If living in a veritable fortress complete with a massive bunker, bank vault room, indoor gun range and a network of secret tunnels sounds like a good time, the Atlanta area has just the property for you. Provided you have around $15 million in the bank, that is – but you could end up getting a sweet deal on the Rice House, because bidding starts at a mere $3.9 million. This high security complex in suburban Johns Creek, Georgia measures a staggering 36,000 square feet and offers virtually every amenity you could think of and a few more beyond that.

Designed by global security expert Al Corbi, the Rice House is certified SAFE (Strategically Armored and Fortified Environment). It’s also unfinished. Some unnamed, deep-pocketed person envisioned the kind of ultra-secure property that would make the producers of AMC’s The Walking Dead salivate and then decided to put it up for sale mid-construction, maybe because the price tag was getting a little out of control. Photos from the Sotheby’s website show an unpaved driveway, unfinished wooden framing and the beginnings of a swimming pool and spa.

The realtors call it an “Acropolis on the Hill,” noting that its classical empire columns and entrance steps are adapted from the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy.

“This impregnable estate features concealed entries and exits, ballistic doors and walls, a 15,000-square-foot fortified bunker, and an indoor gun range. Set within the exclusive and prestigious Country Club of the South, this is a distinct home of enduring legacy. Already primed with exquisite craftsmanship and supreme features, The Rice House awaits final completion decisions on interior and exterior finishes, and is the perfect blank canvas for someone with imagination and discerning tastes to realize the incredible potential of the estate.”

The bunker features a command center and concealed entrances and exits operated via remote control. In case wandering subterranean tunnels isn’t fun enough for you, there’s also a bowling alley. The auction takes place September 18th through 20th.

Atlanta Fine Homes and The Rice House Atlanta via Curbed

Whether they hold a cache of high-tech, Batman-style weaponry or just a quiet retreat from the kids, secret rooms can make anyone feel as if they lead a life of mystery and intrigue. A company called Creative Home Engineering designs incredible secret passage systems that are virtually undetectable, hiding private spaces behind bookcases, wine racks and ordinary-looking walls.

While many secret rooms involve replacing a regular door with a bookcase on hinges, Creative Home Engineering’s carefully designed systems contain hidden cavities with steel structural support, so they won’t begin to sag or scrape over time due to weight and humidity.

They’re also designed to blend flawlessly with the surrounding room. The key to security for any secret room, of course, is proper concealment. You could also get an optional vault door with a super heavy-duty locking system that can be integrated into your home security system. Other options include armored doors and biometric access control devices, like fingerprint scanners.

While armor-plated panic rooms with hidden surveillance aren’t exactly accessible to most of us, financially speaking, it’s fun to dream about creating an network of secret passageways in our own homes.

If you can’t afford an entire secret passageway or don’t have the space for a built-in hidden room, maybe just feeling like you have a fun secret in your house is a good enough substitute. This Secret Passageway Switch designed by Ben Light is a playful way to turn on a lamp while feeling like you’re some kind of secret agent.

(all images via: Laughing Squid)

The Secret Passageway Switch is sold as a kit which you can hook up to control your choice of electrical gadgets, including a secret door if you’re lucky enough to have one. It works just like all of those secret passageway switches you see in the movies: with the tilt of a book on your bookshelf.

Best of all, you don’t even have to damage your book to install the switch. You just fit the pull cord within the pages and set the book on the shelf as usual. When you pull the book toward you, the switch is activated, your lamp turns on, and you get to enjoy feeling like James Bond for a few seconds.