vualt doors.

[TAB]

so as some of you know I am just about to break ground on building my own house.  its nothing fancy,  1500 sqft  3 bed 2.5 bath on 40 acres with a 40x60 steel/barn/shop/toy box. ( the whole reason for this    ) 


anyways I was wondering are they worth it?  I mean do they just attract more attention. is better to go with normal construction and a good solid door/lock set?

I can see both sides.  what are your thoughts?

[tombogan03884]

Steel banded oak plank looks a hell of a lot cooler and will goive you all the strength you will pracically need. They used them on castles to stop battering rams.

[Solus]

The door and it's frame and hardware only needs to be as strong as the wall it is set into.

Would be nice if there was no indication where was a room behind the wall.

But Tom's suggestion is good.  If there was a vault door, the effort would go into breaching the wall and avoiding the obviously armored door.

[TAB]

I would build it out if block if going vault door.  The thing is all the tools .needed to break in would be in the barn anyways.


I am just wondering if its actually needed.  Everything is insured anyways.  Its not like I have $$$$$$ into what I have,  moat of my guns are very old and worth well under a grand.   I just have a thing for 16 ga.

[les snyder]

years ago, a friend that was a registered locksmith and safe technician was building his "gun room"... his comment to me was that if it was "in sight" it could be opened..... he built his into the cedar closet, utilizing a magnetic switch to activate a solenoid that would release the lock mechanism... all he had to do was to place a small powerful magnet to a particular place on the wall of the cedar closet, and the wall mechanism would pop open...

another friend had an 6' deep room the width of his den... the entire wall was overlapping cedar shake shingles... the texture cleverly camouflaged the door... the wall studs had galvanized 1/2" pipe running horizontally every 10 or so inches... inside each pipe was a two foot section of cold rolled steel, separated by a marble...the object was that if it were attacked by a hacksaw or chainsaw, the inner piece of cold roll would spin, and not allow the blade to get a good bite 

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Use some method of reinforcing the blocks or they can just back a truck trough the wall.
Saw a convenience store robbed of cigs that way one time.

[Rastus]

I'm with Les.  Hiding the door in plain sight is the way to go. 

You may need to bump up your 1,500 sq ft. by 50 or 100 sq ft. to do it though.

[MikeBjerum]

You're a contractor, and you are building from scratch.  Reinforced concrete or reinforced and filled block; concrete top; vault door; and use it for valuable storage considering wind, earthquake, fire, and theft, and also use it for your own storm shelter and safe room.

[vincewarde]

One thing to keep in mind is that your new home is going to be more separated from other homes than most.  Add to that the fact that your shop likely has all the tools required to break into virtually any vault (given enough time) and you definitely have some thinking to do.  Personally, I would consider an alarm before just about anything else.  That will reduce the time thieves have to defeat any other measures you may take. After that, well it depends upon your pocketbook and level of concern........

[Solus]

Go with the hidden room and door if you have space.

Then put a vault door on a outside wall that has no windows and let them use all your tools to break into your back yard