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Letter Re: Hidden Rooms and Compartments--Conning the Burglars
James:
Many people are worried about the security of their food, supplies,
arms, etc., at retreats where they do not live. Burglars are usually
working against a clock. This helps keep some items safe. But when a burglar
has watched your retreat location and
sees no one coming and going...time is on his side. With enough time,
any door, lock, container can be opened---and all your stuff now belongs
to him.
One thing we need to do is use your imagination--really use it.
If your retreat has a basement, the door to the basement will be found
by a burglar with enough time. Answer? No door. It will take some work,
but is easily accomplished during a weekend at the retreat. Remove
the
door, and trim, cut plywood or drywall to fit hole, tape, plaster,
paint. Then age the wall with scuff marks. You know where the door
was, but a burglar just sees four walls. Of course, if you have basement
windows, these will need to be covered, and [gravel] fill used to make
it appear as if nothing
is there.
If there is a basement, the joists give you a ton of storage space.
Screw [thick] plywood to basement side of the rafters, and now you
have a space the depth and length of those joists. Do some calculations
to
determine
what weight can be held. But there is a remarkable amount of room
in there for dry goods, clothing, arms, food, ammo, etc. Paint the
basement ceiling, and now anyone who goes down there and looks up just
sees a ceiling.
If you fear the weight is marginal for a ceiling to hold, then before
putting up plywood ceiling take chicken-wire or similar wire screens
and make
a 3 sided "box", open on top. Slip this into the joist area
and attach with screws to side of joists. Then pack [the space] and
attach plywood. Whatever you do, use a calculator before you do this
work.
On a home that is not built over a basement,
this
will require some more in-depth carpentry work, but you can do it.
Every viable retreat will have various types of lumber stored, or
it should. Find the right room [with a high ceiling] and turn
board lumber on its edge. Picture 2x10s or 2x12s laying in a room,
on edge,
spaced
3 feet
apart
(or whatever you need). These will be the support for your new "floor",
built on the floor of this room. Secure the boards to existing floor.
Stack canned goods, arms, ammo, clothing (whatever you have to hide)
between
the rows of boards. Plywood over the top, screwed down---but just enough
to hold. Lay cheap carpet over the top [of the plywood]. You have just
secured food, etc. But now, you will be faced with a "step up" to
this room. No problem. Build ramps at entries to the room that appear
as if a
handicapped person uses the place. In fact, in the spirit of having
a little "movie set", make it realistic. You must "sell
the con", and this is a con game. You versus a burglar.
Find an old wheelchair and leave it on-site next to the doorway. Build
a rough ramp to front
door, etc. Put down old carpet in this room, put some old furniture
in it. You have now hidden a ton of goods, and only those who will
wreck your
house will find them.
Burglars usually want to steal something quick, and without
a lot of work. If they loved labor, then they would have jobs. These
ramps don't have to pass an inspection. They see a ramp, wheelchair,
think "handicapped".
The ramps in the house are only to disguise the false floor, nothing
else. Pay attention at doorways to make certain the trim is not obvious.
Use your imagination. But remember: Don't go making the place
look like a mansion inside. This is a survival retreat, not a hopeful
candidate for home of the year. Old ratty furniture and peeling wallpaper
just helps sell the con [that there is nothing there worth stealing.]
Dust and dirt and things that smell nasty can be cleaned up the first hour
you are
on
site
after SHTF.
If you can make a burglar come in, look around and think "gross",
then you
won. Good luck, - Straightblast
JWR Adds: Even if you have a monitored burglar alarm
system, and even you have a vault, there is a huge advantage in making "dead
space"
disappear in your house, to conceal the majority of your preparedness logistics.
Not everyone can afford to construct a walk-in vault. Just the vault door can
cost $2,000+. But constructing a floor cache, a wall cache, or a hidden room
is largely a matter of time and "sweat
equity." Think in terms "defense in depth": What
is better than owning a securely bolted-down gun vault? A gun vault that is
concealed behind a false wall or panel. And what is better than that?
A gun vault behind a false wall that is inside a house
with a motion detection web cam or a IR motion detector camera system and a
monitored alarm system. Motion detection web cams are available from X10.com.
Battery-powered IR motion
detector camera systems are available from
Ready
Made Resources. Monitored alarm systems are available from uControl
Home Security . BTW, the latter two companies are SurvivalBlog advertisers,
and would appreciate your patronage.
