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BillCA · February 6, 2005, 08:37 AM

One word: Architect

For a concrete vault, you'll need to use steel reinforcing rod ("rebar") spaced about 6" on the horizontal and 8" vertical -- or whatever your local code indicates for structural concrete (like your basement walls). If the local code doesn't specify, 6x8" will work as a general rule. In the event of a structural concrete failure this keeps the material from collapsing. In the event of a thief with a sledgehammer, it prevents him from making a hole large enough to crawl through. How thick do you want the walls? 3" would be minimum IMO and 6" better. Lots of concrete.

One supposes that you'll make this vault with a steel vault door with the steel frame mounted into the concrete. As I think about this, I'd guess that you'd build this into a corner of the basement against 2 of the outside walls to save cost of concrete, right? In that case, there are other considerations...

Is the basement of modern construction with a moisture barrier?
Is it sealed? Are there any cracks in the area?
What kinds of temperature swings do you get between the seasons?
Is the basement finished and heated?
For structural integrity you should do your vault walls in a single pour (session). How will you do that if your walls go to the basement ceiling?
Are there water pipes, heating ducts, gas lines, etc that may have to be moved running along the ceiling of the basement?

The cost of this project could well exceed what it would cost you to just buy one mother of a safe and bolt it to the floor.

If it's a walk-in vault you're thinking of, consider some of the "extra" costs too. Like conduit needed to run electricity into the vault for lighting, dehumidifiers and heating. You should also think about adding a separate conduit for a telephone line and putting a phone in there so it doubles as a safe-room. Adding a coax wire connected to an external cell phone antenna will give you the ability to use a cell phone from inside the steel box in case the phone lines are cut. Inside that same conduit, you can add a 4-wire cable to permit wiring an alarm on the vault.

Then, once you have concrete walls, how do you fasten shelves, racks and such to the walls?

My guess is that the cost of construction will, depending on where you're at, cost more than a large safe. The problem here is how do you get a very large safe into the basement? I don't think most basement stairs will withstand the 1/2 ton weight of a safe.

February 6, 2005, 08:37 AM	#4
BillCA Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2004 Location: Silicon Valley, Ca Posts: 7,117	One word: Architect For a concrete vault, you'll need to use steel reinforcing rod ("rebar") spaced about 6" on the horizontal and 8" vertical -- or whatever your local code indicates for structural concrete (like your basement walls). If the local code doesn't specify, 6x8" will work as a general rule. In the event of a structural concrete failure this keeps the material from collapsing. In the event of a thief with a sledgehammer, it prevents him from making a hole large enough to crawl through. How thick do you want the walls? 3" would be minimum IMO and 6" better. Lots of concrete. One supposes that you'll make this vault with a steel vault door with the steel frame mounted into the concrete. As I think about this, I'd guess that you'd build this into a corner of the basement against 2 of the outside walls to save cost of concrete, right? In that case, there are other considerations... Is the basement of modern construction with a moisture barrier? Is it sealed? Are there any cracks in the area? What kinds of temperature swings do you get between the seasons? Is the basement finished and heated? For structural integrity you should do your vault walls in a single pour (session). How will you do that if your walls go to the basement ceiling? Are there water pipes, heating ducts, gas lines, etc that may have to be moved running along the ceiling of the basement? The cost of this project could well exceed what it would cost you to just buy one mother of a safe and bolt it to the floor. If it's a walk-in vault you're thinking of, consider some of the "extra" costs too. Like conduit needed to run electricity into the vault for lighting, dehumidifiers and heating. You should also think about adding a separate conduit for a telephone line and putting a phone in there so it doubles as a safe-room. Adding a coax wire connected to an external cell phone antenna will give you the ability to use a cell phone from inside the steel box in case the phone lines are cut. Inside that same conduit, you can add a 4-wire cable to permit wiring an alarm on the vault. Then, once you have concrete walls, how do you fasten shelves, racks and such to the walls? My guess is that the cost of construction will, depending on where you're at, cost more than a large safe. The problem here is how do you get a very large safe into the basement? I don't think most basement stairs will withstand the 1/2 ton weight of a safe. __________________ BillCA in CA (Unfortunately)