Gun Room

[Yooper75]

Yesterday I started off with the simple project of building my self a gun rack for my rifles in my little gun closet which then turned into I'm going to put some more shelves for ammo storage in here. Then it turned into I really would like my reloading equipment inside instead of having to trudge to the garage and it's in climate controlled in the summer. So I have this small bedroom in the back of my house with a large patio door exiting onto the deck that I'm going to turn into my gun room over the winter. It will consist of building a large gun cabinet, work bench, and shelves for storage. I will do my best to document the project as it progresses.

[dbljboxer]

Nice, I am looking forward to see pictures. I am planning on building something similar in my basement sometime in the future.

[Mike Erwin]

I would do something about that "large patio door". It provides quick and easy access to your 'gun room'.

Mike

[Yooper75]

Mike, I'm going to talk to local window tint guy in town and get a price on 3M security laminate for the glass.

[LawDog]

I would do something about that "large patio door". It provides quick and easy access to your 'gun room'.Same thought here. A safe might be a good addition.

[Yooper75]

I thought about a safe but the weight of it plus the guns would put it well over a thousand pounds and my house is over a hundred years old so I'm pretty sure the floor joists would not take that kind of concentrated static load. There is a good sized closet that I could utilize and with the doors closed you would never know there is a gun cabinet in it. The doors of the cabinet are going to be made out of 2x oak with triple locking hardware and 1/2in thick lexan in the doors.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=6570&site=ROCKLER

I may even use this on the bifold doors another security measure with the key pad hidden behind a picture or in another locked cabinet.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=30187&site=ROCKLER

I have some other ideas on how to make the room secure. Good ideas guys keep them coming.

[pangloss]

Yooper, you can buy jacks to add additional support to the floor directly beneath the gun safe. I live in a slab foundation house now, but I expect to move within the next 18 months. If I end up in a conventional foundation house next time, I will buy jacks rather than sell my safe.

[Yooper75]

Yooper, you can buy jacks to add additional support to the floor directly beneath the gun safe. I live in a slab foundation house now, but I expect to move within the next 18 months. If I end up in a conventional foundation house next time, I will buy jacks rather than sell my safe.

It's not a full basement, I have what's called a Michigan basement which is a 2ft thick stone mortar foundation wall basement under one part and dirt floor crawl space under the part of the house I will be using for my gun room. That's my only problem but I could pour a small pad for the jacks and that's the least desirable option.

[pangloss]

It's not a full basement, I have what's called a Michigan basement which is a 2ft thick stone mortar foundation wall basement under one part and dirt floor crawl space under the part of the house I will be using for my gun room. That's my only problem but I could pour a small pad for the jacks and that's the least desirable option.

A former coworker or mine leveled the floor in his house (~100 year old, conventional foundation, wood frame) using the jacks. It's been several years now, so I don't remember the details, but I think he dug down about 18 inch for his concrete pads. Digging in the crawl space was a pain though, so I can understand how this may be the least desirable option.

[barnetmill]

A former coworker or mine leveled the floor in his house (~100 year old, conventional foundation, wood frame) using the jacks. It's been several years now, so I don't remember the details, but I think he dug down about 18 inch for his concrete pads. Digging in the crawl space was a pain though, so I can understand how this may be the least desirable option.
In Michigan if the space is not heated you may have to put the supports below the frost line, but it is enclosed, probably not.

[Yooper75]

In Michigan if the space is not heated you may have to put the supports below the frost line, but it is enclosed, probably not.

I have seen frost covering the sand during long stretches of sub zero in the winter.