The house is already fully constructed. Not building from the ground up, like you.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:

Also, you need to consider your HVAC system. How is it set up? In my vault there is no HVAC in or out. just a dehumidifier and a heater on its own stat. (that's what was recommended to me, I'm open to opinions if someone thinks that's wrong). Make sure you can keep the humidity of the room proper in all seasons so you don't start rusting up your guns.

I have a poured concrete vault room in my basement. Even with a humidifier inside the air always smells a bit musty/humid even when the readout says it's low. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I'm looking at ways to have two 4" holes drilled through one wall so I can add some ventilation hookups to the house HVAC. It won't take much ventilation, just need to move a small amount of air through it.

If you can plumb 2 small vents to the room before it's completed I would recommend it. If you end up not needing them then just leave them open for free ventilation or cap them off. It's much harder, messier, and more expensive to add vent holes after the fact. Other than the door opening mine is solid concrete on all 6 sides so it's not an easy task.

I haven't needed heat in the room as even in the winter it stays warm enough on it's own for me.

Assuming you have a crawl space and not a slab, do you plan to add additional support under the floor due to the weight of the safes and the ammo?

It's built on a slab, so no weight concerns.

A friend of mine used to have a house with a walk out basement. He had a very nice family room down there and the entire back wall was bookshelves. If you knew how to open the secret door in the bookshelves, you could access a large gun room. There wasn't much to secure the room except that you would never know it was there. Don't know if that kind of thing would work for the OP, but it may be something to consider.
Rod

I would pull down the drywall inside the room, and add steel bars to the spaces between the studs. Cross bars as well, or even apply plywood to the inside and filling the voids with concrete.

Also agree on a steel door. Something moderate cost would be far tougher to break through and any wood door. For the overhead, I would slide 10 gauge steel panels into the attic, and use carriage bolts or other round head bolts to hold it down. Tack weld any seams on the overhead steel sheet.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
I'm toying with the idea of having a "gun room" in my new house.

My largest safe with my defensive guns will be in the master bedroom. Then I had planned to put my other 2 safes in the rearmost guest room, along with storage for ammo, mags, holsters, and accessories, a bench for minor gunsmithing, and several bookshelves for my firearms reference library. But then I got to thinking... Why not turn the entire room into a secure "gun room"? This would allow me to display some of my milsurp collection out of the safes on wall racks or the like, while still being relatively secure.....

I wouldn't hesitate to display old military rifles out in the open in a gun room as you describe although I may keep functioning modern handguns in a safe. Are there many (any?) amateur thieves that (after breaking into a home) walk out with a handful of old military rifles? I suppose it's possible but low on a thief's priority list. They're generally after prescription drugs and small, easy to carry things of value, such as money, jewelry, or a functioning handgun.

My home, somewhat remote, was broken into some years ago back when it was a second home so mostly unoccupied. Broke the glass in the door reached in and unlocked it. Rummaged through kitchen, bedrooms drawers and closet, medicine cabinet, book shelves, must have looked in the attic because the hatch door was left askew, and in the laundry where he found up on a shelf my Savage Survival rifle broken down and stored in its stock. All you have to do is pull the butt plate off and take the action and barrel out and screw together. The idiot broke open the hollow stock looking to see what was in there and finding no money or drugs just left it. He never bothered either of the two valuable German pellet rifles in the closet, a new Sony flat screen TV, or any electronics. As far as I could tell the only thing he took was 4 boxes of .22 ammo that was beside the Survival rifle that he broke and left. The investigating deputy said it's pretty typical they're usually looking for money or drugs.

Anything you do on the interior of a wood frame sheetrock walled house is going to barely slow down anyone who's determined to get in that room. If some smash and grab crackhead just kicks your front door and gets in for a quick ransack and run, it MIGHT keep him out (until the return trip when he's prepared.)

Then again, the same can be said about the vast majority of gun safes.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Are there many (any?) amateur thieves that (after breaking into a home) walk out with a handful of old military rifles? I suppose it's possible but low on a thief's priority list.

Yes, we've had cases where amateurs break into a house and carry armloads of rifles out. Typically at night. But you're right that it's not the norm. Usually cash, drugs, jewelry, small electronics, and easily transportable guns.

We had one earlier this year where two scrotebags were caught red-handed by responding officers while pushing the homeowner's wheelbarrow full of his rifles down the side of the house.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
Then again, the same can be said about the vast majority of gun safes.

Yep. I'm shooting for "good enough" like most residential gun safes, not "nearly impenetrable" like a true vault.

And the fact that the bedroom's two interior walls are backed by a bathroom with cabinets and fixtures, and a kitchen with cabinets, appliances, and fixtures, helps to harden these walls a bit compared to just bare sheetrock walls.

For this kind of project that can't be built from scratch as a hardened room, I think camouflage is better than any half-assed attempt to prevent entry.

Behind the door, frame out a shallow linen closet with a false back that can be opened to give access to the room. Anyone rummaging through the inside of the house wouldn't give it a second thought.

This is somewhat of a rabbit hole topic. Depending on the amount of money you want to pour into it will determine the level of security the room will provide..

If I was spending your money I would spend it in the following order of importance:

1. Install a steel out swing door with security hinges and long screws.

2. Replace the window with at least DP 60 (or higher) rated glass.

3. On any interior wall of the room screw and glue 3/4” plywood to the studs. This will also allow you to mount your guns as you see fit. The only way to get through that is going to be with a circular saw or chainsaw. You will not be able to kick it in.

This might help with the window.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mr...02-E-42-54/301438136

Rogue,

You haven't mentioned it, so I assume not, but does the house have a basement?

Alternately, AR does get tornadoes. Do you feel the need for a (somewhat oversized) in house tornado shelter?

Basements are uncommon around here. I can count on one hand the number of homes in NWA that I've been in with a true dug-in basement (as opposed to like a walkout bottom floor on a house built into the side of a hill).

So no, no basement.

From what I've seen, dedicated tornado rooms/shelters are generally only seen on manufactured homes or the like. On a "normal" construction house, you usually just go to whichever central area has enclosed walls and no windows. Usually something like the guest bathroom or laundry room.

I don't really feel the need to turn it into a true hardened safe room/storm shelter, with metal reinforced walls, steel shutters, or the like.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Get serious about your security...

HA!
I still remember the nighttime prayer that goes with that.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
If you're replacing door, I'd recommend replacing with a very heavy duty door and frame that opens outwards along with tamper-proof hinges and of course appropriate deadbolt locks. Kicking an entire door frame inward is going to be a different exercise than just getting enough force on an inward opening door to exploit a weak point in hinges/locks.

I'd recommend a single bolt lock rather than double so you can always get it open from inside with or without a key.

Of course someone can still raid your tools and cut off those hinges even though the pins won't come out, but you've already acknowledged this is reinforcement not permanent deterrent.

What you just described is an impact door. It looks exactly the same as the OP's interior door. But in addition to having a super strong door and frame, it has clips on the hinges, so even if you pull all of the hinge pins out, you can't take it off of the hinges unless it's open.

I've always wondered if punching holes on the inside and pouring concrete in the drywall would work to firm up the walls. Probably dumb but I'm certainly not an engineer. The mesh thing sounds more realistic. Could you put a mirror covering the door and make it just like like a stylish end of the hallway, then put the big safe door behind that?

I'm strongly considering building with concrete in retirement and making a purpose built safe room.

If you want to really secure the door use something like the MP Police Lock 4800.

It has a 4 locking points the only way to get through the door is break it in pieces and crawl through. Or hit is so hard you take it down frame and all.

https://securitech.com/mp4800/

On the mesh, it is usually easily cut with a sawzall type of tool. 10 gauge or 7 gauge expanded sheet metal, would be another thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Anubismp:
I've always wondered if punching holes on the inside and pouring concrete in the drywall would work to firm up the walls.

Umm, I’m guessing the concrete will end up on the floor. I seriously doubt drywall screws or nails will hold back that weight. (Just a 5 gal bucket of concrete would about 100#)

I have solid interior doors in my house. My plan is to reinforce the hinges/jamb on front and interior doors, add a real lock door handle and a dead bolt about shoulder high.
(Advice from a guy that used to live in a shitty part of LA, CA where door kick home invasions were popular)
The layers are better front door system, alarm, “guard” dog that will shed on them then bring them a ball, then the interior door, then the RSC aka “safe”.