A gun safe can be one of the wisest investments that a gun owner can make. This is the perfect way to be able to protect your firearms, so that you ensure that they are not stolen yet, you are able to access them when you need them, especially during an emergency.
For some, a simple safe just does not work for them. They may have several dozen weapons, making the use of a safe obsolete, or they may want a room where they can not only store their firearms, but all of the accessories that go with them. A place where they can be organized and feel safe about their equipment.
This is where the safe room makes for the perfect choice in your house. A location where you can protect your valuables as well as your family, especially when you are away.
How To Build a Gun Safe Room?
If this sounds like the ideal choice for you, know that your basement can be a great location to build your safe room. Here are the steps you should follow:
#1 Build That Wall.
The building of your safe room starts by choosing to set up the walls to maximize the strength of your existing structure. What this means is that you should be able to interlock the cinderblocks you are using for the safe room with the walls of your basement, giving you the maximum strength to hold your wall in place.
You want this to be a room that is virtually impenetrable, especially if you want to provide a safe room for your family. Steel plates should be used to reinforce the concrete, making it even more difficult for someone to try to access.
Also consider that you need to go beyond building of the wall to cordon off this area. You also need to fortify the ceiling so that a person could not smash their way through the flooring above to enter the safe room.
#2 Ventilate the Room.
Many consider ventilation to be a secondary concern, but you should not think this way. Even if all you intend to do is store in your firearms and other valuables in the room, you want to make sure that there is the proper ventilation to reduce humidity. This can cause rust or corrosion on your firearms, or lead to mold and mildew building up.
If you intend to use this safe room as a location where you and your family can secure themselves in a dangerous situation, then you truly need to make sure the ventilation allows for fresh air to enter the room. Without air you and your family will quickly perish.
Make sure the location where fresh air enters the room is camouflaged on the outside. No sense giving someone a way to try to figure out how to draw you out of that room.
#3 Attach the Door.
There are premade gun vault doors that you can buy out there and you should definitely consider buying one of these. They are already designed maximum strength and durability, and will come with a locking mechanism that fits your personal needs.
You want to choose a locking mechanism for your door that not only secures it in place based upon the wall that you design, but also gives you the easiest access into the safe room when you need it.
The access will be on the outside of the door, and if all you are primarily expecting to use this room for is to secure your firearms, then a standard combination lock may be sufficient. However, if you intend to make this a safe room for your family in an emergency, then a biometric or digital keypad may be the better option.
#4 Build an Additional Room
You may want to consider having a separate room inside your safe room where your guns are stored. This not only gives you additional protection for your firearms, but enables you to allow your children to enter this room while you are working without them having access to the guns.
Many people choose the option of a sliding door that provides a false front into the gun safe itself. That way, no one is even aware that the guns are located in this room.
Additional Considerations
When deciding upon the type of gun safe room you desire, there is also the consideration of what this room will be to you. If you feel that is going to be a place where you and your family may have to hold up in case of a break-in or some other type of emergency, then you may consider adding furniture, shelves to store food and water, and other equipment that can give you 24 hours or more of protection. Here are some things to consider:
- This safe room could be the ideal location in case of severe weather, like tornadoes. Because of how it will be fortified, it would provide a safe place for you and your family to hold up, making the need for furniture, food, and blankets a necessity.
- You may also want to consider adding equipment to this room, such as a Internet connection, television, and radio. This way you can know what is going on outside. The addition of a landline telephone is a good option as well.
- If you intend to do your reloading inside this room, getting a workstation with the equipment you need is a necessity. This can become your safe place to work on your firearms, cleaning them and maintaining them, while also working on cartridge reloading.
- You should also consider adding a generator to this room as well. In the case of a loss of power or if you want to make sure that no one is aware that you are in this safe room, having a generator that will allow you to have power and heat is a necessity.
If you are considering adding things of this nature, then you may need to consider making your safe room a lot larger in size to accommodate all of the furniture and other items.
