Vault door options

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  • IndianaSlim

    Sharpshooter
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    3   0   0
    Mar 14, 2009
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    We bought a house a couple years ago with what SHOULD be a vault room in the basement. Poured walls. Poured ceiling. It sits under front porch. Had I built the house I would have installed a vault door during the build.

    I’m finally at a point where I want to get this project under way, but I’m in a little bit of a pickle.

    Vault doors are BIG and HEAVY. A couple I looked at were 1600 lbs and roughly 4’x8’x2’ dimensions. Not an easy move. Coupled with that theres a landing halfway down my basement stairs. The safe guys I’ve spoke with about moving said door down the stairs aren’t sure it’s possible. It will physically fit down the stairs, but the landing makes it incredible difficult, not to mention the integrity of the stairs would be in question with 1,600 lbs of vault door and 6-8 guys moving it.

    Here are my options as I see them right now. Open to other thoughts obviously. Because these all suck.

    1. Stairs. No way to reinforce them without extensive drywall work. Dangerous even if stairs don’t fail especially with landing.

    2. Take porch cap off which exposes vault room. Lower vault door down. Re pour porch cap. This one sucks. Expensive. Chances of getting into stone on front of house when jackhammering porch cap off VERY high.

    3. Take up hardwood. Cut a chunk out of a floor joist. Lower vault door down (how?). Repair. This sucks too. How do you lower it down? I’m NOT a carpenter. Then the whole open floor in front entrance to make/fix/walk around for a time. Not to mention we won’t be able to match floor if we hurt it which we undoubtedly will.

    4. We THINK if we remove a basement egress window we could possibly get it through on an angle. Again, this is a maybe. Requires outside excavation. Window, window frame, window well etc removal and replacement. This one sucks too and I really don’t think it fits this way anyway if I’m being honest.

    5. Buy a regular steel door and somehow lock/secure it to make it as difficult as possible to get into? Less security, less fire protection, etc etc

    Am I missing something stupid obvious here or am I up a certain 4 letter creek without so much as a broken 2x4 to paddle with?
     

    ultra...good

    Shooter
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    Dec 30, 2012
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    Option 4. If the existing window is not big enough, you can always have it cut more so your door will fit in. Avoids messing with as much of the finished area of the house as possible, and you can use an end-loader or bob-cat or what ever equipment to lower the door into the basement.

    Lay down some heavy 2X's in the bottom of the hole, put some pipes on top of that, set the door on the pipes and roll it in.
     

    IndianaSlim

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    Mar 14, 2009
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    Option 6?

    Not that door exactly (wrong size opening), but I may start looking for a lighter door and just take it down the stairs instead of re inventing the wheel moving one that weighs as much as a Toyota ‍♂️♂️
     

    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
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    35   0   0
    May 12, 2013
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    Camby area
    I'll be unpopular. Do you really NEEED a 1600lb vault door? Wouldnt a hardended exterior steel door be adequate?

    Even better. Hide the steel door. You said its outside the footprint of the house. That is a prime candidate for a false wall. Build a false wall with a recessed exterior steel door. hinged bookcase for example.

    If the room is outside the foundation, your best bet is to secure it with a good door and HIDE that door. The average person is gonna see the foundation walls and not look beyond them.
     

    darkkevin

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    Dec 25, 2010
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    crown point
    snapsafe door is my likely investment. look up panic room doors as well, the operate like the safe door with multiple bolts but utilize a more normal handle instead of the "look at me" a safe style door gives you. the even make wood overlaid models that wouldn't look suspicious to the average moe.
     

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    Tula47

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    Jun 28, 2013
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    Knox Co.
    I got to mess with snap safe door at SHOT last year. They seem pretty neat for the money. I have some of their other products and there customer service is excellent (it's a Hornady company) but they are made in China.

    A friend of mine uses a heavy exterior steel door with a jail door in front of it. He had a local welding shop fab the door and frame. The set up works well.
     

    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
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    How About A fire Resistant Heavy Steel Door With A good locking System and Buy A security System
    yes. A commercial exterior steel door with a steel frame properly secured to the studs will take a while for someone to get through. Another vote for a security system. And make sure the door is labeled in the security system. When the alarm company contacts dispatch and tells them the alarm is on "gun vault door" that info gets passed on to responding officers. I get the feeling they will double time it knowing whats being accessed.
     

    Thor

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    Jan 18, 2014
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    Could be anywhere
    You could always make (or have made) an iron studded wooden door out of hardwood...think castle drawbridge. Unless they bring a battering ram and host to wield it they'll need some serious cutting tools to get through (and need to get them into your basement). It could either be hidden or a feature. Burn through time would probably be as good as most safes. Made out of 3 or more layers of wood set in different directions (vertical, horizontal & diagonal) they are very resilient. Between the layers I'd put a flame resistant foil.

    Good luck! I had a similar room in my house with one exterior non poured wall...I turned it into a sauna.
     

    mike4sigs

    Master
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    34   2   0
    Jan 24, 2009
    1,506
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    Southern Adams County
    yes. A commercial exterior steel door with a steel frame properly secured to the studs will take a while for someone to get through. Another vote for a security system. And make sure the door is labeled in the security system. When the alarm company contacts dispatch and tells them the alarm is on "gun vault door" that info gets passed on to responding officers. I get the feeling they will double time it knowing whats being accessed.
    Don't want to high Jack the Thread and make it into An alarm System Thread But This is a good idea
     

    DRob

    Grandmaster
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    Aug 2, 2008
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    Southside of Indy
    I notice the Snap Safe door is an "outswing" door. If this vault room is to double as a "storm shelter", outswing is a bad idea. You don't want to be inside when the door cannot be opened due to debris. If it's just a big safe, swing it the way you want to.
     

    IndianaSlim

    Sharpshooter
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    3   0   0
    Mar 14, 2009
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    Thanks for the input guys. I think there’s a solution here that uses a little of everyone’s ideas. I knew I had tunnel vision and I knew where to ask!
     

    JettaKnight

    Я з Україною
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    6   0   0
    Oct 13, 2010
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    Fort Wayne
    Call Doug over at Smith Security. He's just south of Toledo and can make something that meets your needs if it not standard.
    I got one from him for my basement vault and we took it down the stairs without much problem. I couldn't be happier with my choice (well, TBH, there is a smudge in the paint at a corner)


    The SnapSafe ones are cool, but really those for for reinforcing a closet, not a serious vault. Same with anything wood or security grade doors. Even a lightweight vault door is miles ahead of those options and not a huge increase in price.


    Is that door opening really 4'x8'?
     

    Indy_Hunter68

    Marksman
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    1   0   0
    Aug 24, 2010
    152
    18
    Greenfield
    We bought a house a couple years ago with what SHOULD be a vault room in the basement. Poured walls. Poured ceiling. It sits under front porch. Had I built the house I would have installed a vault door during the build.

    I’m finally at a point where I want to get this project under way, but I’m in a little bit of a pickle.

    Vault doors are BIG and HEAVY. A couple I looked at were 1600 lbs and roughly 4’x8’x2’ dimensions. Not an easy move. Coupled with that theres a landing halfway down my basement stairs. The safe guys I’ve spoke with about moving said door down the stairs aren’t sure it’s possible. It will physically fit down the stairs, but the landing makes it incredible difficult, not to mention the integrity of the stairs would be in question with 1,600 lbs of vault door and 6-8 guys moving it.

    Here are my options as I see them right now. Open to other thoughts obviously. Because these all suck.

    1. Stairs. No way to reinforce them without extensive drywall work. Dangerous even if stairs don’t fail especially with landing.

    2. Take porch cap off which exposes vault room. Lower vault door down. Re pour porch cap. This one sucks. Expensive. Chances of getting into stone on front of house when jackhammering porch cap off VERY high.

    3. Take up hardwood. Cut a chunk out of a floor joist. Lower vault door down (how?). Repair. This sucks too. How do you lower it down? I’m NOT a carpenter. Then the whole open floor in front entrance to make/fix/walk around for a time. Not to mention we won’t be able to match floor if we hurt it which we undoubtedly will.

    4. We THINK if we remove a basement egress window we could possibly get it through on an angle. Again, this is a maybe. Requires outside excavation. Window, window frame, window well etc removal and replacement. This one sucks too and I really don’t think it fits this way anyway if I’m being honest.

    5. Buy a regular steel door and somehow lock/secure it to make it as difficult as possible to get into? Less security, less fire protection, etc etc

    Am I missing something stupid obvious here or am I up a certain 4 letter creek without so much as a broken 2x4 to paddle with?
    I work in the commercial door industry. We have provided 14 gage steel doors with reinforcements for evidence lockers, secure IT rooms and the like. Weight comes in around 280lbs, depending n the exact size, etc. Would be glad to help you out with this, if interested.
     

    IndianaSlim

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Mar 14, 2009
    486
    18
    Call Doug over at Smith Security. He's just south of Toledo and can make something that meets your needs if it not standard.
    I got one from him for my basement vault and we took it down the stairs without much problem. I couldn't be happier with my choice (well, TBH, there is a smudge in the paint at a corner)


    The SnapSafe ones are cool, but really those for for reinforcing a closet, not a serious vault. Same with anything wood or security grade doors. Even a lightweight vault door is miles ahead of those options and not a huge increase in price.


    Is that door opening really 4'x8'?
    The door opening isn’t 4x8 (42x84) but the vault door comes in a box that’s 4x8 that includes frame etc.
     
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