Jealous of this. I am in an old build and won't...at least at the moment....have the resources to "reconstruct" my closet.

What kind of lock did you put on the door? I am assuming you have a deadbolt if you went through all that effort.

I dont have a deadbolt currently on this door and don't plan to add one. I am thinking a high-grade entry door knoob w/ key entry in a color that matches all our other house hardware...

planoaggie123 said:

---

Jealous of this. I am in an old build and won't...at least at the moment....have the resources to "reconstruct" my closet.

What kind of lock did you put on the door? I am assuming you have a deadbolt if you went through all that effort.

I dont have a deadbolt currently on this door and don't plan to add one. I am thinking a high-grade entry door knoob w/ key entry in a color that matches all our other house hardware...

---

Schlage, with an electronic keypad. Imo, my family needs quick access without worries about where the key is.

I like that idea.

I may start w/ a more simple lock for now but may need to modify door so it can have a deadbolt as it appears most of those keypad systems utilize a deadbolt (ie not attached to just a knob).

Kicking this back up as I'm currently going in a buildout of a house and I'm trying to find a way to have a safe closet in it. This is the back of what will end up being my office.
For scale, the previous full room size was 21x7 and I've got about 6-7 ft of depth to work with after the water heater gets moved. I'm definitely putting a closet on the back wall, but the question is what all will it be utilized for.
The wife wants to make sure we have a space for suitcases, some coats, etc. and I want to add a gun closet as well as it will avoid taking up a downstairs closet for a safe.
Besides the fact that it wouldn't quite look right, based on the roof pitch I can't do side by side b/c I need a full door frame for the safe closet.
That has me thinking that I might be able to do back-to-back if I do like sliding or folding closet doors opening up to a couple ft closet with racks front to back on both sides and a full door frame in the middle leading to the safe closet in the back. I'd have another door leading to the back attic space as I've got to have access and I'll make sure it has a real good moisture seal.
Disregard the massive demo mess in the 2nd pic.
Any thoughts on what might possibly work?

Tell the wife to put the coats, etc downstairs or somewhere else.

If you're going to use it for a safe/weather room, make sure you put some sort of battery powered lighting in there. When the power goes out it gets pretty dark in those interior rooms and if you left your phone in the other room...

Also, if you can, make the door swing inward. If there's damage outside the door, when everything is all over, you can still open the door to get out (or get help getting out).

Once its done, test your phone signal in there. You plan on it to work but if there is an emergency, you need to be able to call to get help if you can't get out. Its also a good idea to let close friends and family know you might be in there in a weather emergency.

Someone in my family has a secured area behind a built in bookshelf they made with a hidden door. They have a key pad tied to an electromagnetic lock. Looking at it, you'd have no idea it was there.

ETA htown, this may be a solution for you. Just put shelving on the back wall of the closet. Let the door swing in so the casing can hide the door edges.

htownag2007 said:

---

Kicking this back up as I'm currently going in a buildout of a house and I'm trying to find a way to have a safe closet in it. This is the back of what will end up being my office.
For scale, the previous full room size was 21x7 and I've got about 6-7 ft of depth to work with after the water heater gets moved. I'm definitely putting a closet on the back wall, but the question is what all will it be utilized for.
The wife wants to make sure we have a space for suitcases, some coats, etc. and I want to add a gun closet as well as it will avoid taking up a downstairs closet for a safe.
Besides the fact that it wouldn't quite look right, based on the roof pitch I can't do side by side b/c I need a full door frame for the safe closet.
That has me thinking that I might be able to do back-to-back if I do like sliding or folding closet doors opening up to a couple ft closet with racks front to back on both sides and a full door frame in the middle leading to the safe closet in the back. I'd have another door leading to the back attic space as I've got to have access and I'll make sure it has a real good moisture seal.
Disregard the massive demo mess in the 2nd pic.
Any thoughts on what might possibly work?

---

Why would you want a safety room in the attic floor, seems to me when the bottom floor gives way everything up top falls? I am genuinely curious not looking to question the idea, just the thought? Is it the only space available?

Great thread to wormhole in for a spell!

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/The-Gun-Room-Picture-Thread/46-264729/?page=30

I've come to realize I don't make nearly enough money

Only space available other than taking up a bedroom closet downstairs for a safe. I'd rather not do that. It's mainly just for firearms, ammo, etc that I don't want the kids getting into. I'll reinforce with thick plywood and fire resistant Sheetrock, but I'm not making a safe chamber by any relative means.

Ohh I've tried. I wish it was that simple. I've also got to throw a bone as a bigger chunk of the $$ in the remodel has found a way into this room.

TX_COWDOC said:

---

Great thread to wormhole in for a spell!

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/The-Gun-Room-Picture-Thread/46-264729/?page=30

---

MFBarnes has got to be in that thread somewhere.

I thought this idea was pretty cool.

I'm a big fan of security through obscurity. Hiding the existence of your gun storage is better than a safe for security in my opinion. Bookshelf door, sliding hall tree cover, things like with a secure door behind for kids safety, etc. That is assuming the missing space isn't obvious at a first glance. You can decide how much wall/door security you need, but ultimately you won't stop the determined thief without a ton of work.

And unless you are going into the high quality safes, fire rating is really a joke in the event is a full house fire with most of the standard consumer level safes. You can get good for rating but it requires a lot of extra space in the safe. You have decide if you really want that or are ok with just insuring things.... All depends on your collection and replaceability vs sentimental values.

Then after you have done it... Don't advertise it to everyone because people do talk. Only show it to people you actual trust not to go around telling everyone else that so and so has this bad ass gun storage closet.

https://qlinedesign.com/concealment-furniture/hiddencompartment-bookcases

These are pretty cool for hidden guns concealed in a bookshelf. It holds a lot more guns than you think.

My suggestion is instead of splitting side by side, have 2 rooms deep. First is wife storage area under the pitches on either side so you keep a clear walk area down the middle. At the end of the walkway is the hidden steel door to the vault room. Using vertical wood trim makes hiding the door pretty easy (see photo).

Do not use this as a weather bunker with it being on the top floor. Not safe.

Get a couple of electrical outlets added around the room and ceiling to plug in cheap led shop lights and dehumidifiers. A couple of battery backup emergency lights isn't a horrible idea.

I walk through with my guy this morning and I'm going to do a pocket door to the coat closet that then leads to a solid door for the gun closet.
Thanks for all the advice

Which would y'all say is better for the gun room: pegboard or slatwall?
I am going to have a little tabletop on one side and I plan on storing ammo underneath that.
Any other suggestions on good storage/organization items to go with?

proc said:

---

I did this same thing about a year ago when I had the luxury of a new build. I took an interior closet in the office and had the contractor make it an F3 rated tornado room/gun safe/safe room. With shelving for the ammo boxes and special liquor bottles.

Basically it has 2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood, opposite grain, walls and ceiling, with drywall on both sides of that. Solid core door, reinforced hinges, combo lock. People cannot really believe it unless they see how wide the interior of the door frame is.

I am very happy with the result. Between the Ring cameras and the "Fraidy Room", I feel the guns are pretty safe.

---

I am adding a room like this to a new build.
I like your idea of a combination keypad door lock.

Did you add stand alone studs or fasten plywood to existing house framing?

My framing walls are 10ft. I plan to have stand alone 2x6 walls wrapped in 2 sheets of plywood cross grained.
Essentially a room built inside a large 8x12' closet.

That way if a tornado twists the framing and the house collapses, the 2x6 standalone walls bear the weight of the collapsed roof.
Plus the gun safes should also hold the weight if there is further collapse.

I've seen plans like this for people converting part of a garage into a tornado room/ closet.