Home safe (as in to keep valuables in)

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Does anyone have a home safe?

If so where is it, and how is it secured to make it very difficult to easily remove?

I am considreing getting one, but issues are:

Where to put it, most easy access places have terrible mounting points (eg plasterboard walls)

Even in the loft it would be attached into breeze block, ie not that strong.

I had considered bolting into a joist, but making the bolts so they would spin from the outside, meaning you would need to access the inside head of the bolt as well as the outside to be able to undo.

Just looking for any options/ issues others may have faced.

Not storing anything massivley valuable but there is a hastle factor of having it in the loft (meaning its less likely to be used regularly. Vs the fact I am struggling to think of any way to secure it well to anything below loft level.

Suppose I could get a rotty and hang it round its neck

 

[Ahleckz]

Do you really, honestly, need one?

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Do you really, honestly, need one?

Technically no, everything is insured.

But some things have sentimental value and would be irreplaceble, and would be almost guaranteed to be stolen should I be broken into.

So no I do not NEED one, but I am considering one in order to protect some things that are valuable from a monetery and sentimental value.

Seems pretty obvious that a small outlay to protect these items is a logical thing to do to me.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

To put it in perpective, I mean something like this

http://www.littlesafe.co.uk/shop/pr..._electronic_lock_range_1_000_cash_rated_safes

£35 delivered. Basically similar sort of thing you often get in a hotel room, for that sort of outlay its to me a no brainer, providing it can be mounted easily and securely.

 

[Theophany]

If I were a thief and I saw your safe, the logical thing to do would be to nick it.

Don't underestimate how much of a turd fondler some thieves can be, they may well nick the safe knowing they can't break into it just to **** with you. Had thieves at my grandparents' house do it some years back.

 

[iviv]

Wouldn't it be better to just hide the stuff? Robbers will see the safe, just beak out whatever its attached to and carry it off under their arms? I'm no safe expert, but it seems to me that unless you're spending hundreds of pounds on one, it doesn't seem worth it.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Wouldn't it be better to just hide the stuff? Robbers will see the safe, just beak out whatever its attached to and carry it off under their arms? I'm no safe expert, but it seems to me that unless you're spending hundreds of pounds on one, it doesn't seem worth it.

Thats the point in asking about mounting!

I spose I could hide everything under the mattress, that would be safe.

Have you ever seen a house thats been broken into, when a friends was done it was completely unbelievable. All the "safe places" meant nothing when someone literally threw all drawers of stuff onto the floor, pulled over furniture etc. Was pretty shocking the amount of damage they did. No one knows if it was minutes they took or hours as they were away overnight.
Unless safe place means under the floorboards I am not sure where else would be safe considering the mess they made of my mates house.

I appreciate some people won't want one or they consider it more of a risk, but I am considering and would ideally like to see if anyone here has been through the same thought process.

 

[iviv]

Have you ever seen a house thats been broken into, when a friends was done it was completely unbelievable. All the "safe places" meant nothing when someone literally threw all drawers of stuff onto the floor, pulled over furniture etc. Was pretty shocking the amount of damage they did. No one knows if it was minutes they took or hours as they were away overnight.

That's also kinda my point. They don't care about what damage they will cause, so unless what you mount it to is seriously strong, they'll just set about it with a saw/sledgehammer to get at the safe anyway.

 

[BoonMonkey]

Strategically placed equalizers will be your best bet.

 

[MBennett]

Get one and use rawl bolts to secure it to the floor if you have a solid floor anywhere.

Determined theives will get it eventually but most burgalries are almost opportunistic and done in 10 mins and a thief will take the easiest things I.e. jewellery, laptops, money etc. a safe will help in those cases. Also you can get fireproof safes that add safety from that aspect for important documents etc.

Finally if you declare to your insurance provider that you keep valuables in a safe it can knock some cost off of your premium.

Edit - put it somewhere it is hard to access with tooling I.e. no room to swing a sledgehammer.

 

[4T5]

Get a floor safe not a wall safe, Floor safes are easier to install properly & much more secure, Go to your local locksmiths as they usually sell them.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

That's also kinda my point. They don't care about what damage they will cause, so unless what you mount it to is seriously strong, they'll just set about it with a saw/sledgehammer to get at the safe anyway.

Lol.

Yep I mean standard kit for theives nowadys seems to be a circular saw, a light breaker, 2 diamond drilling rigs, some compressed air powered spreaders, a small welding kit and a couple of sticks of TNT incase all the above fail.

As much as I am tongue in cheek about the above, I am after stopping the majority of the normal thefts, friend was advised MOST thefts are druggies/kids/petty theives looking for cash/possibly cards/watches/jewelery/ipads/mobiles etc they can flog on quick. Those sort aren't going to be carrying a sledge hammer with them in 99.999% of the cases.

Its ok anyway I have found the info I required elsewhere on realistic and sensible mounting.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Get a floor safe not a wall safe, Floor safes are easier to install properly & much more secure, Go to your local locksmiths as they usually sell them.

Thanks (and to Mbennett as well), almost exactly whats been recommended elsewhere.

Floor safe, ideally fitted in a wardrobe (if built in) or similar placement. To make it very difficult to get heavy physical access to quickly. (will probably use your own tools if you have available what they want, makes you think about garden sheds containing power tools and ladders etc)

The 10 mins thing is basically what they told my mate, they are typically in and out quick, picking up electronic stuff, cash. Apparently now they are a lot more after jewellery etc as its so much easier to fence on to cash for gold type organisations by mail.

Was also told to avoid the mass market items and pay a little more for a locksmith one, apparently there can be quite a diff.

 

[Nightglow]

I have a floor safe,about 15" square well concreted in with rebar, & hidden well away, probably take the crook a good day to dig it out.
Got it off Ebay for £30, use it my for my camera, & other things.

If your fit a safe between the floor joists, use coach screws fitted from the inside, not coach bolts.

 

[Jonny69]

I agree, it's not the monetary value that's the problem, it's the sentimental value.

Someone I know has a one. It's a round safe about 30cm across / 30cm deep and drops into the floor. It's a concrete floor and it's under the carpet in one of the downstairs rooms. I can't remember what holds it in, but the outer sleeve is probably concreted in.

Your priority is basically making sure it's not easy to nick the safe...