27 Feb Creating Your Safe Haven: Turnkey Panic Rooms
Panic rooms used to be hidden in upscale homes, high-security buildings, banks, mega mansions, and mysterious historical buildings. However, increasing popularity and decreasing costs have meant that these products are moving away from luxuries for the elite and into the mainstream. As people look into their options for panic rooms, they might stumble on a small product category known as a Turnkey Panic Room.
A “Turnkey” panic room is often just a giant steel box with a door on it. They are not very common because they typically have to be installed during the framing process of a new build. But interest in turnkey panic rooms has increased because people think they can get one for their homes in the case of an emergency. If you’re interested in installing a panic room in your home or adding one to a new build, there are a few things you need to know.
Do I need to hire a specialty safe room contractor or can my builder make a panic room?
You should decide what aspects of a safe room you want or expect before determining how to proceed. All safe rooms will have a reinforced door and walls. If that is all you need, then many general contractors can handle it, and a turnkey panic room isn’t the way to go. For new builds we’d recommend using reinforced concrete to make the walls, and some turnkey panic rooms are made of this. Concrete reinforcement is impractical for most remodels, especially for upper levels where weight is a concern. In an existing build, most homeowners should consider reinforcing conventionally framed walls for the safe room.
Most panic room construction companies work alongside interior designers, builders, and architects to create a panic room that meets a client’s needs, budget, and expectations. For those who want an elaborate panic room (a small percentage of clients), additional features like air-filtration systems, specialty communications and power systems are considered. Specialty contractors for panic rooms will provide expert advice on how to set those systems up, but it will also cost more, especially since most geographic markets don’t have that type of contractor there already.
Although turnkey panic rooms can buy you time, they aren’t infallible. This is especially true if you have a vault door in your panic room that is easily noticeable. Panic room doors don’t have to look like vault doors. Instead, secret entrances can be carefully designed so that they don’t look like doors at all. Transforming an existing space with a custom-built panic room door achieves an additional layer of security through secrecy.
We create turnkey kits for panic rooms that include secret custom-built one-of-a-kind doors, and we also provide ballistic armor paneling for turning a secret room into a secret panic room. Kits can be customized according to your needs and wants and can include owner-specific features like switches and outlets. Essentially, each turnkey secret door or custom kit will be designed, developed, manufactured, and installed by our company – a one-stop panic room solution.
Famous Safe Room Use Cases And How They Can Protect Your Family From Disaster
If you’re second-guessing a safe room and unsure if it’s the right move, you might be interested in learning how they have helped real-life families. Have a look below to learn about two famous safe room use cases to understand how they can protect your family from disaster.
Ellabell Family Survives Hurricane
In April 2022, a devastating hurricane tore through parts of Ellabell, Georgia, and decimated the Gunter family’s home. Fortunately, the Gunter family had a safe room installed despite the protests and jokes thrown their way by friends and family.
The safe room stood firm amidst the destruction that flattened their home within minutes. Despite losing most of their belongings, their safe room weathered an EF-3 tornado, and they escaped with their lives. If they had not installed the safe room, it’s unlikely they would have survived.
Safe Room Buys Time For Haaretz’s Amir Tibon And Family
In October of 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded the city of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, killing hundreds of people and wounding thousands. All Haaretz Amir Tibon could think about was keeping his family safe during this invasion.
Unsure of what was happening or the magnitude of the attack, he ushered and locked his family in their safe room. Tibon knew that they could not stay in it forever and doubted he and his family would be kept safe. Luckily, he was wrong, as this safe room bought him and his family enough time for them to be saved by his father, a retired general.
Common Turnkey Panic Room FAQs
What Materials Are Used for Wall Reinforcement?
Wall reinforcements are most commonly made from special steel alloys like AR500 armor plate. While other choices exist, such as ballistic fiberglass or ballistic stucco-type products, these share a vulnerability to basic cutting tools like skill saws or reciprocating saws. Historically, the advantage to these other materials used to be that they were easier to install than armor plates. The Securi-wall modular wall reinforcement system was designed precisely to solve that problem. It gives clients the best of both worlds by being easy to install, yet far more difficult to breach than other types of reinforcement.
Is It Possible To Reinforce An Entire Room?
It is possible to reinforce an existing room to create a panic room. At Creative Home Engineering, we have the materials, skills, and tools necessary to reinforce an existing room and make it safer using our ballistic wall paneling. This paneling can be placed throughout a room to provide different ballistic-grade protection. Our strongest paneling can even protect against 50-cal bullets.
Collaborating On Personalized Features To Match Specific Requirements – Custom CHE Packages
At Creative Home Engineering, we believe in comfort and security. That’s why we offer custom packages to meet your and your family’s safety and protection needs. If you’re interested in creating a safe room or adapting an existing space, you can speak with us about our custom turnkey doors and armored wall plating.