The project continued through the peak of Tucson heat. Oppressive triple-digit temps plagued the workers day in and day out. They set up a tarp to protect themselves from the harsh rays.
Another safety measure included installing a cardboard Sonotube. This secured the area they were working on to prevent collapse or damage to the surrounding area.
Drawing up the Project Blueprints
Now that he decided to restore the historical relic on his property, he needed to create the blueprints for the project. He had to figure out the best way to go about recreating the fallout shelter. He had to think like a construction crew and like a museum curator.
One idea he had was to include Cold War-era artifacts inside the shelter like Geiger counters, water supply barrels sanitation kits, and vintage HAM radios.
The First Step
First step he took was consulting with engineers and contractors about the restoration project. They advised him to rebuild the upper entrance and the spiral staircase in order to secure the entry space. Once the entry and stairway were solid, he could think about working inside of the actual shelter. To start, the upper entrance would need a concrete pour. This alone could cost up to $2,000. Before appealing to GoFundMe, Mr. Sims posted images and a request to Reddit. His research discovered that there may be 15 to 20 bomb shelters in the Tucson area.
He announced that he would be restoring his. For help, he asked, “Does anyone know of others that are still in decent shape?” Hundreds of responses came in. His Tucson Reddit page attracted so much attention the story spread to local newspapers. And now, here he was, stabilizing the entry with rebar and concrete and anticipating the day he could finally climb down the stairs and see his very own bomb shelter.
The Final Touches
Upon consulting with an engineer and some contractors, Mr. Sims decided to widen the entry space since it was going to be completely rebuilt and reinforced anyway. Things were really coming together. The hatch looked brand new. But before descending, he took a couple more precautions.
First, he had the crew install an electrical wire to power a light bulb inside the shelter. He also had them install a black pipe that would serve as an air tube.
All Systems Go!
Finally! The day he had been waiting for. With the hatch secured, reinforced and rebuilt, entering the underground vault was now safer than a Fantasyland ride at Disney. There was nothing preventing him from climbing on in. He felt like a little boy again, playing in the backyard. He jumped on in. But, honestly, he held some doubts and fears of a big letdown.
“I kind of thought it might have been a real cheap job like a storm drain just thrown in to the yard with the little bit of the steps of something,” he admitted, “but it turned out to be a lot cooler than that.”