How to Install an Elevator in your Backyard

Welcome back to the Bunker in the Backyard project. Today we will

install

an

elevator

using an extremely tall and slightly broken scissor lift. This is really high. This video is sponsored by KiwiCo, we'll talk more about them later. Six months ago I dug a deep hole in my garden. I put two 12' stormwater pipes in the ground and then put the sod back on top of them. Piece of cake. There are seven episodes, if you want to see the dirty details, I'll put a link in the video description. Today we are going to lower the

elevator

into the shaft so that my bunker is accessible to the car.

Normal elevators, however, are ridiculously expensive. For example, the one I

install

ed in the living room cost over $24,000 and this bunker is on a budget. Then I found a used and broken scissor lift for only $3000. It goes up and down perfectly, just the wheels shake a little, but we won't need it anyway. Fingers crossed it should do a good job. We're in the garage. This is the Snorkel S3219E crane and it can lift 250 kg to a maximum height of 5.8 m. That's exactly what we're looking for. There seems to be a curve on the back of this metal beam.

Just like in the movie The Martian, there are a lot of pieces we have to knock down. Not because of the weight in our case, but because of a more efficient use of space in the bunker. The snorkel hoist uses one hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower and four hydraulic motors, one in each tire. This came near the garage door. We need a platform, obviously, but we can eliminate almost everything else. We no longer need the tires and we can simply put the plugs in the hydraulic outlets of the manifold. We also don't need the entire bottom half of the crane, I'll be moving four large 6V lead-acid batteries.

We have enough room on the side under the window. Yes, this is uncomfortable. I will upgrade them to lithium later for a better life. Lead acid requires too much maintenance for a bunker. We also need to make sure everything works in the bunker before modifying the final product. If we wait for it to be perfect, it will never get done. It's hard. Turn here so all the weight is transferred to the center section and these screws just hold it steady. The real reason we are modifying the base is to add alignment. An elevator going up at an angle does not help us much and would be dangerous.

We have successfully converted a mobile scissor lift into a stationary lift. In part, we still have some things to do. Building the foundation for a safe elevator requires a lot of concrete that we pour ourselves. Something interesting I found at a local store while looking for rebar was something called Corning fiberglass rebar. It turns out that the same company that makes glass for phones produces concrete reinforcements that are 8% cheaper than steel, while being twice as strong as steel reinforcements and seven times lighter. It doesn't rust either. Without internal reinforcement, concrete will crack and disintegrate over time.

The reinforcing bars and their mesh structure will help hold the substrate. We know that fuel lines are designed to last about 100 years underground, and I think this concrete slab will now be here for my grandchildren's grandchildren too. You should also keep in mind that dry concrete dust contains unpleasant substances, such as silica, that can eat away at

your

lungs from the inside. That's not on my list of things that sound fun, so masks are very important. We mix the dry concrete with water to make it look like oatmeal and then drop it into the hole with a satisfying splash.

Before the concrete hardens, I will add four steel plates. That way we will have something to solder the balancer on after it dries. They don't have to be perfectly flat yet, that part can come later. Many thanks to KiwiCo for sponsoring this video. They sent me their Eureka case, which contains a two-in-one flashlight, perfect for a bunker. If you haven't already guessed, I'm a science and engineering fan, and KiwiCo allows kids and teens of all ages to experience discovery and success with their own monthly projects. Projects are delivered directly to

your

door. Expertly designed, KiwiCo has shipped over 50 million boxes to over 40 countries worldwide.

Suitable for ages 0-100, fun and innovative projects expand the mind with constructive educational fun. Like this two-in-one lamp. Cambry and I love giving these KiwiCo subscriptions for birthdays or holidays, and they're especially fun during the summer when the kids are out of school. I'm glad I got this lamp for Cambry's first underground trip because first impressions are important and I hope you like it. Use code “JERRYRIG” to get 50% off your first month. With nine different lines, there is something fun for everyone. www.Kiwico.com/JerryRig Now that the lamp is finished, let's take this deconstructed and rebuilt elevator down to the bunker so Cambry can visit us for the first time.

While we wait for the concrete to dry, we designed an adjustable mounting bracket in SolidWorks and laser cut and bent it for about $200 at OSHcut.com. As we do with all our projects. The more perfect we can make our mount now, the easier it will be when the elevator enters the shaft. The leveling ability comes from the 5/8 inch diameter threads and these two huge nuts, one on each side. Once the entire metal brace has been placed in the elevator shaft, we can use the support as a welding template and place the threads exactly where we need them.

The 5/8-inch tube is placed inside the 1-inch hole with a plastic insert to ensure the retainer is centered on the thread. The extra wide clearance gives us a little bit of room for error, not what I expect, and that extra clearance will help the jack come down more easily onto the studs. Now that we have used it as a template, we can weld the bracket to the base of the crane and cut the temporary cross members. Finally the elevator is ready to leave the garage for its final journey. With all the excess metal and hydraulics removed, I'd be surprised if what's left weighs more than 680kg.

This is light for a telehandler, which can handle around 6,803kg, depending on how far the arm is extended. Telescopic loaders are the most versatile equipment on any construction site. They may even resemble a crab like a Hummer. What are you thinking now, Nate? It will work. Well, how does it look? - Keep going. Okay, start slowing down. Slowly! Keep watching these two. That? - Go up a little more. He sat. - In both? He sat on both. - Below! Is it like that? - That's all! Check it out. I'm excited, we have an elevator! From the first try!

Come on! - Throw it away! The hardest part is already done. We have an elevator in the bunker. Success! Thanks to all the planning and preparation we had, the jack fits very well exactly on the threads. Now we can tighten or loosen the nuts to align each corner and make sure the platform is level even after lifting 6m. The platform is fixed and flat, and since safety is our top priority, we did something special for the top. I'm not worried about myself or Cambry, we know where our hands go, but us little kids have to be careful they don't get trapped against the walls when the elevator goes up.

That's why we created this aluminum pallet, it's lightweight, sits on top and ensures that small children can be safe during transport. Using the hydraulic pump, cylinder, and batteries that come with the lift, along with a small ramp and bolt-on platform, there is now a wheelchair accessible lift in my

backyard

bunker. All for about $3,200. We have a total of six bolts that hold the platform to the elevator. The only thing left is Cambry's first underground trip. Cambry, are you ready to get on the elevator for the first time? I'm ready to enter the bunker for the first time.

Alright, grab that steering wheel and take the elevator up. And stop. Perfectly. Can he continue? - It can go up another 0.6 m. Oh God. It's a little wobbly. I'm a little nervous about this, especially since I'm applying the brakes. It's unstable right now. Okay, don't move, my stomach will flip. We will consolidate it later. I'm nervous, is it going fast? - No, it's very slow. I feel like it came quickly. - Goes up faster than it goes down. Nothing bad. - Yes, not bad. Say goodbye to civilization. Oh Lord. Here we are, is that it? Does it go down even more? - No, that's it.

It stinks like a bunker. - Yes, come in. Okay, this is not safe, is it safe? You're fine, 100% sure. This gives a whole new meaning to the saying "you're in the doghouse." Anyway, this is a great house. What do you think? I'm still absorbing it all. It's bigger than I thought, it's even comfortable. I think I was expecting it to be creepier. This is cool, like Batman's cave. Did you think we could do this? What did you think when I mentioned the bunker project? Like anything else, you want to do something and I will agree even though I don't think it will happen.

So it's kind of crazy that I'm here. It's very strange because I saw the process, I looked out the window and then it was buried and I forgot about it, except for one small entrance. But it's really... It's really cool, I like it. I still feel like I'm taking it all in. It's bigger than I imagined, I don't feel claustrophobic here. It's interesting, enjoyable and legitimate. Don't you care that there are 113 tons of dirt above your head? Don't mention that aspect. Do you want a tour? That. - Alright. So here, in the far corner, is the master bedroom.

This will be where people sleep in the master bedroom. And there's an exit hatch over there on the opposite side. We will have a dividing wall here. It's so short. - It's the same as the other side. No, I mean... - Oh, yeah, the ceiling. It'll be like a little hidden door or something, it'll be interesting. I also think the same. And then up here, we'll have a folding library or armory. And then there will be a bunk room on this side. And then here in the middle, where we soldered both pieces of pipe, will be the biggest TV you've ever seen.

And then the kitchen on this side, the compostable bathroom. Everything runs on EcoFlow batteries. And then the couch and the things here to make it even more comfortable. I can't wait to see it all. And now you can get off whenever you want. It probably won't be frequent, it's a little scary coming here. A little scary. So do you want to finish this? Thanks so much for looking. See you.