Alternatives to safety deposit box in bank
 

So I've always kept important stuff (docs, and valuables) in safety boxes at bank.

I'm just done moving yesterday and the bank where I store the stuff is going to be quite a drive from now on.

Any recommendation on an at home solution?

The idea now is basically getting a safe and bolted it down to the floor. What would be a good one? I'd need a fairly large one as I store many binders and my family stuff (currently renting 2 of the largest boxes available at the bank and they are PACKED)

I know any of these solutions just buy time. But as long as there's enough time for cops to arrive, that's ok. New home has a 360° active surveillance/security system. That's why I was thinking to move those stuff back home instead of paying hundreds a year to bank for the boxes.

Alternatively, there's a small room in the new house that's basically a weird positioned pantry that's a nice rectangular shape with a door (think a walk-in closet but by the kitchen). I was thinking to reinforce the door and the drywall around it and basically diy a small safe room with a carpenter buddy. I should be as hard to break into as a safe that's not going to break the bank.

Any idea or comments are appreciated.

The gun safe at Costco is the best safe you can buy under $1500 imo.

I did a tonne of research prior to buying it and for the price there isn’t anything within $500

Yeah, I was looking at the gun safe too.

The only thing is that there is little to no fireproof-ness.

I guess more than anything, the reason I started the thread was that I don't really want a safe if that's at all possible. A safe just screams "there are valuables in here! Steal me!" And I can really only leave it in the garage given the dimension of one that I'd need.

I was doing some research and the main concern is not for burglars to open it, but rather to just take it away. Even if I bolt the safe onto the ground, unless I reinforce the spot where I bolt onto, there will be ways to force it off the ground and carry it away within the roughly 10-20min time frame a burglar would have to work with during a break in.

That's, of course, unless I buy a big ass safe that weights and costs a ton. :badpokerface:

Hence the idea of creating a DIY safe room. For one, it's going to be easier to disguise it, and second, it would give me much more room than what a safe I could afford given my budget.

Some creative idea I had was to buy a few secondhand fireproof file cabinets and buy materials to build basically a miniature prison cell (think metal beams anchored onto wall studs) inside of the little room I mentioned to hold these fireproof cabinets. Nearly impossible to just take it away. And relatively easily removable when I have to move in the future.

What about an in-ground, floor safe?

Buy the Costco safe and some fireproof bags/boxes to put your stuff into?

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=fireproof+...f=nb_sb_noss_1

Do a lot of research before buying a lot of cheaper ones are crap. I would talk to a locksmith.

That seems like a lot of trouble to just not move it to a closer bank

www.vancouversafes.com

Know someone who did a secret room with consealed vault door from this place. Lots of options.

One of the biggest problems it that safety boxes are usually at capacity at each branch cuz theyre in high demand (usually waitlisted), especially the large ones that OP currently has.

Safety deposit boxes are like unicorns. You can’t get them unless a new branch opens up and you were there on day 1.

The banks nearby have an average waitlists of 2 years. Because people rarely ever leave after getting in.

sounds like a proper investment if you ever wanted to create a company doing strictly deposit boxes

Fireproof + waterproof safe and bolt it down is what I have. It's more of a deterrent than anything. Unless you are targeted by like professional burglars in which case your stuffs are gone either way. Petty burglars see a bolted down safe aint gonna go: let me spend an hour figuring out how to unbolt that thing vs. going for the easy items like electronics.

Large bank deposit boxes are $$$, might as well spend that money on a proper safe.

Sounds like a business opportunity.

Parking pads with in-ground safes :considered:

I see.. so you moved so far that it would be that inconvenient to be able to access your documents when needed? How often do you expect to need access to these documents?

I know you probbaly already thought of this, but it sounds like your solution is getting more and more complicated and expensive, so maybe it's worth going back and reconsidering just keeping your box at the bank...

Best safe of all time right here

http://i.imgur.com/cHqiUHm.jpg

Hah? High demand? I guess it depends what area you live in.
I got one last month and every branch I went to had my choice of size and location. Only the free ones where all taken.

There was a few that could fit a body inside, was like 2K a year lol

No shit. But the problem is that usually people don't need a whole lot of space... mostly important docs, portable HDD... etc.

Most banks charge anywhere between 1xx to 3xx a year depending on size. Many plans even give you one for free assuming you can find one available to you.

If one were to invest to get into such business, it'd have to be at a place where security is already tight or the construction itself has already been reinforced against brute force attacks. However, when security is high, it usually isn't very accessible.

This is why it's usually banks who provide this space. They already have to build vaults to store a lot of cash/valuables for their day-to-day operation. It's not a whole lot of trouble to make some extra space.

Anyway, getting back to the topic...

I don't usually need them, but it's far enough to go through the trouble. I checked every single bank within roughly 10km radius... nothing. And the idea is long term planning. I'd eventually have to get it done since both my boxes are pretty much full.

I'm just looking for a relatively discreet option that won't break a bank. I could get a pretty good safe, reinforce the floor something and bolt it down. But really, it isn't discreet enough. To make it discreet, I'm looking at custom solutions that are not only expensive, but also difficult to convince my LL to approve such project considering I'm already having difficulty telling him I might want to bolt a safe down to the garage's floor.

And when looking online, I was intrigued by the idea of creating a panic room. Basically a room that's going to be nearly impossible to break into within an hour timeframe. Such a thing will provide enough space and protection for what I need.

Of course, panic rooms are much more high-end and people actually go great miles to make sure it's secure for people to stay in there. I only need to store docs and valuables (mostly sentimental). So I figured it'd be a fun project to look into.

Mind sharing what locations you are?

I literally called every bank I could find on Google nearby my new place, and nothing.

I'd get a safe, put it in the usual kind of safe locations where it's "hidden" but still fairly easily found and just fill it with some bricks and blank paper (or some less valuable jewelry and papers and such). Then hide the actual valuables in a much more stealthy location. I've heard of guys in the US having big gun safes full of rocks and having their gun stored in a shitty looking "beer fridge" in the garage.

having a safe in a garage sounds sketchy as fuck,what about just putting a 3 ton chain around it and my f350 pulling on it.

no thanks,put that thing somewhere safer where a paper garage door isn't hiding it,that may be seen by the public with me parking my car every day of the week opening the damn thing.

Good enough for John Wick

That's the problem with safe.

There isn't a place in the house to really put a large safe except the garage. But unless the bolt down location is heavily reinforced, nothing will stop burglar to brute force it out within a few min.
I could go smaller safes but again, they'd be easier to take away/pry open with a crowbar.
Hence the idea to DIY something more discreet that will buy time

Downtown