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May 7, 2025 — Retired Massachusetts builder Michael Brait didn't plan to spend his retirement underground. But after a career constructing schools and public facilities across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he used his expertise to build a 2,000-square-foot bunker in New Hampshire's White Mountains — and now consults for others who want their own.
The idea took shape during the pandemic. Brait, an avid cook, started freeze-drying food in bulk because he worried about empty shelves. What began as a pantry went far beyond a pantry. Soon he was storing supplies and valuables; before long, he realized he was building a home.
"Like a lot of people, I was concerned that food would run out for my family," Brait said. "It just became, well, if I'm storing food, let me store some supplies, some valuables. Wait a minute. If I'm building all this, let me make it a fun place, a home."
Brait spent 14 months working through that idea. He designed the space not as a concrete cave but as a place people could occupy for extended periods. Eleven-foot ceilings give the main room an unusually open feel. There is a full kitchen, two bathrooms and enough beds for a crowd.
Twelve queen-size bunk beds sit behind sound-deadening curtains, and there's room for portable cots as well. The setup points to one of Brait's unspoken rules: a serious bunker should never turn into a cramped group punishment. If people have to stay for weeks, they need to get along.
That comfort-first thinking is visible in the mechanical details too. The walls are waterproofed, which matters when you're surrounded by a mountain. The air intake is specially filtered, so natural ventilation does not become a weak spot. Water comes from an artesian well drilled deep into the mountain, giving the shelter its own supply rather than relying on municipal water.
Storage will only take a household so far, so Brait built for ongoing food production as well. The bunker's aeroponic growing towers are capable of producing dozens of plants in about a month. With no soil, compact vertical space and a fraction of the water used by a standard garden, these systems can keep delivering fresh greens in an enclosed environment.
It's a forward-looking touch. Anyone who has ever eaten only shelf-stable food for weeks knows how quickly a diet like that wears thin. The ability to add fresh vegetables is less about luxury and more about mental and physical health during extended use.
Another detail sets Brait's build apart: a 36-inch tunnel that stretches 200 feet down the mountainside. The narrow passage works as a protected escape route if the main entrance is blocked or compromised. It is not a casual convenience, but in an emergency it could be the difference between shelter and trap.
That kind of built-in thinking is common in the upper end of the private bunker market, where owners look beyond comfort and want genuine security. Every addition — filtering, waterproofing, water access, growing systems, hidden egress — adds complexity, and every fix is harder once the concrete is in place.
Brait now runs Bunker Building Consulting from Walpole, Massachusetts. Interest, he says, has come from all over the country. People order plans, ask questions, and some are beginning their own builds.
His friend and business partner, filmmaker Andre Rocke, has spent enough time around the project to recognize what sets it apart.
"The thought that he puts into things is truly rare," Rocke said.
That thoughtfulness shows in details like sound-deadening curtains, practical sleeping arrangements, and the decision to create a space that doubles as a gathering spot. It also shows in Brait's willingness to talk about real costs and practical limits.
Custom bunkers do not come cheap. Depending on size, site conditions and the level of finishing, an underground structure like this can run from six figures to several million dollars. Earthmoving on a mountain slope, installing waterproof barriers, integrating air filtration, and bringing in plumbing and power all add up quickly.
For many families, a full-scale bunker is simply unaffordable. Brait doesn't hide that. But he pushes back on the idea that preparedness requires a major construction project.
A small, well-secured room with food, water, copies of important documents and a few emergency supplies can make a real difference during a storm, a power outage, or a supply chain disruption. Federal preparedness guidance has long encouraged people to be ready to shelter in place for at least two weeks. That is a target most households can begin to approach with modest, step-by-step preparations.
The White Mountains may seem like an unlikely setting for a modern bunker. The region is more closely associated with hiking trails, ski slopes and scenic railroads than with underground shelters. But for builders like Brait, the area offers something useful: granite, privacy and distance from major population centers.
Granite can make construction harder, but it also can provide a stable surrounding mass if excavated well. A remote location reduces foot traffic and adds a layer of security. Those are exactly the kind of trade-offs that interest people who take shelter design seriously.
Brait's project began with an uncomfortable thought — that grocery shelves might not be there for his family — and became a study in long-range planning. It now serves as both a gathering place and a model for others exploring the world of private shelters.
The end result is not a dark hole in the ground. It is a 2,000-square-foot mountain home with filtered air, fresh produce, a place for everyone to sleep, and one very quiet way out. For Brait, retirement isn't a slowdown. It's the most ambitious build of his career.
