Panic Rooms

[Anonymous]

Saw an article in the local paper where the homeowner with everything now just has to have a panic room in the new house:

Kevlar walls, air filtration, quadruple locks, seperate electric, water,
'unbreakable' telephone.

Local builder quotes at $70K a pop for the best equipped.

Anyone have any experience with these?

Rural equivilent: 12 gage pump and a good dog?

 

[Dee Dee]

Sheesh!
Guess that living in the boonies has it's advantages. I just fire up my chainsaw or stand on the back deck and howl at the hills. Must be terrible living in 'burbs. :lol:

 

[Oregon Doug]

I've read about 'em but haven't seen one yet. I recently appraised a home with a "gun" room above the garage - this guy could hold off the 101st Airborne for a week or so. It is a scarey world!

I did appraise a couple of homes that had underground bomb shelters back in the days when I was an appraiserette (ya, I'm pretty old & been doing this for awhile).

Oregon Doug

 

[Tony in Ohio]

I have not seen any yet, but I have seen the old version.

I was inspecting a large turn of the century when I came across a set of Iron doors in the basement. Owner tells me that the home had been a speakeasy in the 20's and that had been the wine celler. OH well, that one was easier to appraise than the one that had been a *****house, and had the framed newspaper articles to prove it.

 

[Richard Carlsen]

Once sold a house in Kalamazoo with a real fallout shelter in the basement that made a nifty wine storage room. There have had more than a few with dedicated gun storage rooms. I referred to them as storage closets on the report. UW does not need to know what is in there.

The only real Panic Room I've seen was a cabin with a detached bath with a padlock on the door. Now that could panic you at 2AM.

The $70M quote for a real Panic Room does not surprise me. I just saw the quote for chinking and sealing on a large log home the other day: $66,000. Amazing what paint and putty go for these days.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

My panic room contains a .357, its called "the bedroom". Come on in kids!

 

[Farm Gal]

How'z about the below grade to begin with earth-sheltered with a small back door into what was a 5,000 sf storage facility (all below grade) leading to a tunnel which sloped down to the also earth sheltered boat dock onto the lake... Measuring it was a NIGHTMARE.

Get your water from the lake to run through the filtration system, and with the 10!!! year supply of freeze dryed you could hold out for a while...

Double doors and hidden main level access so the neighbors wouldn't get you.
:roll:
And if they break dwon the front door run down the ramp tot he dock and zoom away on teh motorboat?!?!?!

nutz

 

[Joe Birrell (NY)]

Havn't seen them yet. Sort of like the 1960's bomb shelter without the amenities (for those of us who are old enough to remember).

 

[Jacob S.]

I saw one a few years back. Though at that time they called it a safe room. It had 2 hidden entrances from the second floor hall and a hiddden staircase down to the basement utility room. Had a water supply, steel doors and was told that the walls doors, ceiling and floor could withstand large caliber rounds. It was located in a 15,000 SF home so it was easy to hide. I don't think I would like either.

Jacob S.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

Sounds like LeeAnn has the best one so far. :lol:

I've seen a couple old bomb shelters. Makes a nice cool dark storage place. good wine cellar.

One place had not so much a panic room, but a hidden room accessed by swinging out a section of a bookcase in the study. :lol: What is this, a spy movie?? :lol:

Glad the homeowner showed it to me, otherwise I night have been there a while trying to figure out what was up with the empty space in my sketch. :lol: