? about converting closet into gun safe

daveInME

daveInME

New member
I've got a 3' x 3' closet that I don't need.
I do need a secure way to store my guns.

It's on the 2nd floor, 2 of the walls are outside walls, the 3rd wall is on the high far end of the staircase coming upstairs.

I was thing of reenforcing the door jamb and putting a heavy wood / steel door in place of the foldingdoor that's there now. There's a light inside the closet.

has anyone done this, and if so how did it work out?

TIA
 
I'm on my second converted closet right now and it works fine for me, The only problems I've had so far were humidity in a basement closet and no light in the upstairs one both were easy fixes. I left the closet doors on and installed locking knobs and installed a security door behind that. Works great, we don't have a problem here with theft but after I lost a couple of family keepsakes years ago to a thief I don't take chances!
 
I don't see them being no good the way you have them built.

Let's see, thief see's heavy door on closet, now knows there must be something valuable behind door number 1. So all they have to do is kick in the drywall, and they now have access to the closets contents.

I did watch a show on TV a few years back, where they built closet safes. They went as far to drill holes in the studs and put re-rod in the walls, so no chainsaw could cut thru it.
 
Quote:

Let's see, thief see's heavy door on closet, now knows there must be something valuable behind door number 1. So all they have to do is kick in the drywall, and they now have access to the closets contents.




the thing I like abou the location is that there are no internal walls to the closet. to kick the wall in, the thief would have to either put a ladder up to that corner of the 2nd floor from the outside, or use a ladder on the staircase leading up to the 2nd floor.

as far as the "looky the heavy door" I like the idea that BobT said, and keep the flimsy folding door on the outside and hide the heavy door behind it.

OH and there's also the wireless cameras I'm going to be installing, no wires to trace to see where the recorder is stashed. I figure all's I got to do is slow them down for about 20 minutes, by then the cops should have arrived, and they'll have video taped evidence of the breakin.
 
Two layers of 3/4 inch plywood is pretty stout. You might consider lining the walls with some of that heavy wire material they put in concrete. You could event tack weld the sides together. Just be careful not to set the house on fire. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif It's practically a cage when you get done. I put down a heavy canvas tarp. If you have an alarm system you can line the walls with telephone wire to make a circuit. The alarm company can wire it in as another zone and if the wire is cut it trips the alarm. On the second floor you probably wont need to worry about someone cutting through the outside wall, but on a lower level it would be a threat.

Another option is to hid it behind something like a book shelf. If they can't find it they can't steal it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
What about fire protection? This sounds like most of my DIY projects. I will spend $1,000 doing it myself when I could have bought a safe for $600. Good luck
 
You can't keep both doors. The folding door opens out into the room. There is no way to install a door behind that that swings out into the room you are standing in. If it swings into the closet, you will lose most of your storage capacity. To replace the door, you are looking at about $300 in materials. If you are that worried about security, by a safe. If you just want a storage spot for your guns, put a lock on your existing folding door.
 
As much as I like my closet, you may also have one where the hinges are on the outside of the closet door. Pull the hinge pins and the door could come right off. Mine will probably only slow them down.
 
Personally, in your set-up. I'd get some steel deck plate. anchor it to the inside walls with lag-bolts into the studs.

Mount a steel entry door with a deadbolt. That opens "outward" from the closet/gun safe. [I've kicked open three, steel doors, that opened "inward" on emergency calls]. 3-4 kicks, I'm in /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Lastly, nothing, that I'm a ware of is "impervious to fire". Everything can be burnt @ the proper temp.

Get insurance, take pics & serial numbers of your firearms.
 
Quote:

Get insurance, take pics & serial numbers of your firearms.




Insurance is the big thing most homeowners policies won't cover but a couple grand worth of guns or art. Have to get a separate policy for guns and or art
 
i've done a few of these in various ways. If you have the room in the basemnt lay up a block room and fill the cores with concrete and rods. You can buy a steel combination door from several suppliers. Put in a small fan to circulate air and a dehumidifier. This works great. #2 to take a big closet and section off one end. Line the walls with steel sheets (i use 12 ga. ) then do one of 2 things - either go back to the safe door, or use the hidden door trick. Hide a couple of deadbolts into a steel frame door, line the backside with steel and then finish the outside to look like the closet wall. We've even gone so far as to build a small underground addition to a house where a collector had very valuable guns. As for my preferance - i really like the hidden doors. a pro will get into most anything once he finds it, but if he doesn't find it even a pro can't get in
 
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