe or not
J

[Deeps]

You are in the perfect location , apparently everyone is bugging out to Scotland ( goodness it's going to be busy up here) , so stay put , im bugging in however and going to "raid" the empty towns to forage , after the apocalypse.

Anyway
Sounds like we're not in too a dissimilar predicament.

Main A road 2.5 miles
Minor A road 1.6 miles
C class road next to us
8 house Hamlet 1/4 mile
3.5 miles small village
8 miles each way to large town
Our only saving grace is our elevation , people would probably not bother to hike up hill more walk around as the roads run along the valley the easier route .

Stay where you are if I'm honest , but you alone know if you'll be safe or not
J

Wait until Wee Jimmy Krankie has the Border patrols in place mate. Freeeeedum etc.

If too political, feel free to bin mods.