My floor plan: "tactical evaluation" / locating gun safe / security

[JJohnston015]

Seems like everybody's moving into a house this month - including me!

Here's the floor plan. I'm either going to put the safe in the downstairs bedroom, which is going to be my workshop / gun room, or upstairs, probably in the master closet (as shown).

Downstairs is good because it eliminates the problems with having a safe upstairs; upstairs is better for security. Upstairs is worse since as you can see, the master closet is actually in the master bathroom (terrible design, I agree). Set upstairs as shown, it will be centered across two floor trusses, inches away from where they frame into the rear wall of the house. My engineering sense says there will be no problems there, unless there's fire. Opinions?

For security, I plan on putting bars on all ground floor windows, exterior doors, and the door between the garage and laundry room. Any thoughts on barring the second floor windows that will be accessible from the little front porch cover, or the 1-story garage roof? How about barring the stairwell?

Doors will be reinforced (long screws into the jambs), and I think I will install Medeco locks with the removeable thumb knob on the inside.

No dogs. I'll be there by myself, and out during the day.

 

[Chipperman]

Still no images.
One thing to consider about bars on all the windows is access for fire or other emergency.

 

[JJohnston015]

First floor

 

[JJohnston015]

Second floor

 

[jwmoore]

Can you fit the safe in the closet in the downstairs room? Concealment is your friend.

If you can, reconsider the bars on the windows. They keep people out, and keep people (like you, in a fire) in. ALternately, you put in code required frangible bolts, and the bars become virtually useless anyway.

Wait until you get a price on those Medeco locks.... Around here they priced at $230 / cylinder! I ended up going a step down to Arrow locks, still at $100 / cylinder.

Congrats on the new house!

~W

 

[Jim K]

High tech locks are good; they keep out the idly curious. Some locks are advertised as pick proof and they may be, but I can't ever remember of a real-life BG picking a lock. Keypads and the like look impressive and are fine until someone punches in a number with a 16-pound sledge.

The bad news is that you really can't keep out someone who wants to get in your home; ramming a stolen truck through the wall is not subtle, but it sure works. The safe is OK, but unless it is very heavy it better be bolted down or they will just steal the safe and worry about opening it later. Put it in the basement and bolt it to the concrete floor (all safes have holes for that purpose).

If there is a difficulty getting a safe where you want it, consider a Zanotti modular safe (www.zanottiarmor.com) which can be assembled in place.

Jim

 

[Shovelhead]

Bars on the windows, and high $$ locks on solid steel doors won't do much when the average BG knows that most stick built houses can be breached by kicking a hole in the wall (Vinyl siding over plywood w/ drywall skinning the inside).

My current and future houses = Brick & Block Construction.

Maybe a large safe in the downstairs, with a small 1 or 2 gun safe in the MBR.

Ed

 

[Zach S]

Troublehead, I wouldnt worry too much about that, plywood isnt exactly easy to kick through, especially with a stud every 16(?) inches. Its a bit too much work for the average BG looking for a score.

 

[HankB]

A safe is one layer of defense. Most safes will deter the casual "smash and grab" type of burglar. If some professionals arrive prepared to break into or cart off a safe, you're in trouble.

Which brings me to layer #2 - concealment. It's a good idea to put your safe in a place where it can't be seen from an open window, or where a plumber, electrician, or other tradesperson will see it. And don't brag to anyone outside your household about the good stuff you've got locked up.

Another layer of defense is a good alarm system. Make sure it's UL rated. You can also put some sort of trap near the safe. (Note - some states explicitly prohibit man traps that may seriously injure a bad guy; but there ARE automatic dispensers of pepper spray or tear gas you might consider.)

If you feel you need bars on the windows, may I suggest you may have made a poor choice in housing location?

 

[El Tejon]

Instead of bars on windows, how about Shatterguard??? Gives some sun shade out there as well. Harder for bears and pumas to invade, but you can still get out in case of fire or mother-in-law.

I put Medeco locks on all of my doors (replaced wooden doors with steel door from Polaris) years ago. The steel doors and Medeco locks saved my skinny pink behind a few years ago. Thus, I'm a big fan.

 

[Linux&Gun Guy]

If I was going to build a house I would have a walk in safe under the slab or if it was a house built into a hill for thermal mass the room would be in the back under the hill. 20ft of dirt and then 3feet of rebar/concreat and then hard steel inch thick would make it very hard to dig. A custom made door with a release lever on the inside would be ideal. Of course the room with the vault door in it would have a steel door with a Medeco lock set into the door. This would make it hard to sledge hammer it. Using a sort of steel box around the lock would make it just large so you could put hand and turn the key but not allow anything but a very long drill bit so no one could drill it out.

Now your probibly thinking thats a bit much but with that much space you can store your guns, ammo and of course gold and silver investment bars(if you have any). Having a mini vault would make it almost impossible to get into it.

 

[NMshooter]

Why put all your stuff in one big safe? In any decent sized collection there are a few serious tools that might actually be put to use, and everything else. The everything else will be ok in a good safe regardless of where in the house that safe is, so long as that safe is not going anywhere. The serious tools you can keep elsewhere, hidden, and locked up or not, as you need. Bars on the windows are ok if the rest of the neighborhood has them, but don't make your house look special if you can avoid it.
Without knowing what part of town I can't give you any specific advice, but it wouldn't hurt to talk to any APD or BCSO folks you might know, to find out if there are any trouble spots around your area. Pyrocanthia could help to make windows in hard to observe places less attractive points of entry. Some kinds of cactus also work quite well. Gravel is very difficult to walk across without making a lot of noise. Try to meet the neighbors and make friends. Good luck with the new house!

 

[JJohnston015]

Thanks for the input. And the congratulations - I'm still in the My god - what have I done phase.

If you feel you need bars on the windows, may I suggest you may have made a poor choice in housing location?

Well, if you feel the need to carry a concealed handgun, may I suggest you may have made a poor choice of where you conduct your daily business? Not to be a smartass, but I'm sure you understand my point....though I suppose bars are akin to open carry, but Shatterguard = concealed.

No basement, either. Houses in New Mexico just don't have them.

I plan to build a Cheyenne Mountain for myself, too, when I hit the lotto, but for now, this is what I have to work with.