How to Install a Safe for Hiding Valuables

In recent months burglaries and home break-ins have increased dramatically in my city. Most of these home invasions occur in middle to upper class neighborhoods, often during daylight hours when residents are at work or otherwise away from home. The second most opportune time is while families are away for several days during a weekend or vacation period.

Typically these burgularies are smash and grab operations in which the thief/thieves depend on a quick entry into the home and spending as little time inside as possible in order to avoid detection. Most often they will enter the home by breaking out a window pane and unlocking a window or by forcing a door open using a pry bar. Once in the home the thief will target any item which can be most easily converted to cash. This would include cash itself, jewelry, watches, credit cards, checkbooks, small electronics, music cds, ipods, cell phones and even prescription drugs.

Police tell us that most often this type of burglary is committed by one or more teenagers. They are not career burglers. They are looking only for easily visable, accesssable items of value which can be located and removed from the home while spending 15 minutes or less in the home. Surprisingly, many homeowners make this far to easy as many items of value are left unprotected and in plain sight, most often exactly where the thief expects these items to be: expensive jewelry in a jewelry box on the bedroom dresser, cash in a dresser drawer, prescription drugs in thebathroom medicine cabinet, etc.

Police tell us that 90% of homes have no safe or secure place in which valuables can be hidden and secured. Perhaps this is due to the expense involved with installing a permanent safe or vault. Still, police advise us that much of the thievery described above can be avoided if items of value are secured in a place the snatch and grab thief would never consider looking.

I have taken the advice of the police and installed my own ‘Safe’ in which in valuables which must be left at home during our extended absence are stored.

I would like to share the concept with you.

My objective in building the ‘Safe’ described below is to provide a secure ‘vault’ for hiding my wife’s jewelry (rings, Bracelets, necklaces, and pins), cash, credit cards, checkbook, and prescription drugs.

Materials required:

1 – Air return vent cover 15 1/4 inch X 11 1/4 inch (these can be purchased in any home supply store in various sizes)
2 – Brass butt hinges 2 inches X 1 3/8 inches (2 holes in each plate)
2 – 2″ flat head wood screws
4 – 3/4″ inch flat head wood screws
4 – 1/2″ round head bolts and four nuts
1 – drywall saw
1 – Untility knife
1 – Electric drill w/ a 1/4 imch bit
1 – 2″ X 4″ X 16″ board
1 – stud finder
1 – jigsaw
1 – pencil

Building a ‘Safe’ Vault for hiding valuables:

Step 1 – Select a room for location of the ‘vault’. This should be a room least associated with the items being hidden (a den, a Kitchen, a spare bedroom).

Step 2 – Select a interior wall without an air handling system return vent.

Step 3 – Select a mid-point on this wall. Using stud finder locate and mark stud locations on each side of the mid-point.

Step 4 – Measure 12 inches up from floor and mark mid-point on wall.

Step 5 – Position Air Return vent cover from step1 above on the 12 inch mark and center vent between studs. Using vent as a templet trace a pencil line on the wall around the perimeter of the vent.

Step 6 – Draw a second line 1/2″ inside the perimeter of the first line.

Step 7 – Using drill make four holes through the drywall in each corner of the inner perimeter.

Step 8 – Using jig saw inserted into corner hole to carefully cut drywall along the inner perimeter line and remove drywall section.

Step 9 – Using electric drill make two opposing 45 degree holes 1 1/2 inch from each end and 1 1/2″ from the side of the 2″ X 4″ X 16″ board.

Step 10 – Insert the 16″ board into the top of wall cavity until flush with the remaining drywall and wedge it between the studs with the 45 degree holes facing down.

Note: if your stud spacing is other than 16″ you will need to cut this board to a length equal to the actual stud space.

Step 11 – Fasten the 16″ board to the stud on each side using 2″ wood screws inserted into the the 45 degree drilled holes.

Step 12 – Holding the Air return Vent in place over the wall cutout mark position of vent screw holes on 16″ board.

Step 13 – Align butt hinges with holes marked in step 12 and fasten hinges to 16″ board using four 3/4″ wood screws.

Step 14 – Fasten Air Return vent to the butt hinges using Two 1/2″ round head bolt and nut.

Step 15 – Insert two 1/2″ round head bolts and nuts in the lower holes of the Air Vent (for appearance only. Do not fasten to wall).

With the Faux Air Return vent mounted on the wall we now have a 15″ X 12″ wall cavity which we use to hide a 14″ X 10″ X 3 1/2″ jewelry box on any occasion in which we are away from home for one or more days. The jewelry box, which is used to hide jewelry, credit cards, cash, is easily accessable by opening the hinged vent, but when in the closed position appears to be a functioning air retrurn.

Obviously, if you need a larger ‘safe’ it is as simple as buying a larger Return Vent Cover and cutting a larger hole.

To date we have experienced no break-ins, but feel secure with our more valuable items safely hidden.