By Katy Hallam Lauren Peacock
A savvy woman has ingeniously sidestepped the exorbitant rental market by transforming a 1,200 sq ft underground bunker into her home, saving herself a substantial $1.5k per month. Caitlin Johnson, 44, took advantage of the chance to inhabit a friend’s subterranean shelter in their Bakersfield, California backyard after relocating from New York in April 2024. For a mere $500 a month, Caitlin has access to a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, a fully fitted kitchen, a lounge area, 18 bunk beds, an additional bathroom, two extra toilets, and another shower. Read more Moment cowboy builder walks away from house he caused to explode Caitlin suggested that she could live in and look after the bunker and garden for just $500 a month – a steal compared to the usual $1.5k to $2k monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat in California, which she claims to be saving, as reported by Mirror US. Working in the entertainment sector, Caitlin said, “On average, a one-bed rental in California is about $1.5 to $2k a month. “I rent part of the yard and the bunker for $500 a month – I also don’t pay utilities. “The trade-off is that I take care of the bunker and yard so she doesn’t have to take care of it,” she elaborated. After a nine-month stint in New York, Caitlin returned to California for work, coinciding with her friend moving into a new house featuring a 1,200 sq ft bunker in the backyard, leading Caitlin to cheekily inquire if she could move in there. Recounting her conversation with a pal, Caitlin revealed: “When she bought the house, she was saying how she didn’t take any care of the bunker.” Indeed, Caitlin even managed to persuade her friend to let her take up residence in the bunker and pay rent for it: “One day I convinced her to let me move into it and rent it off her.” Caitlin has found that the bunker provides more room than some of the tight studio flats she’s experienced in New York. To get to her subterranean abode, Caitlin goes through a hydraulic door, descends 15 steps, and walks beyond a blast-proof door. Although natural light never graces the inside of the bunker, Caitlin isn’t fussed鈥攊t’s perfect for her beauty rest, and she’s rigged up some faux sunlight in her sleeping quarters. She admits that the winter can be more challenging with the perpetual gloom both above and within the bunker. Caitlin shared, “There are two 10-foot by 4-foot hydraulic doors into the bunker, so during the day when I’m home, I’ll have them open to let light in. “I spend most of the day out working, I come back at night, head down to the bunker and it feels normal as it’s already dark outside.” Caitlin concedes that the bunker isn’t intended as a “forever home,” yet she’s so enamoured with her underground digs that she’s successfully bargained with her mate to prolong her stay for an additional year, which they’ve settled on.