Make Your Safe Safe

You don’t have to be rich to need a home safe. Lots of people want and need a small safe at home to keep important documents, cherished jewelry, and other valuables safe from theft and fire. Theft doesn’t just happen when a burglar breaks into you house. Unfortunately, a repairman or a maid service can be a source of theft, especially if valuables are conveniently within reach. Locking valuables away when strangers are in your house simply makes good sense.

What does this have to do with house design? Throughout the design and construction process, lots of people will see and have copies of your construction drawings. Every trade and vendor will have access to the drawing somewhere along the line. My suggestion is that if you plan on having a safe, don’t show your safe location on the construction drawings. Simply have a discussion with your builder, decide on a location that is convenient but not too obvious, and have him install it late in the construction process. That will limit how many people know about your safe.