# panic room



## mommywoman (May 20, 2012)

I am thinking about making a panic room, the kind of room if someone has broken in, etc that you would go into. I've starting researching the idea but wondered if anyone had any suggestions on this, like what should be inside. I'm thinking it would also make a good storm cellar.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

how big of a space do you have for this, and how much do you want to invest ?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Just Google Panic room, lots of ideas will pop up.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

And medicine cabinet sizes to go in panic room. You will need meds confined. You will never, ever know when it is safe to go outside again.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Video monitoring/recording system to survey whats happening outside of the room, and for when its safe to come outside.


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## mommywoman (May 20, 2012)

I would definitely need a camera to see what's happening outside the room. And yeah, medication storage (thank you). I expect to spend about 30-40k. From what I see, that would be sufficient. I'm thinking no smaller than 15x15. It's just my husband and I so it wouldn't have to be huge, but large enough to be comfortable for several hours to maybe 2 days at most. I was surprised to find out how many people are getting these. From what I have read, a lot of people started getting them built after 09/11. This isn't something I plan to do like next week or even next month. I would want to research this some more. Apparently there are security companies that specialize in these so I need to also find some different companies and see what they have to say and talk money and of course they would (hopefully) know what they are doing. This could also serve as a storm shelter. Thanks for the suggestions. Incidentally, I googled this a long time ago.


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## tylernt (Jul 5, 2012)

mommywoman said:


> I expect to spend about 30-40k. From what I see, that would be sufficient.


Wow.

If I was doing it, I'd have the floor reinforced and then clad the entire room -- walls and ceiling -- in plate steel with welded seams. 1/4" thick would probably be enough. I'm completely serious -- if you're going to the effort to build a panic room, you don't want it to be defeated in 3 minutes by Jack Nicholson with a fire axe coming in through the thin drywall on either side of the door. The steel should also stand up the house collapsing around it (not sure how you'd get out, though). If not steel, then make the walls from 2x6 studs spaced about 1.5" on center (i.e., no gap between studs).

Be sure to include ventilation so you don't suffocate. Code may also require a fire egress, ask your AHJ when you pull the permit.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

tylernt said:


> Wow.
> 
> If I was doing it, I'd have the floor reinforced and then clad the entire room -- walls and ceiling -- in plate steel with welded seams. 1/4" thick would probably be enough. I'm completely serious -- if you're going to the effort to build a panic room, you don't want it to be defeated in 3 minutes by Jack Nicholson with a fire axe coming in through the thin drywall on either side of the door. The steel should also stand up the house collapsing around it (not sure how you'd get out, though). If not steel, then make the walls from 2x6 studs spaced about 1.5" on center (i.e., no gap between studs).
> 
> Be sure to include ventilation so you don't suffocate. Code may also require a fire egress, ask your AHJ when you pull the permit.


Concrete walls, floor and ceiling.

A cutting torch would make short work of steel without making noise that neighbors could hear. A circ saw would open a stick framed room real quick, and few neighbors if any would hear it.

Re-enforced concrete will take hours to gt through unless their using explosives. And the neighbors would probably hear the noise.


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## LVDIY (Mar 28, 2011)

Who's after you guys?

If you're worried about people who comes prepared with a cutting torch to cut through your steel enforced panic room, then you have some pretty serious beef with whoever is chasing you.

Maybe time to look into the witness protection program instead...

Or get a dog and a gun. It will cost a lot less than a panic room, and they'll protect you outside the home as well.

If you still want to get a panic room, you would also have to get some sort of perimeter alarm system so that you can get alerted of any intruders and allow you enough time to get to the panic room.

What kind of situations are you primarily trying to protect yourself against?


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

A panic room is to protect your against intruders. So you need to build it to keep them out.


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## LVDIY (Mar 28, 2011)

beenthere said:


> A panic room is to protect your against intruders. So you need to build it to keep them out.


I understand that, I'm just wondering exactly what kind of situations that would bring an intruder armed with a cutting torch to break into your panic room. 

For that to happen, I think you would have to be a very specific target in which case it would probably be easier to get to you while you are out and about driving around in your car and what not.

Maybe the OP has some specific concerns, to me it seems like $40.000 is a lot of money to spend on something that in most cases would be a very small risk. There are a lot of other risk management measures I would take before building a panic room.

But since this is a DIY forum and not a personal risk management forum, I agree that re enforced concrete walls is the way to go. Make them 2 feet thick so that it can double as a fallout shelter.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

LVDIY said:


> I understand that, I'm just wondering exactly what kind of situations that would bring an intruder armed with a cutting torch to break into your panic room.
> 
> For that to happen, I think you would have to be a very specific target in which case it would probably be easier to get to you while you are out and about driving around in your car and what not.
> 
> ...



Most DIYer will have a circ saw, or other cutting tools that can easily open up a stick and frame room. Many will have a cutting torch. Most won't happen to have C4 or dynamite handi to blow open the concrete. 

Panic rooms are generally only for short term protection if an intruder breaks into the home, until the police can get there. Some people do keep enough store to wait out a power and communication outage, whee looting is rampant. 

How much protection anyone needs is dependent on where they live.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

My panic room is also known as a gun cabinet. It's kind of small so I don't plan to stay inside it. It's contents actually transfers panic to the intruder :gunsmilie:


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

You all watch too much tv.

Panic should set in only when the feezer has been depleted of Haggen Daz


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

creeper said:


> You all watch too much tv.
> 
> Panic should set in only when the feezer has been depleted of Haggen Daz


Panic sets in when the beer gets warm. LOL


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## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

beenthere said:


> Panic sets in when the beer gets warm. LOL


i'm good till spring then.:thumbsup:


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## Dillonz (Nov 24, 2012)

sdsester said:


> And medicine cabinet sizes to go in panic room. You will need meds confined. You will never, ever know when it is safe to go outside again.


If you have the money for a closed circuit camera system you will. At the very least have baby monitors set up in every room and a receiver in the panic room so you can _hear_ when it's to come out.


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