Installing a floor safe

While remodeling my home, I started thinking about security.  Not only in the sense of protecting my home from burglary, but also in terms of valuables, important papers, and ready un-accountable cash.   While I am a firm believer in the rule of law and the need to support the government, after my recent divorce and financial issues, I gained an appreciation of the value of having even small sums of cash not recorded on bank records can save you in a time of need.  The details of my ordeal are for another story, to be told at another time.  Today lets us just say, I really understand the value of having a few thousand dollars cash that inspection of bank records or other financial records do not reveal.  I am not trying to promote something illegal or immoral; in fact most folks do this every day in much smaller amounts. Think about it, do you normally disclose that amount of money in your wallet?  Armed with a new appreciation of both physical and personal security I set out to investigate methods to accomplish the first that would provide for the second.

Looking at my options, I realized that having a home safe would be required and would play a critical part in accomplishing physical security.  But what home safe would be right for me?  Obviously many factors will need to be considered in selecting a safe, such as purpose, installation location, price points, etc.  Also to be considered was industry standard, and comparison of different designs and manufacturers.  Detail of the results of this investigation can be found on my web page of Installing A Floor Safe that can be reached from the link below for installing a floor safe.

Clearly for my purposes a floor safe was the product of choice, however before I was to make my final selection I needed understand what it would take to install an in floor safe.  Review of manufacturer’s instructions and consultation with contractors with experience installing floor safes I was able to develop a general overview of the install process which I also provide the reader.  Considerations such as safe size, location for installation, in slab or below slab utilities such as water, power, or sewage lines, risk of ground water leakage must be taken into account.

Once the type of safe and location have been determined, types of tools to access the slab need to be considered.  Concrete saws and Core Rigs can make very precise holes, but also create a great deal of dust.  Additionally they may not work well in tight locations such as closet floors. Jack hammers cut can be more jagged and their use more physically demanding, but they create much less dust and the chucks of concrete are smaller and more easily handled.