Building a Gun Vault

Adirondack · May 4, 2010, 08:25 PM

I'm building a home either this summer or next and would like to put in a gun vault in the basement. For the basement, I'm using ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) so I'm including a 10' x 10' room in the corner that will be the gun vault. The floor will have radiate heating so the gun vault will have it's own zone and will be kept slightly warmer than the rest of the house to hopefully reduce the chance of condensation.

Has anyone done something similar with ICFs? Any suggestions on fire rated vault doors, designing the ceiling, ventilation, instrumentation, alarm systems or any design suggests would be appreciated, thanks.

a1abdj · May 5, 2010, 10:06 AM

The types of doors can be an interesting point of discussion which I would be happy to go into here, but the other questions really should be answered by a professional (I am one) that will assist with your construction.

Mistakes made in your design can have pretty serious impacts. I do have some photos under the vault section of my website that may give you some ideas.

JonnyP · May 5, 2010, 02:37 PM

I'm not in the construction business, but this sounds like a good idea to me.

However, I've always been under the impression that it's not so much the temperature that keeps condensation away, but rather air circulation. That's why (supposedly) these dry rod thingys put in safes seem to work so well. They heat the air slightly from below so the air is constantly in motion, albeit very slow. That being said, keeping the area a constant temperature while adding a means for air to circulate would seem to me to be ideal.

Good luck!

May 4, 2010, 08:25 PM	#1
Adirondack Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2009 Posts: 107	Building a Gun Vault I'm building a home either this summer or next and would like to put in a gun vault in the basement. For the basement, I'm using ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) so I'm including a 10' x 10' room in the corner that will be the gun vault. The floor will have radiate heating so the gun vault will have it's own zone and will be kept slightly warmer than the rest of the house to hopefully reduce the chance of condensation. Has anyone done something similar with ICFs? Any suggestions on fire rated vault doors, designing the ceiling, ventilation, instrumentation, alarm systems or any design suggests would be appreciated, thanks. __________________ ...probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in the white house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone. John F. Kennedy, Describing a dinner for Nobel Prize winners, 1962

May 5, 2010, 10:06 AM	#2
a1abdj Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: St. Charles, MO Posts: 496	The types of doors can be an interesting point of discussion which I would be happy to go into here, but the other questions really should be answered by a professional (I am one) that will assist with your construction. Mistakes made in your design can have pretty serious impacts. I do have some photos under the vault section of my website that may give you some ideas. __________________ www.zykansafe.com

May 5, 2010, 02:37 PM	#3
JonnyP Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2009 Posts: 195	I'm not in the construction business, but this sounds like a good idea to me. However, I've always been under the impression that it's not so much the temperature that keeps condensation away, but rather air circulation. That's why (supposedly) these dry rod thingys put in safes seem to work so well. They heat the air slightly from below so the air is constantly in motion, albeit very slow. That being said, keeping the area a constant temperature while adding a means for air to circulate would seem to me to be ideal. Good luck!