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Post by StepfordRenegade on Sept 2, 2014 9:30:36 GMT 10
So we are getting asbestos removed soon and I'm taking the opportunity to redo a couple of wet rooms and make some mods to the house. Downstairs will basically be stripped back to the skeleton of the building except for a storage room/study and entrance foyer downstairs, then redone. At the moment it is ridiculously easy to break into downstairs. I want to put a store room in the center of the house downstairs (I'm guessing it'll be the most temperature stable area). Any tips on building procedures/materials that we could use to make the entire house and storage room more secure? The compromise is it's got to be cheap and easy. We'd rather DIY than pay professionals - we both have a little experience with small projects but are definitely amateurs in the building field so it'd have to be fairly easy to do. Also, while we are at it I am thinking about putting a few extras through the house - we want a laundry chute from the bathroom upstairs to the laundry downstairs, depending on size it'll be a great emergency exit but I'm concerned it'll also be a security risk. I am also thinking of putting a small hidden door that joins the built in wardrobes between our room and our todder's room. I'm thinking it'll be useful along the lines of fire evac and home invasion (we wouldn't have to go into the main hallway to collect the kids and get out of the house). Good idea or a waste of time? Any other things you can think of that we could do while we have all the tools (and the motivation)? My main goals are to increase functionality and security. |
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Post by pheniox17 on Sept 2, 2014 12:02:43 GMT 10
For storage room, have a hunt down for cold room panels (brand new very expensive, 2nd hand, treated like rubbish)
Needs ventilation or becomes a hot box, but would do for that project (I don't know where to get them tho) as once its cool its easy to maintain that temp
Other suggestions... Have fun
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Post by StepfordRenegade on Sept 2, 2014 12:28:31 GMT 10
For storage room, have a hunt down for cold room panels (brand new very expensive, 2nd hand, treated like rubbish) Needs ventilation or becomes a hot box, but would do for that project (I don't know where to get them tho) as once its cool its easy to maintain that temp Other suggestions... Have fun Thanks for the tip about the cold room panels. Any idea where I'd get them? The dump? Or think people would advertise them on gumtree etc? |
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Post by You Must Enter A Name on Sept 2, 2014 12:36:40 GMT 10
Ebay often have them for sale as second hand in bulk lots.
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Post by You Must Enter A Name on Sept 2, 2014 12:37:45 GMT 10
Your house on a slab? or stumps?
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Post by StepfordRenegade on Sept 2, 2014 12:48:06 GMT 10
It's a 2 story house on a concrete slab - the bottom story isn't legal height to make 'official' rooms, but it has plenty of space for garage, storage, laundry etc. At the moment it's asbestos exterior with half of the interior in crappy fake timber cladding.
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Post by pheniox17 on Sept 2, 2014 13:09:54 GMT 10
Safe room, in a corner, made with high grade steal, lined with sand bags... That could be fun to make (will get expensive tho) but fun to design...
Something to play with, on paper just a sealed void area, have a secrete trap door above, and you habe a hinding place, but fire is still dangerous, something worth thought/resurch
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Post by StepfordRenegade on Sept 2, 2014 13:37:01 GMT 10
Safe room, in a corner, made with high grade steal, lined with sand bags... That could be fun to make (will get expensive tho) but fun to design... Something to play with, on paper just a sealed void area, have a secrete trap door above, and you habe a hinding place, but fire is still dangerous, something worth thought/resurch Believe me hubby and I are both into the idea of secret passages, rooms etc... I think he would die of happiness overload if he had a secret passage behind a hidden door. |
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Post by graynomad on Sept 2, 2014 14:05:07 GMT 10
I am also thinking of putting a small hidden door that joins the built in wardrobes between our room and our todder's room. I'm thinking it'll be useful along the lines of fire evac and home invasion (we wouldn't have to go into the main hallway to collect the kids and get out of the house). Good idea or a waste of time? Good idea IMO, and easy to do as the wardrobes probably have a common partition so just cut a hole and add hinges or even just latches of some type so the panel is removed rather than opened. |
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Post by pheniox17 on Sept 2, 2014 14:06:53 GMT 10
Safe room, in a corner, made with high grade steal, lined with sand bags... That could be fun to make (will get expensive tho) but fun to design... Something to play with, on paper just a sealed void area, have a secrete trap door above, and you habe a hinding place, but fire is still dangerous, something worth thought/resurch Believe me hubby and I are both into the idea of secret passages, rooms etc... I think he would die of happiness overload if he had a secret passage behind a hidden door. Then really play with the idea (I assume the ground floor is the same surface area as top floor??) The secret passage isn't too hard with modern lamanates... (Flooring) and the "room" is easy to hide (based on your description of the house, and my mental picture of what the ground floor looks like) But hijacking a little, let's design one  I would put it near the garage (the white walls of the garage will give a false impression on depth) Use 4-5 mm thick steal, for the room, cover with standard walls and on the inside, place sand bags It will be a big box, would need crafty ventilation, (better to try and get the piping a few feet under ground, will cool the air for you) What else in the design concept?? Room for sleeping, and to store power.... Lots to play with (would weld a earth point to the box, and attach it to the houses earth circuit, (just splice with a green wire, in 240v plugs, can do yourself, just make sure none of the splice is exposed with elec tape, good stuff not cheap stuff) Would need lighting, so have a play (would go 12v car type, under body led neon type things) So air, light, need water, food, cooking ability and waste management (portaloo and a Bob, with a hiking stove) and power supply.. Something like my ammo can project with a extra 40w pannel and the biggest battery you can get your grubby hands on... Ohh im jelous In the zombie apoc with just that, you have a few days longer than me |
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Post by pheniox17 on Sept 2, 2014 14:11:03 GMT 10
One thing, fire is still your enemy, house fires get past 1200 degrees c... And toxic smoke will kill you in minutes, but that's another design thing that's outside my current book of helpful info, and the box quickly turns to a oven...
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Post by StepfordRenegade on Sept 2, 2014 17:36:50 GMT 10
Haha pheniox17 I just read your comment to hubby... and I think you guys just became best friends |
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Post by StepfordRenegade on Sept 2, 2014 17:38:30 GMT 10
I am also thinking of putting a small hidden door that joins the built in wardrobes between our room and our todder's room. I'm thinking it'll be useful along the lines of fire evac and home invasion (we wouldn't have to go into the main hallway to collect the kids and get out of the house). Good idea or a waste of time? Good idea IMO, and easy to do as the wardrobes probably have a common partition so just cut a hole and add hinges or even just latches of some type so the panel is removed rather than opened. Yep they share a side wall so I think it'd be easy enough to do. |
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