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Walk in Gun Vaults
- Thread starter Joe Kent
- Start date
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It all starts with a good vault door. The rest is up to you.
http://www.amsecusa.com/Burglary_Protection/Vault_Door/
I have been in walk in vaults from 90 years ago that seemed break in proof. I had seen recent safe doors that were quite flimsy. I am considering my next safe, and humidity control would seem to be the problem with a vault room. Sure you can run a de-humidifier, but the room get about 110 degrees inside. I'm advised to waterproof the walls, provide drainage, and cap the roof (of the vault room)so water can not seep in. Building codes and secrecy get all tangled up when installing climate control. Furnaces will humidify that air you trying to keep low humidity. Forget Goldenrods. I would love to see some technical discussion on this matter.
model70hunter
Member
I know a Dr in AR who built one, it is large, by classifying it as a tornado shelter he got a tax break on the new home. When last there he showed me a 57 he just took in trade for doing some doctoring.
Personally, NO. I have a friend in PA that did what I want to do but lack the financial funding for such. He was on the board of directors for a bank that was closing a location and demolishing the building. The guy bought the vault, had a crane company load it on a trailer so it could be brought to his home. Then he had a contractor add a slab to his home and more or less, built a room from the vault. The vault door serves as as an interior door into the home.
Now he has a great gun storage area, a safe for valuables and a wonderful storm shelter.
If I only had about $35,000 to spend on such a project.
Thank you all for the posting. What I was referring to were the "Rhino" type bolt together walk in type vaults or "safe room" type security vaults. One of our younger family members is considering moving into a "first" house and would like to get a security type room that could later move with him.
Joe; anything movable won't be the most secure, but would deter routine break in's. I think Micheal's biggest problem might be with expandability. Those side by sides take more room than handguns.
truckemup97
Member
I've looked at these. Jim Giles' Certified Safe Rooms and Storm Shelters, Tulsa Oklahoma They say they can put a vault door on them. They are usually put in a garage and bolted to the slab. I suppose it could be moved from house to house. If I ever get around to getting a "walk-in safe", it will be one of these (or one of the clones.)
jframe
Member
I've thought about the same type thing at my Dad's house. We have one bedroom that is small and has only one outside window and is enclosed other than that by other inside rooms and the back wall of the garage. I thought about putting up a vault security door in place of the regular door. Not necessarily a vault, but a hell of a lot more secure than the gun cabinet in that room by itself. I would also board up the window, and brick it over.
Andy Griffith
Member
If you want a real safe, or safe door- check out Brown Safes. A full 1" of steel will buy a whole lot more time!
Yes, they are big, heavy and expensive- but they are the most secure. They also sell bank vault style doors- but likely it's cheaper to just buy an out of business bank.
A decent vault door will cost more than a new car, and go up from there.
Yes, they are big, heavy and expensive- but they are the most secure. They also sell bank vault style doors- but likely it's cheaper to just buy an out of business bank.
A decent vault door will cost more than a new car, and go up from there.
Just need a good welder and some 1/4" steel. If you made it with hinge's on the inside of the corners you could remove the pins from the inside and move one wall at a time, and replace walls of a different size.
Gun-Safe-Guru
Member
While not quite as secure as the 1" solid steel Brown vault door mentioned above, both Browning and American Security make secure vault doors for home or office use. These are much more inexpensive (around $3000) while still offering a lot of features:
"Cam" locking system
Up to 22 1.25" bolts
Fire-resistant insulation
Internal lock release (in case someone accidently locks themselves in)
These doors can be installed into an existing wall or if you're building a new home or new room you can construct the wall around the vault door.
For more info on those vault doors click here.
"Cam" locking system
Up to 22 1.25" bolts
Fire-resistant insulation
Internal lock release (in case someone accidently locks themselves in)
These doors can be installed into an existing wall or if you're building a new home or new room you can construct the wall around the vault door.
For more info on those vault doors click here.
Something brought up in a similar thread on another site was fire. Enthusiastic fire companies can put a foot or more of water into your basement in the process of putting out a house fire. Therefore, you want the floor of any safe/vault up off the floor to keep it from flooding.
rburg
Member
We've discussed this before. Both here and over on the sigforum.com.
ITs not like a subject any one poster can really cover. Its so involved we could spend years and dozens of pages.
About the only really secure system involves poured concrete walls. 8" thick seems like a good starting point. Buy the door before you pour the walls. The opening size is critical.
Getting utilities inside then becomes interesting. You'll need plenty of electricity. You don't need a big hole to run ventilation into the room. But if you make it a run off the forced air furnace, be aware you'll need/want a way to exhaust the return air. Just remember a 6" hole will allow a bunch of air inside.
Where I live, its humid. AC in the summer and heat in the winter deliver dry air. Not too dry, here in our living room its 78 and 30% RH. If you want to buffer or moderate it in a safe, you can do so with wood walls. You can make it drier with a dehumidifier. They only run $100 or so. Size it to the room.
And insulate your room. If only for peace and quiet. Safe rooms are nice places to put your security system, too. If you have a video system, its also a great place. You can see whats going on outside.
Next solve where and how you're going to store your guns. Inside the room isn't a valid answer. Old style wooden gun display cases is a fairly good way. So are the super cheap stack-on style cabinets.
You might also want stud walls inside. And a nice drop ceiling, but not too low.
Oh, make sure your vault door is inward opening. If a tornado or such comes along and drops the house in your basement (or first floor if you pour it above grade), you don't want the debris trapping you. An inside emergency release is a nice touch. If not, you'll have to disassemble the door from the inside to get out. Don't worry, you'd have the rest of your life to accomplish it.
Just as a cell phone dialer is nice for your alarm, so too is a cell phone inside with an antenna thru the wall (test your reception.)
I'll think of more later. bye.
ITs not like a subject any one poster can really cover. Its so involved we could spend years and dozens of pages.
About the only really secure system involves poured concrete walls. 8" thick seems like a good starting point. Buy the door before you pour the walls. The opening size is critical.
Getting utilities inside then becomes interesting. You'll need plenty of electricity. You don't need a big hole to run ventilation into the room. But if you make it a run off the forced air furnace, be aware you'll need/want a way to exhaust the return air. Just remember a 6" hole will allow a bunch of air inside.
Where I live, its humid. AC in the summer and heat in the winter deliver dry air. Not too dry, here in our living room its 78 and 30% RH. If you want to buffer or moderate it in a safe, you can do so with wood walls. You can make it drier with a dehumidifier. They only run $100 or so. Size it to the room.
And insulate your room. If only for peace and quiet. Safe rooms are nice places to put your security system, too. If you have a video system, its also a great place. You can see whats going on outside.
Next solve where and how you're going to store your guns. Inside the room isn't a valid answer. Old style wooden gun display cases is a fairly good way. So are the super cheap stack-on style cabinets.
You might also want stud walls inside. And a nice drop ceiling, but not too low.
Oh, make sure your vault door is inward opening. If a tornado or such comes along and drops the house in your basement (or first floor if you pour it above grade), you don't want the debris trapping you. An inside emergency release is a nice touch. If not, you'll have to disassemble the door from the inside to get out. Don't worry, you'd have the rest of your life to accomplish it.
Just as a cell phone dialer is nice for your alarm, so too is a cell phone inside with an antenna thru the wall (test your reception.)
I'll think of more later. bye.
FlYFiShErMaN
US Veteran
My parents owned an old bank, built in 1903. They used it as a business office and all of our guns were stored in the vault. We had a terrible time with moisture. Nothing that a dehumidifier did not take care of but then, I guess folks building bank vaults in that era were not worried about rusting firearms in their vault.
rburg
Member
If one dehumidifier doesn't do the trick, buy 2 bigger ones! 
Then seal the walls!! And the door with weatherstripping. Safes almost all come with a fiberglass door seal. They do wear out and you can buy replacements.
Then seal the walls!! And the door with weatherstripping. Safes almost all come with a fiberglass door seal. They do wear out and you can buy replacements.YogiBear
Absent Comrade
Aloha,
One of our local club members is a contractor, when one of his sons moved out, he turned that bedroom into a vault/safe room complete with safe style door. It is air conditioned and has all the other stuff built in.
Later when We can afford it, Wife is OK with a Safe Room that's Cat 5 Hurricane proof, with all the amenities.
One of our local club members is a contractor, when one of his sons moved out, he turned that bedroom into a vault/safe room complete with safe style door. It is air conditioned and has all the other stuff built in.
Later when We can afford it, Wife is OK with a Safe Room that's Cat 5 Hurricane proof, with all the amenities.
oldRoger
US Veteran
A neighbor in IL was a concrete finishing contractor. His hillside house had a dandy vault in the basement (old bank records room door). It was always damp, he ran a dehumidifier (he had a drain) which of course heated the room. That’s OK in winter, in summer he left the door open while he was home.
As rburg says the door should open in but almost all bank or jewelry store vault doors open out to save vault space.
As rburg says the door should open in but almost all bank or jewelry store vault doors open out to save vault space.
Bullseye Smith
Member
Had a friend that built one, got re-bar from a contractor doing road work and built one 16 x 30 with 1 foot thick walls and ceiling with a nice door. It set in the center of a old barn, best one I was ever in. Someone else owns it now since he past away.
