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Need ideas for a false door

smooth_operatorsmooth_operator Member Posts: 227 ✭✭✭
edited January 2002 in Ask the Experts
After 9 years of working a blue collar job, I am finally in the process of acquiring my first house... which brings me to this question: Does anyone here have a false door that leaves to a refuge in their home? I have an extremely deep coat closet in the house I'm purchasing and was thinking of turning half of it into a inconspicuous saferoom.Any ideas?thanks,-smooth
Life is the leading cause of death.Everything else is just a contributing factor.
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Comments

  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    I did this. What I did was put in a few 2X2 uprights about three feet from the back of the closet, then cover them over with 1X8 boards. Every few feet along this I ran vertical 1" molding strips. One section of the 1X8 paneling is actually a door, with the hinges on the inside. An inside latch holds it shut. The latch is a spring tension model, and I have a wire running up from the latch to a coat hanger (screw into the wall type). There are 4 coat hangers on the wall, but if you pull on the one attached to the latch (no one would as I have a pair of dirty underwear hanging on it), it opens the door. For added effect I put in a false heater grate. I could draw the plans and send them via email as a JPG file if you want. My email is endofwork@msn.com.
    "...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.
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  • Richie RichRichie Rich Member Posts: 439 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    yep, In my house growing up as a kid dad had cut the wood paneling and used the tabs that you screw to one side and the other has a magnet on it. then put some coats ion front of it and you never know. HOWEVER you just can't beat a good ole gun safe though. I know you just blew the wad on the escrow fees and the ins and the closing cost and painting and and and and........good luckPs: on the idea go from seam to seam if you can so it's not so obvious.Rich
    Remember,"your woman may not find you handsome, But atleast she'll find ya handy". I love that show..............
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  • smooth_operatorsmooth_operator Member Posts: 227 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Jonk, I'd like to take you on that offer for the plans...sent you an email a few mins ago.Rich, hehehe...I dont even want to think aobut those closing expenses...makes the voices in my head talk louder.thanks guys, and if anyone else has any ideas I would appreciate the input.-smooth
    Life is the leading cause of death.Everything else is just a contributing factor.
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  • turboturbo Member Posts: 820 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I've designed a couple, one was into a closet from the master bedroom, it was a pair of by pass mirrored doors, that when closed, looked like a simple closet 8' wide, however when you slid open the right side (closest to the side intersecting) wall you could walk into the closet and entered into a large room where the bathroom and dressing area was located, together with a gun safe. When you slid the left door open, it looked like a regular closet with a pole for upper and lower hangers, it was 48" wide, 2' deep, with two pieces of 3/4" plywood I hung on a trac, these were the backing to guive it a back wall afect, the right bypass plywood had a lock which when closed created a backing affect for the right side, we also had a pole that which could be put up at about 5' off the florr and I hung clothing on it when we left on an extended trip, even had a shelf, and after putting on to of the close pole we would put boxes and things up there. After about 2 years I took everything of and restored it the way it was, I liked it, but my wife didn't.The other door design, openeing led into an armory at the bottom of a straight stariwell, it was a solid steel door with a metal frame, the door did not have a doorknob, it had two bar locks, with a square crank key lock, of my own design.The door was fire proof very heavy, I had to design the hinges as the door slid back about 8" after unlatching it, before it could swing.The door have a book shelf type cabinet, hanging on the face of it, thats why the door had to slide back, before swinging.When locked it look like an ordinary booksheld, buried about 4" into the wall.The trim around this bookshelf, was on the face of the steel frame, which matched the cabinet, and hid the door quite nicely.I put a kitchen exhaust fan in there over the countertop, where I did all my casting and loading. When we sold this house I replaced the door with a hollow core door and painted to match the others. It made a nice study area.Our new house, I just keep the safe in the spare room, out in the open, it's to heavy to mess with.Hope this gives you some ideas.
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