Gun safe location. Garage? Bad idea?

[iibgdi]

I have a buddy that is building a new house. They are downsizing from their current place and thus, their house will be smaller and space will be limited.

He currently has his safe in the basement but in the new place, his intention was to put it in his garage.

the garage is to be heated in the winter so that, to me, isn't a big deal really. (not ideal though) My concern for him is the summer.

We live in the midwest and have brutal winters and the summers get very hot as well.

I advised him not to put it in the garage due to the heat and humidity during the summer. He is now having second thoughts.

I would think that even with a good dehumidifier it wouldn't be a good atmosphere for his guns.

thoughts?

 

[tcon]

Thoughts on a safe in the garage. Unless it's hidden, it might be seen by passerby's and neighbors when the garage door is open. Extreme high temps and humidity changes might not be good for wood stocks. Definitely bolt it down with big fasteners.

 

[hoc9sw]

My first concern would be the garage door. If it has an automatic opener, the "combination" from the remote needs to be very secure. In my area, the openers are older, and thieves can use an automated transmitter, opening any door on the street in a few minutes.

 

[S42N8]

Generally, not recommended. The point on heat/cold/humidity is well taken. If your friend's garage is visible from the street, there's a small but not inconsiderable risk of others seeing the safe. Out of sight, out of mind....

 

[DR505]

Definitely bolt it down, cover it or disguise it, and use a dehumidifier inside, both a desiccant and a Golden Rod electric type.

 

[NYlakesider]

I have a buddy that is building a new house. They are downsizing from their current place and thus, their house will be smaller and space will be limited.

He currently has his safe in the basement but in the new place, his intention was to put it in his garage.

the garage is to be heated in the winter so that, to me, isn't a big deal really. (not ideal though) My concern for him is the summer.

We live in the midwest and have brutal winters and the summers get very hot as well.

I advised him not to put it in the garage due to the heat and humidity during the summer. He is now having second thoughts.

I would think that even with a good dehumidifier it wouldn't be a good atmosphere for his guns.

thoughts?

I had the same choice when I moved into my present house. I opted to put safe in the basement part of the downstairs not the garage part. The basement part also has a dehumidifier in it for the warmer months and a furnace for the colder months. It also puts the safe closer to my "gun area"

If using the garage the cars leak off all that stuff that is in the frame area and wheels and the humidity goes out of sight,+ those big doors opening and closing also do serious job of air exchanging.

 

[dave201]

Use the box it came in and paint it to match the décor. Lift it off when needed. A Golden Rod works well. Climate control is the best option and bolt it down. Ours is alarmed to central.
Don't show and tell. It will bite you in the backside.. Kids are the worse telegraph.

 

[Muss Muggins]

I have a buddy that is building a new house. They are downsizing from their current place and thus, their house will be smaller and space will be limited.

He currently has his safe in the basement but in the new place, his intention was to put it in his garage.

the garage is to be heated in the winter so that, to me, isn't a big deal really. (not ideal though) My concern for him is the summer.

We live in the midwest and have brutal winters and the summers get very hot as well.

I advised him not to put it in the garage due to the heat and humidity during the summer. He is now having second thoughts.

I would think that even with a good dehumidifier it wouldn't be a good atmosphere for his guns.

thoughts?

I think thefts of and from actual gun safes are pretty rare. Unless you went by my house for the fifteen minutes the truck was backed to garage and the safe was unloaded before I dropped the door, you wouldn't know I had one in my office.

Everybody that drives by my house on a pretty day knows I have a freezer, a refrigerator, two large Craftsman roll arounds, and three bicycles (along with a bunch of plastic totes filled with stuff they are welcome to steal.

My office - very difficult to get to and even harder, if not impossible to move a safe out of without a crew.
My garage - Pickup truck and a tommy lift = me with less of my stuff.

You decide . . .

 

[yaktamer]

My first concern would be the garage door. If it has an automatic opener, the "combination" from the remote needs to be very secure. In my area, the openers are older, and thieves can use an automated transmitter, opening any door on the street in a few minutes.

Even with the newer models that can't be defeated by breaking the code, there is a very easy way to physically gain access unless the door is physically secured with a padlock or the like. I won't give the details here, but you can't rely on any automatic opener to provide real security.

 

[iibgdi]

IMO, the most concerning thing is the heat and humidity. I am not sure how confident I would be that a dehumidifier would do the job under those conditions.

I know my garage can get close to or even over 100 degrees at times during the summer. I have to imagine the safe would be sweltering inside as well.

 

[bigwheelzip]

How about killing two birds with one stone.

Since it is the Midwest, and the house is to be constructed, design
it with a dual-purpose, concrete tornado safe-room/gun vault, master-bedroom closet, outfitted with one of the vault doors readily available.

Gives a retreat area should a twister (or home invasion ) strike and a climate controlled gun storage area that is readily accessible.

 

[Bugkiller99]

Been there done that. In sunny Florida, in the heat of the summer, it's in excess of 100 in the garage at times. Put one or two cars in there that have been driven and engines are hot, well, you pass 110 and more.

Without air conditioning/heating your garage, you may find the contents of your safe are not so...... Safe.

If the choice is safe in garage, or no safe, that would be the only way I would put one in your garage. But really, even the foot print of a moderate safe is pretty small, so put it inside if at all possible.

BTW, after monitoring the temperature and humidity in my safe that was in the garage for just a few months, changes were made to avoid the big temperature and humidity swings.

 

[Geronimo Jim]

Reminds me of a guy I knew that bought a 5,000 plus square foot
house and put two big gun safes in the garage. To my way of thinking,
my guns are a huge priority in my life and I am putting them
where they are safe and close. Priorities!

 

[TTSH]

General security and convenience issues aside, most geographical locations are not suitable for a garage gun safe. That said, the advantages are that you can usually go for a much bigger, heavier safe... plus bolting down and disguising/camouflaging the safe from casual viewers can usually be pretty easy. Fewer worries about flooding, excessive humidity and corrosion vs. basement gun safes too. Protecting it with alarm(s) and camera(s) is usually easier as well. It's not the best solution or for everyone, but where it's possible and done right, it's not the worst solution either.

 

[cowart]

Since it is new construction, this is an opportunity to put the safe in the floor. Easier to conceal, and much harder to break into. And you loose less floor space.

 

[gman51]

If he is having the house built then build a space for the safe.
People happen to see the safe in the garage they are likely to come back later and force the owner to open it. Out of sight out of mind.
There was a man that had guns and a collection of watches he kept in a safe in his home. Some thugs broke into his house while he was there. The man didn't have any gun on himself and the thugs using guns forced him to open the safe. They took his guns and collection of watches.
The one bad thing about having a collection of just about anything is you don't want people to even know about it. Kind of sucks for showing off your guns or expensive collections.
That floor safe could be good but again I would wonder about water or dampness damages.

 

[JCase]

Master bedroom walk in closet

 

[RJJ 1971]

Unless his garage is going to be climate controlled and insulated. Not a good idea.

Plus the obvious about access and visibility.

 

[amazingflapjack]

You say he is building the house? This would seem to be the opportunity to incorporate a safe, or even a safe room, just the way you wanted it. JMO.

 

[TTSH]

You say he is building the house? This would seem to be the opportunity to incorporate a safe, or even a safe room, just the way you wanted it. JMO.

Bingo!!! We have a winner!