Gun Vault??

[billybob44]

We own a 50's vintage built house, with full basement, with a 10X8X8 tornado shelter built off of one basement wall. The room is totally block/concrete encased, with a 3' concrete ceiling that is actually the floor of my front porch.
My thoughts are to seal/insulate/moisture barrier the walls of the room, and install a vault door, to make a gun vault room. The vault door that I am looking at is VERY secure, with an inside release handle built in.
I am going to have my "Carpenter Man" look at the room for ideas/estimate on sealing/insulating/moisture containment, and electrical service for lighting+dehumidifier systems.
Anyone out there ever do this?? I would thank you for any ideas/tips/warnings on this topic than you people may have?? Thanks in advance..Bill..

 

[jd4320t]

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/82275-vault_door.html

 

[4sarge]

Sounds like a Plan. Moisture is your enemy and is the 3" outside porch floor a potential security risk ?

 

[jblomenberg16]

I intentionally built a similar room in our new home, and the front porch pad forms the roof.

Insulation / Moisture barrier was done by the following:

• Heavy rubber membrane (same stuff used on flat roofs) directly under concrete pad.
• 1/2" Plywood under membrane (part of the form for the concrete) to mount the membrane.
• 1.5" Blue Foam attached to plywood
• Another layer of plywood glued to the foam
• Another layer of 1.5" blue foam screwed and glued to the plywood

From there I plan to finish the cieling off with regular drywall.

 

[g+16]

I did something like this in my new garage that I had built, I modeled it after researching the storm rooms that are built by compaines tx., ok. ect, wide footer, then wall poured with backfill of concrete over footer, valutdoor, keypad entry, wired with two lights,back-up light with battery of power failure, dehumidifer, sealer paint on inside, gun racks, fold out chairs, it's really not that hard just time consumming, hint: make sure you build the swing of the door inward, because if you are inside it during a storm and your house falls around you, you stand a better chance of digging yourself out, the outward bolts of the door pretty well would keep someone from beating the door inward to get to ya,just my

 

[billybob44]

Three FEET of ceiling..

Sounds like a Plan. Moisture is your enemy and is the 3" outside porch floor a potential security risk ?

Thanks 4sarge. Yes moisture WILL be my main concern. I must have typed it wrong-Three FEET of concrete floor of my front porch is the ceiling of the room.
Thanks for all the replys, guys, and keep them coming..so I don't screw this up..Bill..

 

[4sarge]

3 Feet should be more than sufficient

 

[CountryBoy19]

3 feet thick front porch floor? Huh?

That can't be right... I wanna see pictures... what this thing built as a cold war bunker or what?

 

[billybob44]

3 feet thick front porch floor? Huh?

That can't be right... I wanna see pictures... what this thing built as a cold war bunker or what?

Yes it was built as a bunker. The builders (Original owners)Son was an FBI Agent, and they were afraid what the Russians were going to do back in the mid to late '50's. The "thinnest" part of the walls are the 8" concrete poured(filled) blocks, that join it to the basement wall.
I will get some picts. up when I can..Bill.. Keep up the suggestions Guys..

 

[Bunnykid68]

Ventilation and escape route if door gets blocked.

 

[1911Shooter]

Can I store my guns at your house. 3 feet of concrete, the vault will be around long after all of us are gone. I have a nice fire safe and I thought mine were safe, I guess I better get to work on building a vault. Sounds cool and good luck.

 

[billybob44]

Work/Idea in Progress??

Can I store my guns at your house. 3 feet of concrete, the vault will be around long after all of us are gone. I have a nice fire safe and I thought mine were safe, I guess I better get to work on building a vault. Sounds cool and good luck.

This for me, 1911, is an idea in progress. I just got off of the phone with my "Carpenter Man" to have him come out+look it over to discuss the possibilities of this to become a reality?? I know that there is more involved than just hanging a vault door to the opening+calling it done!!
But-SURE-if things work out, I could "Store" some of your firearms, just as long as I can shoot them-buy/sell/trade them as I do my own??Bill..

 

[SmileDocHill]

I've always wanted to take a situation like this and have the entrance be a regular safe. You would have what looks like a regular safe sitting in front of a wall, open the safe and the back of it is a false wall that opens into the vault room. You still essentially have a vault door built into the wall of the room. I wouldn't buy a safe and then cut the back out but if I am upgrading to a vault room from a regular safe that is now without use it would be a fun thing to do.
This would obviously involve some design changes that might effect the more important and serious functions of the room for the sake of novelty and cool factor, but hey, we all want to be a little like Bond right?

 

[hornadylnl]

I don't have a whole lot to add that others haven't already. Mine was all new construction. I have a perimeter drain that goes all around the inside and outside of my footings. That's tied to a sump pump and a field tile. I also have vapor barrier that goes the full length of my exterior basement walls. My temp and humidity is controlled by my geothermal system and I have insulation blankets under my slab.

I got my vault door from Smith Security Safes. They are near Toledo and if you aren't too far, you can pick it up instead of shipping it. The sky is the limit on vault doors. Mine is nothing special and is their standard vault door. With all the options I got (which is not nearly all), it was about $1700. I got the digital lock and if I had to do it over again, I think I would have gone with the dial. The digital just doesn't seem all that reliable to me. I'm hard of hearing and it's hard for me to hear the beeps when I punch the numbers. If you mess up the combo a couple times, it will lock out for a few minutes. If the electronics go tu, I'm not sure how you'd ever get in. The digital has to be a lot faster to get in then the dial but the dial just seems to be more reliable.

The last piece of advice, it will never be big enough.

 

[g+16]

anyone know where you can get (i think it's called) a biometeric lock? I'm probably calling it the wrong think, I saw one for sale once some where, it's the one that uses the fingerprint for entry.

 

[1911Shooter]

anyone know where you can get (i think it's called) a biometeric lock? I'm probably calling it the wrong think, I saw one for sale once some where, it's the one that uses the fingerprint for entry.

You can normally get things like that through Kirby Risk, Honeywell or maybe even Granger. Im not sure but I would check those.

 

[coda80]

you can buy a biometric lock for garage door openers. liftmaster is the brand name and its low voltage so you should be able to modify to use with anything. these should run about $75.

 

[DanS26]

Dedicated thieves with enough time, I think can overcome any kind of safe or secured room.

If you locate your safe on the main or second floor then a reciprocating saw will free the safe from the building and the thieves can just drive off with the booty. If you cement your safe in the basement with screws and lag bolts in cement and concrete walls the thieves can just use a jack hammer and in a matter of minutes can compromise your best efforts. Even if they cannot free the safe, an acetylene torch will do short work of any safe you buy.

I think the only reason to have a safe is to prove to the judge that you are a responsible gun owner. It has nothing to do with protecting your firearms from theft. In fact I think a safe is a magnet for thieves. They now know where the valuables are and find it an interesting challenge to break into the safe.

 

[billybob44]

You got a point Dan--BUT--

Dedicated thieves with enough time, I think can overcome any kind of safe or secured room.

If you locate your safe on the main or second floor then a reciprocating saw will free the safe from the building and the thieves can just drive off with the booty. If you cement your safe in the basement with screws and lag bolts in cement and concrete walls the thieves can just use a jack hammer and in a matter of minutes can compromise your best efforts. Even if they cannot free the safe, an acetylene torch will do short work of any safe you buy.

I think the only reason to have a safe is to prove to the judge that you are a responsible gun owner. It has nothing to do with protecting your firearms from theft. In fact I think a safe is a magnet for thieves. They now know where the valuables are and find it an interesting challenge to break into the safe.

You're right, to a point Dan--BUT--Right now my Mattress is getting a little lumpy!! Bill.

 

[DanS26]

Well my point is--what is your real reason to build an ultra safe place for your firearms.

Dedicated thieves cannot be stopped. With enough time, they have enough tools to compromise anything you can build. And if you frustrate them enough, they can just burn your house down.

If your goal is to keep your weapons out of hands of children and teenagers, then yes, build or buy a safe. But you do not have to spend mega-bucks to do it.