"How can Hidden Doors, Safe Rooms, and Panic Rooms be Part of My Home Security System?"
Hidden Doors, Safe Rooms, and Panic Rooms have had a surge in interest over the past few years. With increasing concerns about home security, weather, nuclear, and terrorist threats, homeowners are looking for a way to defend themselves.
There is an increase in interest, but secret doors and safe rooms have been around for centuries. Kings and the gentry have used these types of rooms for their safety and for quick getaways.
Hidden Doorways
Secret doorways are used to conceal a room or hallway. Their purpose is to blend in with the room so no one would know that it actually is a door. Of course, the people with the knowledge of the door would be able to open it to get to the area beyond.
There are many possibilities of what form a door could take. A popular option is to put a bookcase over the hidden entry.
But there are plenty of other forms that could be use. From wine racks to pool cue stick and ball racks, there are many options that you can use. There are several companies that will customize secret doors for their clients.
Why a Secret Door?
There are two main reasons homeowners will consider a secret door. The reasons are for fun and for security.
Fun
Hey, secret doors are a fun feature for your house. Kids (and adults) love the intrigue and secrecy of a hidden door. Your friends and family will be amazed and impressed with your unique and original idea.
Home Security
A more functional aspect of secret doors is to protect your family and valuables. If a criminal enters your house, you can hide your family through the door.
Hopefully, you have gone through the other home security tactics to deter, detect, and delay so you don't ever have an issue with this situation occurring. But, a hidden door will help to delay and also help you come up with a plan to defend if needed.
You can also use hidden doors to protect valuables. If a criminal does not know about your valuables, there is less chance that they will even invade. If they do burglarize your house, there is a good chance they will not get the valuables within the hidden door because they do not know about them.
Safe Rooms and Panic Rooms
A safe room or panic room is a room that has been fortified so your family can be safer than without the additional features.
Secret doors can lead into safe rooms, but many safe rooms are regular rooms like bathrooms, bedrooms, or walk-in closets.
Safe Room for Home Invasions
A safe room can be used for the purposes of protecting you and your family from home invasions. A safe room can be as simple as having a really strong dead-bolt lock with a communication tool inside to alert people on the outside. This is an inexpensive option for a safe room, and is a good tactic of an overall home security strategy.
Then there are more advanced and high-tech safe rooms. They have walls and doors that are reinforced with Kevlar, metal, or bullet-proof fiberglass. They are designed to protect against would-be attackers until the authorities arrive.
A safe room is also used to protect valuables. You can have a keyless entry into the safe room, so only certain people will have access to the room.
Safe rooms for 'Outside Forces'
Safe rooms are becoming increasingly popular for protecting families from weather emergencies such as tornadoes and hurricanes. In some really high-tech houses, people also put in safe rooms to guard against a future potential of nuclear or biological attacks.
These type of rooms have to withstand tornado-like wind speeds. The rooms and walls are reinforced with concrete or metal.
Summary
You need to figure out your home security strategy and see if hidden doors and safe rooms fit in as a tactic. These tactics are typically a last stand of defense, so should be the last things that are put in as part of your home security strategy. You should install the security and surveillance systems first.
If you are in a high-prone tornado or hurricane area, then you should definitely consider fortifying a room to protect you and your family.
