|
|
Post by springfieldxdm on Nov 21, 2015 20:51:12 GMT -5
In my small basement I'm looking to add a small safe room. Three sides will be the concrete basement walls, with the fourth abutting the stairwell. Blocking this wall is not an option, nor is concrete forms. Given my limitations I was thinking 1/2" plywood on the outside of the studded wall beneath the drywall.
Just have to find an awesome door that swings out also. Have an old school security door with metal jam that will work but the wife doesn't like the hard core industrial look.
Anybody do something like this? Any tips?
Not really a survivalist just want a super secure reloading area that may deter a theif. At least piss them off and make them work for it.
|
|
|
|
Post by hacker54 on Nov 21, 2015 23:10:38 GMT -5
Springfield,
If you are looking into a strong wall I think I would go for 3/4 inch plywood. Most exterior sheeting on the outside of homes is 3/4". What are you demensions for this?
|
|
|
|
Post by springfieldxdm on Nov 22, 2015 15:22:44 GMT -5
Room will be 15'x10'. It will be mainly my reloading room, but could double as a panic room for the wife and kids for a secure area. It's in the back part of the basement out of the way and well protected by the house. The wall to be built will need to be about 15' long and include a door.
A local shooter had a basement room that was broken in to And lost a few toys. They saw his safe grade door and instead kicked through the drywall and packed his stuff out through the new hole.
|
|
|
|
Post by hacker54 on Nov 22, 2015 16:05:12 GMT -5
Springfield,
I would definitely go with the 3/4" since that local guy had his troubles. Bad guys would have to really have to try to break through 3/4" stuff. OK here is a suggestion since only one wall is going to be the plywood so why not do inside and outside. I am guessing that you will be framing this out.
|
|
gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
|
Post by gws on Nov 22, 2015 20:22:49 GMT -5
Hacker is on the right track, but I'd go a little further. Having been building houses and commercial blgs. for over 40 years, I've learned a few things about materials and their ability to secure. First the wall...2X4's 12" on center....5/8" drywall only on the inside (for fire resistance)...... TWO layers of 3/4" plywood (not OSB) on the outside, beneath, again, fire-rated 5/8" drywall. Nail the first layer on with 8 D nails 10" apart, then nail the second layer with 16D nails same spacing. Before you cover the wall framing with plywood & rock, anchor the bottom plates with 3/8" drop-in anchors 1 in every other space. Single top plates, once plumbed, shim if necessary and drive 2 or 3 3" deck screws into each floor joist above. That wall is more secure than block. Door is the weak part. Only a solid slab door is secure. I'd open it from the inside.....hides the heavy-duty hinges (three minimum four even better). It if was mine, I'd build the solid wood door, hinge it securely, 1/4" away from the door stops. Then I'd add 1/4" steel plate to the outside of the door. Secure the plate with carriage bolts drilled clear through the plate and wood with nuts and washers on the inside. Locks? Two keyed dead bolts (commercial weight) top and bottom. (thumb latch inside) and a passage lock in the center. (with the steel plate I doubt there will be any successful prying in the middle). On the outside a sliding bookcase over the door would be nice.  Oh, and if this is to protect you from Zombies or worse, make steel bars to drop across the inside of the doors. OH! I didn't address door frame....I'd make it out of 2x8's (ripped 1" off) with 3/4"x3/4" "L" steel stops screwed in where the closed door covers the screws. 1Drop-in anchors or not: You use them by drilling (wood bit) through the bottom 2x4 plate....then drill 3/8 masonry bit in a hammer drill, into the concrete floor, the depth of the anchors......drop them in......then using the anchor driver that comes with the anchors, hammer the drop-in's tight. Then screw in 3/8" screws/washers tight. That wall isn't going anywhere. ( or you can do it the cheap way.....drill the same holes...maybe a little deeper and just drive in 3/8" rebar pieces cut to fit.....they won't go anywhere either!  )
|
|
|
|
Post by springfieldxdm on Nov 22, 2015 20:45:31 GMT -5
That is the awesome responses that I was hoping for. Buy the way GWS, when searching safe room images on google your reloading room pics keep coming up.
Not a zombie type of guy, would be nice for extreme storms or if a bg broke in and the wife didn't want to play commando with the shotgun. Who knows I might even take some advice and put a few cans of beans and some water in there.
|
|
gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
|
Post by gws on Nov 23, 2015 0:31:56 GMT -5
Really?!.....I got curious and searched "safe rooms" and pictures, and couldn't find my reloading room even once. Sure you don't have someone else's room? Mine's just a converted garage....and certainly not in the "safe room" caliber.  |
|
poohzilla
Member
Give me a place to stand and a long-enough lever, and I will invariably break the lever.
Posts: 1,050 
Location: New Hamster
|
Post by poohzilla on Nov 23, 2015 12:14:23 GMT -5
Greg, that is a heck of a wall ! I do like the idea of concealing it, however.
|
|
gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
|
Post by gws on Nov 23, 2015 13:03:05 GMT -5
Ha ha! I know Pooh.....sounds like work.....but he wanted something secure. I built several such "secret" rooms for people over the years. One guy is a local gold and coin merchant and had such a thing built in the big home I built for him. As for me.....I don't have such a thing. I'd rather die fighting than keep cooped up in a single safe room. Claustrophobia is my enemy, you know. I'd go crazy.....and maybe start eating zombies. I hate caves too.....heck I Hate cloudy days when there too many of them together......then the other extreme.....MRI's.....had to do that twice......pure torture.  Click, Click, Click, Clang, Click, Clang, Click, Joo, Joo, Joo, Joo, Clang, Clang Clang, Click, Clang, Click Clang, Click, Joo, Joo, Joo, Joo.....for 10 minutes at 120 decibels tied down in an extremely brightly lit tube...............shoot....water boarding can't be any worse!  |
|
poohzilla
Member
Give me a place to stand and a long-enough lever, and I will invariably break the lever.
Posts: 1,050
Location: New Hamster
|
Post by poohzilla on Nov 23, 2015 18:22:48 GMT -5
Greg, I think the Maginot Line wasn't as well built ! The MRI thing--I'm glad I'm not the only one who found that difficult. Bad habit of mine-I always look for the exit. There wasn't one. The doc was interested in how my heart looked, so I had to breathe in a certain sequence. I got through it by visualizing myself at Camp Perry, shooting an offhand string. He complimented me on my breath control. (I would have liked a nice shot of bourbon, but the circumstances didn't allow.) Not fun at all, but it did put off my chest being cracked...
|
|
|
|
Post by springfieldxdm on Nov 23, 2015 18:23:05 GMT -5
Possibly the search parameters "safe + reloading + room". Got a lot of other rooms also. Your bench and the CO2 can in the corner always stuck with me. Your bench is always so clean and green with equipment. Maybe because your are a safe reloader? :-)
|
|
gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
|
Post by gws on Nov 23, 2015 19:35:55 GMT -5
LOL!!! Me? Safe?.......well I try to be, yes, but as you get older it gets harder.....your forget stuff. My clean bench is a rare thing.....happens when I'm taking pictures of a project.....and when my wife says enough is enough! Tell you what.....as you get older progressives look better and better......so I got the Pro 2000, then I found that there were so many steps to keep track of at once, that I started building a bullet and case feeder for it. Not to beat the YouTube speed war, but to make there be less steps to have to juggle at one time. It worked! But one thing leads to another......case prep had to speed up, did that, now I'm thinking about an automatic annealer this winter......it never ends. Example of old age and progressives without feeders? The first week I had my Pro 2000, I demoed it to another old fart who plays with a Dillon 650. It was impressive.......until I finished the second 25 rounds of .45ACP.....for which I forgot to add another primer strip of 25 primers. My friend picked up a finished case and Unique started trickling out the bottom..  He laughed........but not as hard as I did when he demoed his 650 Dillon the next day. We were picking up 100 primers from one end of the room to the other.......and that was after sweeping up the powder he dumped out the bottom of his powder measure.......I'm still ahead. Moral of the story.....don't demo your progressive until you have it learned down to a gnat's eyebrow. Pooh, It didn't keep them from sawing my ribs open......I don't wish that experience on anyone.....if you are eating good food.....spit it out and eat only lettuce and carrots, fish and garlic cloves.....or....... you can enjoy life and not worry about it..... and die with a smile on your face. |
|
Oh, and if this is to protect you from Zombies or worse, make steel bars to drop across the inside of the doors.
)
Click, Click, Click, Clang, Click, Clang, Click, Joo, Joo, Joo, Joo, Clang, Clang Clang, Click, Clang, Click Clang, Click, Joo, Joo, Joo, Joo.....for 10 minutes at 120 decibels tied down in an extremely brightly lit tube...............shoot....water boarding can't be any worse! 
He laughed........but not as hard as I did when he demoed his 650 Dillon the next day. We were picking up 100 primers from one end of the room to the other.......and that was after sweeping up the powder he dumped out the bottom of his powder measure.......I'm still ahead. Moral of the story.....don't demo your progressive until you have it learned down to a gnat's eyebrow.
My daughter came from Missouri, my son and grand son, my wife and I had a nice dinner of grilled "porter house" pork chops, corn on the cobb, my son, G'son and I share 10/5. G'son is 4 minutes early though @ 10/4.
Pooh I hope you find to right house . 
