mtnbkr
Member
Uh oh, I've done it now. Looks like I'm going to be a father by the end of summer. Besides all of the other lifestyle changes we'll be experiencing, I now have to secure my firearms (well, I have a couple of years before it's a critical need).
I don't really have the cash right now for a wizbang type of safe. Even more important, I don't have much space for one much larger than an 8 gun cabinet. I don't have any closets to convert (two have the "accordian" style doors, a third is a walk-in closet that shares a wall with the master bathroom [can we say humidity?]). However, I do have a "rough in" bathroom on the ground floor that I haven't completed nor do I have any immediate plans to complete. We live in a townhome and this "room" is on the dividing wall (brick) between our unit and our neighbor. The biggest issue (if that) is that it's on the ground floor, which is not living space. It's a combination of foyer, garage, and unfinished basement. Any visitors will walk right past this room. The room is about 5'x3'
Ok, here's my plan:
I get the room wired for light and an outlet or two.
I finish the walls (interior walls in this room are open studs, no DW) with 3/4" plywood or better, screwed into the studs
At one end, I install a loading bench and my loading equipment
At the other end, I have a locking cabinet, bolted to the back wall and floor, where I store my guns, ammo, powder, valuables, etc.
The entry door will be replaced with either a solid wood or metal firedoor (like you see in offices) with a deadbolt or some other secure locking mechanism.
From the outside, it'll look like the same rough-in bath that every townhome in my neighborhood has. The door might look a little different, but that shouldn't get too much attention. For a thief to get inside, they would have to cut/bash their way through a heavy duty wall (drywall then frame then heavy plywood) and then cut open a locked cabinet. I would also consolidate all of my "gun stuff" instead of having some downstairs and some upstairs. I have an electrician friend to help with the wiring. I can get the door and frame cheap from a home improvement Goodwill shop in my parents' town (I've seen the doors there for next to nothing).
Good idea or waste of time? Is there a better way to do it?
Chris
I don't really have the cash right now for a wizbang type of safe. Even more important, I don't have much space for one much larger than an 8 gun cabinet. I don't have any closets to convert (two have the "accordian" style doors, a third is a walk-in closet that shares a wall with the master bathroom [can we say humidity?]). However, I do have a "rough in" bathroom on the ground floor that I haven't completed nor do I have any immediate plans to complete. We live in a townhome and this "room" is on the dividing wall (brick) between our unit and our neighbor. The biggest issue (if that) is that it's on the ground floor, which is not living space. It's a combination of foyer, garage, and unfinished basement. Any visitors will walk right past this room. The room is about 5'x3'
Ok, here's my plan:
I get the room wired for light and an outlet or two.
I finish the walls (interior walls in this room are open studs, no DW) with 3/4" plywood or better, screwed into the studs
At one end, I install a loading bench and my loading equipment
At the other end, I have a locking cabinet, bolted to the back wall and floor, where I store my guns, ammo, powder, valuables, etc.
The entry door will be replaced with either a solid wood or metal firedoor (like you see in offices) with a deadbolt or some other secure locking mechanism.
From the outside, it'll look like the same rough-in bath that every townhome in my neighborhood has. The door might look a little different, but that shouldn't get too much attention. For a thief to get inside, they would have to cut/bash their way through a heavy duty wall (drywall then frame then heavy plywood) and then cut open a locked cabinet. I would also consolidate all of my "gun stuff" instead of having some downstairs and some upstairs. I have an electrician friend to help with the wiring. I can get the door and frame cheap from a home improvement Goodwill shop in my parents' town (I've seen the doors there for next to nothing).
Good idea or waste of time? Is there a better way to do it?
Chris
