59 replies to this topic

[cookiejar]

I thought this was a clever way for someone to hide a space or room. He goes into a decent description of how to hinge it and the old move a book and the door opens trick.


http://pervivere.blogspot.com/2005/09/holl...nit-batman.html

This second one is just for ideas (I doubt some of us could afford them.). But try the videos! "specially the staircase one!

http://www.hiddenpassageway.com/

[Mare]

Very cool!

[WiccadStargazer]

My dad screwed a big door sized bookcase right onto a door in his cabin in the woods. Did a pretty good job too, if you didn't know what was behind it...well, you wouldn't know what was behind it.

[Momo]

I have a hidden room in our house. If I told you where it wouldn't be a secret though!

[Cat]

The only thing "hidden" in my house is the extra set of car keys...

or anything *else* I happen to need *right now*...

[Deblyn]

My friend has a really neat hidden area under her stairs. You have to go through a cupboard to get to it....but it is feasible. She told me I could use it if I wanted to for storage stuff, because she knows I like to be emergency prepared!

[8thsinner]

Very nice ideas. thanks for that.

[cookiejar]

These are cool ideas 8th Sinner!
I was gone a while and missed these cool replies!

I actually have a space I'm thinking of doing this with. If I get brave and do it, I'll let you guys know. It must be the little girl in me that finds these things fascinating!

I love all the hidey-hole, secret rooms, disguised safes kinda thing.

A friend spoke about making a hidden stash by making a fake ceiling in the closet.It wouldn't have to be very large as opposed to say-a drop ceiling.

Most people tap the floor or walls for hidden spaces. I thought that was interesting idea.

[cookiejar]

BTW
Go to the top post.
Go to Hiddenpassageways.com
Click on features
then click on
*Click to see Catalog*
Very cool pics of ones they've already made.
I think the niche with the gun compartment was interesting

[8thsinner]

Yeah there are some cool ones there but really, far too expensive, The only ones that I think are really worth paying the money for are the pool table, lifting stairs, and maybe the catering style gun lift...The rest of those book shelf door way designs can be made by normal ppl with just a little experience and preperation. and carefull making.

[cookiejar]

Ahhh 8th sinner, I should have made myself more clear...
I wanted to present these as ideas for someone to mold to their home. Originally, this was written about the time I was talking about ceiling spaces as storage as well as how to disguise your preps. All of which was to be in a real budget.
I was trying to show ingenuity in design in common household things like the niche and the chair. I mean, whose expecting an escape shoot in a chair? In otherwords, just to get peoples ideas flowing.

The *Per Vivere* site is literally a single man's work and innovation. I'm sure he didn't spend thousands making it.

But I'm sorry I didn't make myself more clear.

[mistylady]

The attic is great for hiding things that don't need to be grabbed fast and can stand extreme temps. No one wants to dig through that insulation up there. A small box built on a rafter. Or a false ceiling in the attic. Of course I have never been in our attic so I'm not sure whats up there other than some critter that wakes me up running around at 5 am. So my ideas may not be good ones for all cases. When I get done tossing mothballs up the to get rid of the critter, the attic will be itchy and smelly. I wonder if it will stink up the house? Better do some thinking on this....

[cookiejar]

Yikes on the morning scurrier!!!
Becareful with mothballs, I've know people to have bad reactions to them.

BTW!
Check out this couple who did not know their 1901 house had a secret room (even has pictures!)
http://1901house.blogspot.com/2006/08/secret-room.html

[cookiejar]

More images and stories on hidden doors/rooms
Check out this next to the fireplace one:
http://www.shoppingblog.com/cgi-bin/sblog.pl?sblog=1102061

Love the pink accented door!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/garden...;pagewanted=all

And a book of how-to:
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rooms-Compart...a/dp/0967113903

How they did it in WW2:
http://people.smu.edu/clclark/thesecretroom.htm

Just to give more ideas

[cookiejar]

Find your hidden storage space

By: JAMES and MORRIS CAREY - For AP Weekly Features

Looking for extra places to put things? Your home has all sorts of hidden storage space.

Behind your drywall and paneling lie countless hidden spaces nestled between the two-by-four studs. While some are filled with pipes, wiring, and sheet metal duct work, others are wide open and ready to be put to use.

The best time to note which are which is when a home or new room is under construction. Take photos or make diagrams of empty spaces that you can open up and later develop into various types of storage.


However, this is only for inside walls, as outer walls use this inner space for insulation. If your rooms are already done and the walls are finished, it's still not too late. It just takes a bit more investigation to determine which areas are storage-ready.

.

[westbrook]

the people down the road bought this old 2 story house built on a hillside.

they were having some boards in the 'master' bedroom replaced when the worker called to the owner... "hey Man, there is a room down here!"

seems the entrance to the room has long since gotten burried by the hillside and forgotten about. the new owners aren't quite sure what to do with it since there is only one way in.. through their room.

I suggested an entrance through the closet and a great place to store things not often used.. holiday decorations, old blankets, and bulk food. And.. that was hint enough.

[cookiejar]

That's so amazing that they missed that space. But how cool to find that extra room. I have a rediculously small closet that's being used for linens in a hallway. rediculous as in...it's only 17 inches wide but it's 35 inches deep. I look at it everyday and think...hmmmmmmm. it could be done.
Make it look like a niche?

[westbrook]

most of us have small homes and the best we can hope for is taking a wall.... stacking 5 gallon buckets, sealed for all eternity of course, and building a wall in front of them. The space lost is the width of the bucket and the framing needed to put up dry wall.

While this doesn't seem like much it is actually quite a bit of space for storage since it can be done on 1 wall in every room.

the items in this kind of storage could be your wheat, sugar, and salt. If packaged in vacuum sealed bags, toilet paper, paper towels and tissues. You could also pack Baking soda, dry bleach and those kinds of items. Things that don't have a shelf life if packaged properly.

The only other way to put in a secret space in an existing home it to do an add on to the house.... back porck, garden shed to the garage, or even a den with a basement under it. Of course it would be seen being dug out. The idea is to create dead space between walls to be used to store more easily accessable items in, those that may need to be rotated...this are to spark ideas.

Also adding a new exterior might be possible but the roof line would need to be extended, this is where a porch would work.

[Pixie]

renting sucks

[patagoniagal]

Renting really stinks when the whole house is made of brick, building blocks (they are like concrete blocks but not made of concrete) and plaster. There is no hidden space anywhere in the walls. Yikes.

We have several half height rooms (they are like a tall crawl space) under the house that would work, but our biggest natural disaster threat is an earthquake. Do you think it would be safe to store supplies under the house? It is dry and temperature stable under there. The last earthquake was in 1960, but there have been lots of rumblings up and down the Andes these last two years.