Living in dread of what tomorrow might bring is a terrible way to live. But being prepared for the worst, should the worst come to happen, is an entirely different thing.
Without venturing into conspiracy theories, worst-case scenarios, or unhealthy negativism, it does feel as if the world shifted a bit on its axis with the events of 2020. If anything, the international health crisis has shown us how vulnerable we are and the many ways in which we're vulnerable, so you can't really blame those thinking we should be prepared for the end of the world.
Multi-millionaires and billionaires, for one, aren't wasting any time fearing how the world might perceive them for rushing to build fortresses or bunkers they could run and hide in to survive the apocalypse. Or for getting self-sufficient superyachts to match these properties.
A single look at the Cybertruck electric truck from Tesla and the emphasis put on the fact that it can withstand repeated gunfire and you get a very clear indication of where some believe the world is heading. It's not a happy place, to put it lightly.
Photo: ReMax
That explains why the hottest thing on the luxury real estate market right now is bunkers, be they mansions with secret bunkers or just bunkers, built in such a way as to double as a family residence of the most luxurious kind.
The latest property to go viral online is neither of these things, but it still somehow combines features from both. In keeping with the idea that whoever is ready to step up their prepping game beyond hunting for supermarket bargains on canned beans and toilet paper is also rich, this property also takes into account the existence of a small fleet of vehicles, eight of which get proper storage space.
This is a property in Wisconsin completed in 1979 by three families dreading what Y2K might bring about. At first sight, it might look like a more or less standard family home, but it's actually a triplex, built partly underground and with a large chunk of the rest of the structures cleverly disguised into the surrounding environment.
Photo: ReMax
Helping with the idea of this being a bunker is the fact that the compound is located at the end of an isolated road, at an excellent vantage point, and with self-sufficient features that range from two large wells that can provide fresh water for the entire complex, a wind generator in some need of rehabbing, a diesel generator, and a generous surface that would allow living off the land.
The compound also comes with an 8-car garage that is cleverly disguised into the landscape. Seeing how the compound was designed for a 3-family occupancy with a total of 9 bedrooms in total, it's not the kind of space you could use to hide your most valuable items in your million-dollar car collection. The only exception is, of course, if a single person bought the entire property, in which case they'd have 8 spaces just for that: 8 of their most valuable rides.
The triplex offers a living surface of 5,277 square feet (490 square meters) in total, divided into three family homes, each with three bedrooms, one bathroom, one kitchen, and one communal area. The units are multi-story, but you still get rooms below ground level, which would come in handy to ride out whatever events the end of the world would bring about. Except zombies, because they'd probably smash their way through the glass.
Photo: ReMax
The compound is made of stone and concrete, with living roofs over the sections that jot out from ground level, which makes them invisible from up above. The interior is also done in stone, with lots of wood for the roofs, floors, and cabinetry, and a styling that bespeaks the year of construction.
But like a modern bunker or bunker-style property, the compound integrates lavish features like a common playroom, a small sauna to unwind once zombie-slaying is done for the day, a home office, and other spaces that could be given whatever functionality the new owner deemed necessary.
Features also include a laundry room, a canning kitchen, a shop/storage room, a room for wood storage, and a utility room. Heating is courtesy of wood and propane boilers. The large property also offers a shooting range, gardens, and plenty of lumber.
Photo: ReMax
The compound is asking $1.1 million – virtually peanuts to what we've seen with other homes with similar autonomy capabilities and bunker styling.
The listing notes that it can work as anything from three preppers' future home to a rental or a corporate retreat, with the only condition being that whoever buys it is not put off by the dated styling. Of course, styling wouldn't matter in a worst-case scenario, like the one the compound was built for, but we can still crack jokes since it hasn't happened. Yet.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News