If you were building a new house gun Room advice needed

[Stonecove]

We're building a new house that will have a full basementwill be poured concrete. I have an opportunity to add a concrete room in the basement to house a potential gun safe and make space for reloading and gun cleaning and such. Without going crazy spending all kinds of money, I'd like to hear your ideas on what such a room should consist of.
Is spending money on a concrete walls just an expensive extravagance? Should I just build a framed room and put a safe in it.
I'd like to hear your thoughts and if you have links to cool gun rooms I'd like to see those too.
Thanks, Stonecove

 

[joe44va]

Make it out of concrete so it will keep the wine cool too.

 

[Robspeire]

Since you are pouring concrete I would go ahead & pour walls for the gun room. Do a search for "Doors for gun rooms made out of poured concrete". A wealth of info will come up.
I would do it as I have over 45 years of commercial & residential construction & have even built concrete valuts & secure $$ rooms.
PS.
4,000 PSI mix on the concrete & no more than a 3.5 inch Slump.

 

[URIT]

You are smart to apply prior planning & preparation for your project. You might save $$$ by separating a gun vault from the gun room. There are plenty of neat ideas for gun rooms with an internet search for "basement gun room ideas" along with options and pricing for a gun vault.

 

[BigBoy99]

Just my point of view but you'll be farther ahead to buy safes and forget about concrete walls. Build ramps to roll safes in and out. Put anchor eyes/bolts into the concrete floor to secure the safes. Getting safes to store your guns would be cheaper than construction of concrete walls. Also, keeping humidity levels controlled is a lot easier in the small volume of a safe as opposed to a whole room. Also, you have to consider the resale value of your home - not everyone would want a concrete gun room in their basement! The safes can be moved out but tearing down concrete walls is not a trivial and cheap process. Just my $0.02.

 

[WCCPHD]

Regardless of which way you go, build it twice the size you think you need.

 

[hsguy]

Just my point of view but you'll be farther ahead to buy safes and forget about concrete walls. Build ramps to roll safes in and out. Put anchor eyes/bolts into the concrete floor to secure the safes. Getting safes to store your guns would be cheaper than construction of concrete walls. Also, keeping humidity levels controlled is a lot easier in the small volume of a safe as opposed to a whole room. Also, you have to consider the resale value of your home - not everyone would want a concrete gun room in their basement! The safes can be moved out but tearing down concrete walls is not a trivial and cheap process. Just my $0.02.

You could always market it as a tornado shelter when you sell! Would probably be more valuable in the Plains states though.

 

[raljr1]

I absolutely would build a concrete room with a vault door...why not be able to have all of your guns on display i a safe room instead of hidden away in a safe....half the time I forget what i have buried in my safe....

Robert

 

[H Richard]

I did exactly that 14 years ago when we build our condo. 11x21 ft room with 4x7 ft walk in vault (all concrete). Work benches around 2/3 of the room for 3 loaders and a dedicated cleaning/repair work station.









First picture is the cleaning/repair station, 2nd pic is my single state (turret) loader, 3rd pic is the Dillon loader and you can see the MEC900 shotgun loader, 4th pic os the outside of the vault and shelving for gun cases.

 

[Arizona Ghost]

...put a gutted refrigerator up against the steel door to your gun room, bolt it to the floor and door frame...you have to walk through the refrigerator to enter...great camo...

 

[Kanewpadle]

Concrete walls and a vault door. At least frame it for a vault door and have it installed when you have the funds.

You WILL find more to put in the room so it would be smart to build a safe room now.

Helped a friend build one several years ago. It’s not just gun storage but also a safe room in case of home invasion. There are no gun safes inside. The entire room is a safe with phone line, portable toilet, food and water. His guns are nicely displayed on the wall.

 

[TX-Dennis]

If I had the cash to do it I would build a concrete gun room with a vault door. Basically a bank vault for guns. Add a cot and a few days supply of food and water and it can double as a storm shelter and/or panic room. Oh, yeah, as Kanewpaddle said - needs a toilet of some kind, too.

 

[Smoke]

The only thing I can add is if there's any way to make it a secret room I would do that

 

[chiefbob81]

Vault room with safe door, have smithing and reloading elsewhere so you don't use up all your display area in the vault.

 

[Sistema1927]

Don't neglect the ceiling. I had a boss who built a secure gun room in his house, and thieves broke through the ceiling and wiped him out. He remedied this when he did repairs.

 

[italiansport]

One point overlooked. The ceiling needs to be re-enforced concrete as well or a crook has an easy break in point. I apparently was typing this at the same time as the previous post!
Jim

 

[amazingflapjack]

all that-plus...

If I had the cash to do it I would build a concrete gun room with a vault door. Basically a bank vault for guns. Add a cot and a few days supply of food and water and it can double as a storm shelter and/or panic room. Oh, yeah, as Kanewpaddle said - needs a toilet of some kind, too.

I would have an air vent to the roof and plumb it for water and a toilet as well-maybe incorporate some commo that would work in a storm or civil unrest situation. Don't forget your Bible.

 

[gman51]

Yep build it as a complete concrete cube. It would be wise to have an escape exit in case the entry door gets blocked from opening. Like some said the room can double as a safe room. Wood frame walls are not a problem to tear down to gain entry. Busting through reinforced concrete is more work than most thieves will take on.
I heard of a guy that had his safe on the second floor of his house. The thieves tore the walls down and cut out the floor where it was bolted down. They then shoved it down the stairs and rolled it out the front door. Rule number one....don't brag about what you have. Thieves can come prepared then.

In the 60's during the great cold war nuke scare people made bomb shelters using concrete or cement blocks in their basements. The opening was a zig zag supposedly to stop nuclear fall out from entering the room. Supposedly fall out can't turn corners. I am not saying that's true or not....I am only saying what they thought back then.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Have the safe and ammo stored a few feet higher than the floor because drains backup and flooding can happen anywhere over time. Ventilation is a necessity if you will be hand loading in there. Decoy safes like handgun safes with bricks in them could tempt amateurs. Hidden camera to identify thief is now so cheap as to be required. Secret door behind bookcase or false wall is good idea.

 

[S&WsRsweet]

Yea I would go with concrete also if building new especially follow above advice on Concrete and slump test by Robspire in the long run you will be ahead also in my opinion the flood preparedness is a good idea .Think through you’re plan and write it all down to go over with you’re contractor if I were building new I would have polished concrete floors throughout my house stop at your local concrete contractor and ask some questions you will be amazed at what they can do.We poured ten yards last year for an addition we had been planning my concrete guy let me work with his crew as a helper and got me to looking at some pictures his guys had of a local meating place they did the polished floors in they were very nice .If I were starting out in life residential/ commercial concrete would be my trade .One thing though you won’t need to visit the gym after a day of concrete work .