My Newest Project - Gun Room Door

Status
Not open for further replies.
Now here is a question, how do you get that in the basement of an existing house?:D


Eventualy when I build my house I'm going to build a gun room. Pouring concrete walls is pretty easy, what do you use for a ceiling? I figure the door is easy to install when its just a foundation, and you can chain it to the machine and lower it in.
 
I am planning a house build soon and a gun /safe room is part of the plan. It seems the best way to get it done is tilt wall, pour the walls on the slab, stand them up and tie together then set another poured- on- slab lid on top, bolted together on the inside. ( My brother built million of square feet of this type of construction.)
I doubt I can find a door like that one , but $2500 gets you a nice Am sec or Browning or other vault door. So a room about 8 x6 feet, a big closet sized room, made of 6 icnh reinforced concrete, with a door like a gun safe, becomes the tornado shelter, "panic room" and firearms and valuables stash . I will probably move an existing safe inside the room, just because.
 
Hatterasguy said:
Now here is a question, how do you get that in the basement of an existing house?:D


Eventualy when I build my house I'm going to build a gun room. Pouring concrete walls is pretty easy, what do you use for a ceiling? I figure the door is easy to install when its just a foundation, and you can chain it to the machine and lower it in.
Click to expand...
How do you get that into...an existing house?

You don't. This is a case of building the house around the safe, kinda like the A-10 Warthog is built around its rotary gun.
 
As a general rule, vault doors only go into buildings before they are built, and out of buildings after they are torn down. If the building is large enough and has the proper flooring, you can take them in and out.

There are always people wanting to sell these doors on E-bay. They are installed in buildings that are over 100 years old, have wood floors with basements, and 36" wide entry doors. These situations make it very difficult (read expensive) to remove these doors in one piece. This is why they are never sold.

Here are a few photos showing the rear:

caperestore34.jpg

caperestore35.jpg

caperestore36.jpg
 
That is sooo cool this has given me more hope for mine. I was just going to paint it. Don't think mine has any of the detail and certainly not the extra reinforcements on the exterior.

Oh, I have a lighter bank vault door, circa the mid/late 1800's. Sitting out in the shop now. Been there since the county court house burned down about 90 years ago and I WILL make a gun room out of it in my shop. Secondary plan is to connect my sub-basements in my shop with a 21' pistol range - only accessible through the room, down to basement. Dreams...

Certainly might now consider plating components to highlight it. Wow that is nice I just keep staring at the pictures.

And the outside hinges only come into play when it is actually open. Look at the horizontal bars that fit into the frame that is what locks it in. Mine only has four, it is a little thing, but still a walkthrough door, probably 18" is what the depth of the wall should be on mine.

Did I mention that was sweet - craftsmanship that is what I love attention to detail, function with beauty.
 
Oh, I have a lighter bank vault door, circa the mid/late 1800's
Click to expand...

What you have is probably what we call a mercantile door. These doors are also not that common because many were removed and scrapped during the WWII war efforts.

We have several of those that we have restored as well. It's a much easier job because of the simplicity of the doors.

If you need any pointers or would like some photos of what those doors could look like, feel free to PM me here or contact me through the link in my signature. I would be happy to help.
 
We see so much shoddy work these days it's a honor to see the work of an actual craftsman.

I looked through your website and found it amazing. You took what has to be arguably the heaviest, most difficult product ever to work with and made it your own.

Keep up the fantastic work and watch your fingers and toes.
 
just to help me align my jealousy with reality could you give us a ball park figure as to what you think it would cost to procure, refurbish and install something like that?

It is beautiful.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
Building a "Gun Room"?
Replies
14
Views
2K
a1abdj
A
J
  • Locked
Vault door?
Replies
15
Views
1K
<SLV>
S
W
  • Locked
Building an economical safe room
Replies
15
Views
4K
The Deer Hunter
T
H
  • Locked
Gun Safe Room Oh My!
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
larry_minn
L
D
  • Locked
(TX) NRA's newest convert: Even a hippie needs a gun
Replies
14
Views
1K
rocky
R
Back
Top