A bulletproof home in the desert is usually the stuff of James Bond villains or doomsday preppers. However, American actor, screenwriter and martial artist Steven Seagal's mansion is exactly that. The star has just listed the sprawling estate in Scottsdale, Arizona for $3.4 million (£2.4m), offering us a peek through the keyhole of this curious, fortress-like property. Click or scroll on to uncover the secrets of the actor's clandestine compound...
Nestled in the rugged shrublands of the Sonoran Desert in Scottsdale, the low-profile property is tucked into the hillside, making it almost invisible from the roads above. The perfect private spot for the star to escape the limelight, the residence, which is listed with Engel & Völkers, sits within the gated community of Carefree Ranch Homesteads.
The jaw-dropping estate spreads across a generous 9,000 square feet of accommodation, including a total of five bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms and a guesthouse. Airy, open living spaces pepper the interior – the main kitchen flows seamlessly into a lounge and dining zone for a bright and sociable feel.
Throughout the living spaces, the rolling desert landscape takes centre stage – the custom-built home's design has been carefully planned to celebrate the dramatic terrain. A breathtaking dinner party backdrop, this informal dining nook frames the unparalleled vistas to perfection.
Rather appropriately for the action film legend, who's starred in classics like Hard to Kill and Under Siege, and most recently the 2019 mobster flick Beyond the Law, the mansion also includes a plush private movie theatre. With three tiered rows of cushioned seats, there would've been plenty of space for Seagal to host movie marathons with his A-list friends.
As well as the four sizeable bedrooms in the main house, the luxury desert estate also includes a one-bedroom guesthouse for putting up visitors in style. The self-contained apartment features a full kitchen, a lounge and a plush suite for slumbering.
Outside, the sprawling mansion is flanked by scenic stone terraces that extend out from most of the main living areas. This covered patio is a picturesque place for alfresco dining, with its jaw-dropping views down into the valley, not to mention the historic statues standing guard, which would certainly make a unique talking point.
However, the home's pièce de résistance has to be this incredible deck, complete with an outdoor kitchen and an infinity-edge pool that seems to blur into the desert terrain like a mirage. Sliding glass doors allow the main lounge to spill out onto the terrace, creating the ideal indoor-outdoor living space for the arid Arizona climate.
Elsewhere, there's also a hot tub set into the stone patio – perfect for unwinding after a long day exploring the desert. Seagal's mansion also comes with membership to the nearby Desert Mountain Club, which includes access to its six championship-level Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses.
A three-car garage offers ample space to store prized vehicles, while entry to the complex is through guarded gates, ensuring the idyllic spot is super-secure too. We can't imagine why Seagal would want to leave this luxurious desert fortress!
Read on to tour the most impenetrable homes on the planet, from a nuclear bomb-proof mansion to a missile silo that's been converted into a stylish subterranean condo...
Steven Siegel is far from the only homeowner to take his safety seriously. Described as the world’s first zombie-proof home, this slate-coloured fortress lies in Warsaw, Poland. Upon first impression, the property looks more like a giant art installation than a homely abode. The homeowners of this concrete cube wanted it to be as secure as possible – a brief that helped the architects define its unusual aesthetic.
Designed by KWK Promes, the exterior walls of the Safe House can cover every aperture to create a seamless box, closing the entire property off from the outside world should the need arise. Concrete doors sit on hinges and can be opened to let the daylight in when the coast is clear. Surrounded by impenetrable concrete walls and a gate, any intruders that manage to get into the grounds will enter a restricted safety zone – the prime spot to unleash a surprise attack.
The safety zone is policed by a clever retractable drawbridge that can be lowered to allow entry. When raised, the bridge forms part of the property's tough outer shell. The nifty device also offers direct access to the roof, offering the ideal means of escape. The home's exterior façade can even be removed to create a sealed courtyard or a fortified wall to surround the entire property and its grounds.
Other moveable elements include large shutters that range up to more than 11 feet in length, giving an extra layer of protection to the home. These security features are operated by built-in electronic engines that can be controlled from inside the safety of the house. The 27,000-square-foot estate also harbours a rather enviable swimming pool located in its very own pool house, as well as a rooftop terrace for a post-apocalypse party.
Once on the market for just shy of $30 million (£21.6m), this luxurious mansion squirrelled away in one of America's most salubrious areas comes with a rather large secret. According to The Wall Street Journal, the house was built at the height of the Cold War by a cautious but flamboyant property developer who wanted a palace that could withstand a nuclear attack. As such it is said to have some interesting features…
According to the WSJ report, the house was built with two bomb shelters, one in the house and one under the huge Grotto-style pool. The idea was to use the water as a natural decontaminant should the A-bomb fall on California. Although the home's former listing agent, Jason Oppenheim, doesn’t know for sure that the pool shelter is still there, he believes that it is. The other has been turned into a living space during the most recent renovations.
With 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, holing up here is not going to be a problem for even the most demanding resident. As well as a ballroom with a stripper pole, outdoor tennis courts, a four-car garage, and a gym, there is even a Tudor-style guesthouse included on the land, where your security team can hunker down.
This beautiful modern house in Canelo Hills of the San Rafael Valley was designed to meet a very distinct challenge: it had to be impenetrable. With concrete walls measuring 18 inches thick, the structure is a solid as a rock and can be locked up like a fortress thanks to the hefty steel doors on either side that form the only ways into the house.
Named Casa Caldera, the spectacular home is hidden from the world thanks to the main building material ‘lava-crete’, which uses a pulverized red lava rock with water and cement. Entirely self-sufficient, the house is cooled by the natural ventilation through the 'zaguan' – or 'inner courtyard' – and strategically placed windows, while log-burning stoves run on wood sourced from the surrounding land. The minimal electrical appliances are powered through solar power and there's a well on-site to provide fresh water.
As stylish as it is secure, the design by D U S T architects uses a central void between two separate living spaces as an inner courtyard that can be opened up to the gorgeous mountain views. An extended concrete porch unites the outdoor and indoor spaces and extends the floor plan on either side.
Once an Atlas nuclear missile silo built by the Army Corps of Engineers that has now been converted into an amazing home, the Survival Condo is located in rural Kansas and offers an impressive 20,000 square feet of secure underground space.
Extremely resilient, the silo is protected by two armoured doors, and its epoxy-hardened concrete walls are nine feet thick and can withstand a direct nuclear hit, as well as severe flooding and tornado winds. Should nuclear, biological or chemical gases be leaked inside, an air filtration system will protect residents.
Inside, the condo is a luxury underground home hiding unbelievable surprises, from rock climbing walls to snooker tables. The underground complex has all the necessary facilities needed to sustain 75 people for more than five years! There's even a hydroponic farm that produces fresh fruit and vegetables, while 75,000-gallon reserve tanks provide fresh drinking water. To provide residents with the illusion of the outdoors, virtual LED windows simulate attractive countryside scenes.
Leaving no stone unturned, the creators of this ultra-safe underground world have also installed a large swimming pool and a library stocked with thousands of books, plus a movie theatre and even a dog park for any four-legged friends. Condo prices start from $1.5 million (£1.1m) for 920 square feet of space. If money is no object, opt for the $4.5 million (£3.2m) penthouse, offering 3,600 luxurious square feet. Each condo offers biometric keyless access, five years' worth of food, a 50-inch LED TV and a high-end kitchen with stainless steel appliances.
Using their own home to showcase their business offerings, the Corbis turned their home into a fortress that can withstand everything from invasions to a nuclear holocaust. With the latest high-end technologies, the couple have made the building truly zombie-proof. From its wine cellar that doubles as an underground bunker to the vault-like doors that secure the pad, every scenario has been accounted for.
With nearly 8,000 square feet of interior space, elevators provide easy and secure access to all floors of the property. There are also two panic rooms and two ballistics-proof bedrooms to defend against every eventuality. The fortress sits on one of the highest positions in Sunset Plaza, offering 360-degree views for miles around. Plus, with a rooftop helipad, you can make a quick getaway should the worst happen!
Inside, the home features incredible double-height ceilings and warm wood flooring and walls. Built by Modscape, the incredible modular home was designed to be a secret haven from the outside world. You’ll even be safe after the energy supplies run out because the house runs on solar power and uses hydronic heating.
Located in the Hollywood Hills, this imposing 12,000-square-foot house is known locally as 'the fortress'. Musician Jed Leiber, who bought the house in 2012 for $7.2 million (£5.2m), overhauled the security and put it back on the market in 2017 for $50 million (£36m). With sweeping views over Los Angeles, the exterior of the modern-day castle is made of concrete, but the interior is even more impressive.
Inside, 60-foot-high ceilings and towering glass windows make up an imposing entryway. The whole property features cavernous rooms that have been finished in stone, concrete and steel plus it's also as safe as can be, with a number of security features that make it the ultimate billionaire bolthole.
Individual rooms within the gated home require a fob to gain entry for the ultimate in privacy. The grand master suite not only features opulent dual master ensuite bathrooms but also has a safe room hidden behind a bulletproof door that slides down from the ceiling.
Talk about an affordable hideout! Sold for $163,000 (£117k) in 2018, this First World War sea fort would make the most unique of hideouts. Positioned in the Humber Estuary off the coast of Lincolnshire in the UK, the historic property lies undetected from the shoreline, meaning no one would discover your whereabouts.
A utilitarian structure, the building features a circular tower offering the perfect lookout point. A balcony sits at sea level, offering means of escape via boat. While obtaining water and provisions may be tricky, the outside space offers a great spot for fishing and you could even set up a hydroponic garden to meet all your food needs.
Another seemingly normal-looking property in Hollywood, this unique building was once a top-secret military base, used as a research facility for the atom bomb. Positioned on a hillside overlooking the Sunset Strip, the LA pad was constructed in 1941 as a Second World War air defence centre.
In 2015, Hollywood mega-star Jared Leto purchased the converted property for a cool $5 million (£3.6m). Offering 53,000 square feet of interior space, the former military base has ten bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, so you and all your friends can carry on living comfortably come the apocalypse.
The military compound would make the perfect hide-out during a zombie invasion, thanks to its disguised position inside a narrow canyon. Imposing gates and tall hedges enclose the home, and the grounds also feature a bomb shelter, 17 climate-controlled vaults, a helicopter landing pad and an underground parking garage.
Dubbed 'the world's ultimate doomsday escape', Vivos Europa One will be one of the largest private shelters on earth when it's completed. Located in Rothenstein, Germany, the survival bunker was the brainchild of Vivos CEO Robert Vicino.
Valued at $1.1 billion (£792m), the Vivos Europa One will lie inside a converted Cold War bunker that was carved out of solid bedrock. Positioned deep inside a limestone mountain, the shelter will be able to survive a close-range nuclear explosion, direct airline crash, severe flooding, earthquakes, and both biological and chemical attacks.
The elite Noah's Ark-like space will cover 227,904 square feet and is invitation-only. Each invitee is allocated up to 5,000 square feet of living space, but must fork out a hefty $5 million (£3.6m) for the privilege.
If you're considering it, your cash will give you access to a fully customisable living space modelled on the inside of a luxury yacht. The interior will feature plenty of marble, leather and polished wood, as well as a private movie theatre and a gym. Communal spaces will include a sizable swimming pool and an underground garden, lit by simulated sunshine. If you're going to spend a zombie attack hiding, why not do it in style?
It turns out that Arkansas is home to numerous zombie-proof properties! That's right, this craggy-looking cliff face is actually the façade of a clandestine cave home, built right into the rock face. It's definitely one for someone who wants to live off the beaten track...
Inside, the home boasts a unique natural aesthetic, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The cave can sleep up to 16 people at any one time, offering the ideal space for you and your family to hide out. With almost 6,000 square feet of interior space, you'll never feel overcrowded in this luxury abode.
As well as an indoor waterfall that's fed by an underground spring, the cave features a geothermal heating system, so you'll always have a supply of hot water! There is also a helicopter landing pad outside, so you and your friends can make a quick getaway should trouble find you! In 2017 the property sold for $2.8 million (£2m) and is now a luxury self-catering property.
Located in Pottsville, Arkansas, this unusual property is sheltered by earth and lies completely underground. The clandestine house was hand-built by its owners, Lyle and Jeanette Ratzlaff, over the course of 18 years.
Lyle constructed the secret home in his spare time, designing, engineering and building the entire structure himself – with help from his wife and children. In order to build the house underground, Lyle excavated a hillside using a hydraulic hammer, which took him just three days.
The house also boasts a secret passageway, offering the ultimate escape route from a possible attack. A clandestine door leads to a mechanical cave, that could also double up as a panic room. The property's robust front door measures four feet wide, 10 feet tall and 11 inches thick and weighs almost 3,000 pounds. The door is secured with a keyless locking system, while a pinhole video camera monitors the exterior. Talk about secure!
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