A safe room can shield you from intruders, weather and terrorist attacks.
You may be familiar with a safe room from the movie "Panic Room" with Jodie Foster. Safe rooms, however, have been built and used in homes long before that movie was ever made. A safe room is a secure room to which you can escape and call for help, in the event someone breaks into your home with intention to harm you. Fortunately, you can create a secure safe room that is far more budget- friendly than the one represented in the movie. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Choosing a Secure Door
1. Buy a door for your safe room that is normally used as a front or back door. These doors are much thicker, unlike the thinner doors you use for rooms throughout your house. Buy one that is at least three or four inches thick.
2. Purchase a sturdy, secure door frame. A bigger and more secure door frame may look obtrusive at first, but if you repaint your safe room, it can blend in without being noticed. Be sure to ask a clerk about showing you door frames that can withstand heavy abuse during a home invasion.
3. Buy secure locks for door. One-sided deadbolt locks, which lock from the inside rather than the outside, are perfect for a safe room. Avoid using chain locks or any lock that looks weak and easy to destroy. Having more than one deadbolt lock is a good idea for extra reinforcement.
4. Install your door, door frame and locks. Have a family member or friend test the door from the outside by trying to force it open.
Inside Your Safe Room
5. Purchase security windows at your local hardware store. Security windows have shatterproof glass, which will withstand a beating.
If you cannot afford security windows, place shatterproof laminate over your existing windows. You also may want to choose a room without windows, though it will make your safe room feel more like a bunker or cave.
6. Place heavy curtains over your windows to prevent would-be intruders from peeking in at you.
7. Obtain a special cell phone that stays in your safe room at all times. During a home invasion, you will be able to call 911 and summon help, from inside your safe room.
8. Purchase a gun and place it in a secure safe inside your safe room. You may not want a gun around the house, especially if you have children; nevertheless, you may need it if an intruder breaks into your safe room.
9. Set up security cameras in your safe room. Security cameras help you to know what your intruder is up to, while he wanders from room to room. The cameras also will help you to relay to police, where the intruder is in your house. Prices have dropped for these security systems in recent years, so it is worth the investment.
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