Safe room?

and if you do have a safe room that is fire and smoke proof, what do you call it?... an Oven!

 

Couldn't you just hire a maid, security guard, driver (all in one person) and call it a day?

 

Totally disagree. Had one in the house I rented while Typhoon Yolanda was passing overhead (not in Dumaguete though so maybe not needed here). When a Super Typhoon is passing overhead It is very comforting to have a safe room. It was located in the middle of the house with no windows and no doors leading to the exterior of the building. Two solid core doors and the rest all concrete. If someone tries to bust through door number one you can escape out door number two so unless there is a gang who know the layout of the house and the escape routes you would be very safe in that safe room. Access from either the living room or the bedroom, in fact you had to pass through the safe room to get to the master bedroom. Very well thought out and cost next to nothing to add into the house provided it is designed right.

 

I call her "WIFE" (Just DON'T tell HER THAT!)

 

And I have this crazy idea of releasing the dogs from their secret chamber once I'm in the safe room

I think it will take a lot of trial and error before I get comfortable with other people living in the same house.
I get excellent health check results every year so under normal circumstances, I can be the maid for a while but maybe hire a couple of hours a week for some stuff.

I once hired a security guard on a two-month stay when my kids were little. The dogs went crazy barking but he was still asleep. When we woke him up, he wasted one bullet up into the sky and the thief ran leaving his flip flops. Having a security guard gives people the idea that you are rich. The same is true with elaborate building defenses. imho

I know it sounds crazy but I'm really thinking about it. I know I can't afford the ones I see on tv. I envy those of you who have knowledge in construction-- to build something extra that nobody would know, and that is after the engineer and his crew have done the major job.

 

I can NOT! Just the thought of having someone else living/staying in my house, someone who is not a close friend (that has not turned out well for me either in the past!) doing everything for me. I watch TV and I CANNOT relate to how the rich are purported to live with a full staff on hand, not sure IF it is REALLY like that here for those with money, but thanks, but no thanks!

My ex-Fiance (Filipina) assumed we would have a Maid, Yaya, Driver, Cook, Guard, the entire entourage! When I told her; "no No NO!" She was HUH? I told her in Australia; we do everything ourselves, cooking, cleaning, caring for the kids, washing clothes, washing dishes, mowing the lawn, WE DO IT! She IS my ex!

I do not think it has to be a "Liam Neeson" hostage type escape room, it can be simple and effective, I plan to do our bedroom simply by installing a metal gate/grille to our doorway with a steel frame, bolted to the entry way so that it is set in reinforced secure concrete, very SIMPLE idea which should make it very hard for someone to enter our (safe) Bedroom area even using a sledge hammer. (Now if they bring an Oxy Cutter I am screwed! lol) Simply close and lock at night when asleep or when you enter make it simple enough to be able to quickly lock, and set it up in a way where they cannot reach through and unlock. I also plan to install a Landline (due to poor mobile reception here) when it becomes available so that I can simply phone Police from my room should a situation require assistance. (Yeah know the logistics there also)

In the case of a Typhoon emergency, our CR/Shower room is very VERY STURDY in its (simple) reinforced block construction, and often it is advised that the CR is the safest room to be in should you be facing wind destroying weather. Safety does not mean it needs to look like Fort Knox, google online for simple ways to making your home safer, there is a MOTZZA LOAD of info out there advising what to use and what not to use!

Example: I bought an expensive Door handle with Dead Lock and a standard Door knob. Discovered that someone had simply bent the cheaper Door knob down which stopped the lock from working and meant you could simply turn the handle and open our door! But I fitted Slide Locks inside that go a good way into a Cement/Block Wall I made for the TV Stand which meant they could not open the door at all, thankfully I did that otherwise I do not know what the outcome might have been. I have fitted slide locks to the other door also now and have strengthened where the bolt slides in so make it much harder to kick the door in. Simple things can go a long way towards helping you sleep at night.

 

Absolutely right. In fact the safe room I mentioned doubled as an extra bedroom when loads of the gf's family members were sleeping over. That did not happen often, but there were times when we were throwing a family party and it was too far for them all to go home drunk. Unfortunately I always had to get 'strict' that they go home the next day or they would stay as long as the food and booze lasted.

 

This would be my idea of a safe room, if the money allowed for it: An underground room, accessed by a false base in a kitchen cabinet (or similar) .... two tunnels leading off; one to a nearby small house/room (within my plot and itself made as a very safe house) where there is a roof-top mounted machine gun to get the b*st*rds as they come out of my house (which they will as the house will have gas output I can operate from my safe room and small safe house (probably by mobile phone, so can be switched on from anywhere with a signal)) ..... the other tunnel leads into a wooded area near my house (in case the first tunnel gets blocked) from where I can escape. Or more simply and cheaper I could just do what the locals do ... pray ... then nothing can happen to me!

 

I tend to agree with most that a safe room is not really necessary if you built your house solid. A security door, barred windows that are solid should be more than enough. Wireless security alarm systems are very cheap and a novice can install them as well. There are also "dummy" cameras that you can install here and there that could also act as a deterrent.

Most thieves are lazy and looking for an easy opportunity in my opinion but if someone truly wanted to get into your house and were well prepared most likely they would get in. I know my house is pretty solid, but I know how to get in if needed and if someone was set on getting in they probably would figure out a way.

Also, if you were worried about typhoons and such a solid house from the get go should keep you safe in my opinion. There has not been a serious typhoon since I built my house but I'm pretty sure some of our neighbors would be outside our gate looking for safe haven if one was coming.

I've been part of a number of secure facility builds over the years so it is not too terribly difficult if someone had their heart set on a safe room...I'd be willing to bet Mr. Google would have some designs out there.

Shawn

 

Thank you all for the brilliant ideas. We can't afford a solid reinforced concrete for the whole house so I like Brian's idea of the bathroom and perhaps we should invest on that area.