Fisherman: Exploring a survivalist’s big house | News, Sports, Jobs

If I had a penny for every time I said, “Now I’ve seen it all,” I could have bought an island. In fact, I just bought an island. It was only a kitchen island, though, since my existing island was destroyed by the debris created when we replaced our flooring. Anyway, I saw something this week that I’d never seen before. This business is anything but boring.

First, let’s go back a few decades to Halloween Day in the year of our Lord, 1931. On that day, a little boy was born. We’ll call him Henry (not his real name, but a good, strong name nonetheless), born to a couple from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He witnessed the Great Depression and World War II and probably saw his family and the surrounding families in his community skimp, scrimp, and sometimes struggle just to survive. But he persevered. As a young adult, he joined the Army National Guard and traveled the world.

After settling down to raise a family of his own, he began to cultivate his growing interests in construction, mechanics, military warfare, and aliens. The years passed, his family grew up, and his children started families of their own. This gave Henry more time to pursue his hobbies. He began to envision a large shelter or home where his entire family (the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren) could live together if society collapsed. Henry, a product of the Great Depression and a world war, was probably sure that another war, inevitable if not imminent, would mean the end of civilization. Only the prepared would survive.

Henry had become both a prepper and a survivalist. He planned, stockpiled supplies, and prepared for potential threats. He began to realize his vision. After years of honing his skills in designing, building, carpentry, and operating machinery, he purchased an acre of undeveloped land and began building a two-story home that would include 25 rooms, including 10 bathrooms, eight bedrooms (with the possibility of at least two more of each in an unfinished upper floor), a 1,500-square-foot Nissen hut, and plans for a bunker.

Henry worked on this house for over 20 years before he became ill and passed away in July, in the year of our Lord 2024. He was 92 years old.

The house is difficult to describe. There is no real path leading to the front door, it is just surrounded by gravel and dirt. Although the property is in the middle of a quaint and well-kept neighborhood in a growing Utah community, it is surrounded by acres of woods. Deer and squirrels find refuge among the trees and wild grasses. An old, rusty tractor, its seat and engine covered in dead branches, hides among a thicket of bushes and weeds.

As I walk through the front door, I enter an oversized living room. Behind it is a wall with a wide entryway. Turning left, I enter a generously sized kitchen. Modern yet sensible in design and style. Turning right, however, I find myself looking down a hallway that resembles the Stanley Hotel featured in the 1980 psychological horror film The Shining. In fact, I half expected a pair of creepy identical twin girls to come out of the wall and speak to me in a monotone voice (see the aforementioned film). To the end of the long hallway, there were closed doors on either side. Behind each door were identical rooms, each with attached full-sized bathrooms as well as walk-in closets. The entire basement was an exact replica of the main floor.

Although there was no staircase to get to the second floor from the inside of the house, there was a staircase from the ground floor on the outside to the outside door that led to the second floor. This entire floor was unfinished, but had framing and ductwork for additional bedrooms and bathrooms. Feathers, guano, and dead birds covered the plywood everywhere.

When I retreated to the wooded area, my initial thought was that a potential buyer for this unique home might be a family with many children or many women. Stay tuned.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and real estate agent. You can reach her at 801-645-2134 or [email protected].

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