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Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
#5620657
02/26/15 12:29 AM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 528
cavediver
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I have a 600lb gun safe. I am think about finishing out the attic space above the garage and making it a man cave/reloading room. I will add some thicker ply wood and some cross bracing. Anything else I should do to make sure it did not fall through the floor?
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5620670
02/26/15 12:33 AM
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 180
Harley7892
Woodsman
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Woodsman
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That's 600# safe plus how many firearms, any ammo? Probably need to double the joist, depends on the span and what size they are. If of to one side build a closet under it in the garage to help support this area. If not done right the safe could become a hood ornament!!
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5620825
02/26/15 01:35 AM
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 4,005
JRJ6
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Make dang sure that floor can support the weight. For me personally, I would not put a gun safe upstairs
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5620852
02/26/15 01:42 AM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,227
J.G.
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If you're dead set on putting it up there, I would make sure it is parked on top of a second floor load bearing wall, that is parked on top of a first floor load bearing wall. Getting it up there is gonna be a trick. But give a man a lever long enough and he can move the earth.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5620929
02/26/15 02:03 AM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,571
patriot07
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I had a 450-lb safe in the second floor of an apartment building, but that floor was designed to support the loads that come along in an inhabited space. Your attic wasn't. Beef it up like a real floor and you should be fine.
Jason has a good idea about putting it on or very near a load bearing wall. Those areas are significantly stronger.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5620939
02/26/15 02:07 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,941
Simple Searcher
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Mine was upstairs and 550 pounds plus guns. My daughter and I put it up there. She is so proud of how we did it. It set on a load bearing wall so it was not a problem. My biggest concern was if the stairs could hold it on the way up. The only problem was after a few years I needed a bigger one. It is 900 pounds and downstairs. 900 pounds is pretty simple downstairs.
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: J.G.]
#5621114
02/26/15 03:16 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,373
Bullfrog
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If you're dead set on putting it up there, I would make sure it is parked on top of a second floor load bearing wall, that is parked on top of a first floor load bearing wall. Getting it up there is gonna be a trick. But give a man a lever long enough and he can move the earth. That last part, yep. Leverage is awesome
Man if I knew what Oxner knows I could throw away what I know
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: Simple Searcher]
#5621368
02/26/15 12:39 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 22,716
BigPig
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Mine was upstairs and 550 pounds plus guns. My daughter and I put it up there. She is so proud of how we did it. It set on a load bearing wall so it was not a problem. My biggest concern was if the stairs could hold it on the way up. The only problem was after a few years I needed a bigger one. It is 900 pounds and downstairs. 900 pounds is pretty simple downstairs. You must have competed in the Worlds Strongest Man competitions if you think moving a 450lb safe upstairs is easy. Mines just a tick over 700lbs and the 3 movers we hired had a heck of a time just getting it in the garage
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: J.G.]
#5621370
02/26/15 12:41 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 22,716
BigPig
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If you're dead set on putting it up there, I would make sure it is parked on top of a second floor load bearing wall, that is parked on top of a first floor load bearing wall. Getting it up there is gonna be a trick. But give a man a lever long enough and he can move the earth. True, but find a woman during her special time of the month and the safe will move itself!
Wade Dews, REALTOR ® Rendon Realty, LLC Frontline Real Estate Team www.RendonRealty.comWadeDews@gmail.com 214-356-2410 Up to 1% for closing costs for First Responders & Veterans Proudly partnered with Assist The Officer Foundation https://atodallas.org/
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5621394
02/26/15 01:12 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,571
patriot07
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My 65 year-old dad and I moved my 450-lb safe up the stairs to my apartment. I did the lifting. He just guided it up. Wasn't that bad.
Problem with a 700-lb safe is that the size gets really awkward too for a safe that big and heavy. The lighter/slimmer safes are easier because of weight and profile.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5621407
02/26/15 01:22 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,481
BCJ
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I asked the same question a few years ago about putting a safe upstairs. A few firemen chimed in to let me know that it's going to go through the floor if there is ever a fire
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: BigPig]
#5621423
02/26/15 01:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,941
Simple Searcher
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Mine was upstairs and 550 pounds plus guns. My daughter and I put it up there. She is so proud of how we did it. It set on a load bearing wall so it was not a problem. My biggest concern was if the stairs could hold it on the way up. The only problem was after a few years I needed a bigger one. It is 900 pounds and downstairs. 900 pounds is pretty simple downstairs. You must have competed in the Worlds Strongest Man competitions if you think moving a 450lb safe upstairs is easy. Mines just a tick over 700lbs and the 3 movers we hired had a heck of a time just getting it in the garage The idea is to never lift the safe. That is just too much work. We made a block the same height as the steps. Then we simply tipped the safe up onto the first step, then tipped it up so we could put the block under it. Now it was setting flat again. Then we tipped it up to the next step, and moved the block up another step... all of the way to the top. Note: I would not have done this with my new safe, it was too tall. Tipping it would have been scary after it got up a few steps. I am 6' 2" so I could handle tipping the shorter safe back toward me going up the steps. And this method may not work on all stairs, or for all (shorter) people.
Last edited by Simple Searcher; 02/26/15 01:56 PM.
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5621424
02/26/15 01:44 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,571
patriot07
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We had ours on a dolly. Just rolled it up the steps basically.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: patriot07]
#5621442
02/26/15 01:55 PM
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,211
Korean Redneck
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I had a 450-lb safe in the second floor of an apartment building, but that floor was designed to support the loads that come along in an inhabited space. Your attic wasn't. Beef it up like a real floor and you should be fine. ^^^this I wouldn't put that safe in the attic. Pretext: I've spent some years doing structural analysis and I generally tend to be a risk averse (ie professionally I can be a wuss) engineer at work. I highly recommend you NOT doing this for the reason patriot listed. I would say the only exception is if the spot in the attic is right up again a good load bearing wall. For example, the attic above my garage obviously has 4 walls. 3 of them are simply the outer garage walls. The wall up against the rest of the house is the main support wall for the upstairs. Since you can see the beams: What is the foot print of your safe? Measure the spacing between the beams in your attic? With the above 2, figure out how many beams you safe is likely to span in the position you envisioned placing it at. Remember, that plyboard is merely a covering. The beams are going to take and transfer to the load to the wall. I assume your safe is wider than it is deeper. So choose an orientation that has the widest dimension of the safe span across as many beams as possible. Heck, get a piece of carboard cut to the exact foot print of you safe to layout the location that will distribute the weight over the most beams. good luck.
I'm a dude who likes long barrels!
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5621495
02/26/15 02:36 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,275
jeepercreeper
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I had my 450lb safe upstairs for awhile. Then I decided it was stupid and put it on ground floor.
My wife is about 400lb and she's never fallen through the floor. But she is probably wider than a safe.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: Bullfrog]
#5621602
02/26/15 03:39 PM
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,258
Hunt Dog
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If you're dead set on putting it up there, I would make sure it is parked on top of a second floor load bearing wall, that is parked on top of a first floor load bearing wall. Getting it up there is gonna be a trick. But give a man a lever long enough and he can move the earth. That last part, yep. Leverage is awesome Archimedes is your friend.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5622056
02/26/15 07:25 PM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 40
mfv
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Nov 2014
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if only 2x6 joist spanning your garage on 16" or 24" centers. no
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5622222
02/26/15 08:44 PM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 447
Strongbad
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There's more to it than even what has been mentioned. Is it a stick built house or does it use engineered trusses? Most houses with engineered trusses are not built with attics meant to hold anything more than the roof. Maybe a water heater or air conditioner at most. Hell around here, the hole would never be big enough to get the thing into the attic anyway. Plus, I'm not sure I'd want the safe in a non-climate controlled space, especially if you attic ends up as hot as mine does! $.02
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5624878
02/28/15 12:55 AM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 528
cavediver
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It is walk in attic space that I am going to finish out and add ac ducts.it will have trusses put in.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5625648
02/28/15 01:43 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,272
Texas Dan
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Check the grade of lumber to see if it's load bearing quality. If the attic space was originally built only to be an attic space, I seriously doubt the joists are the higher standard.
I added trusses in the attic space above my garage when I decked it just for storage. While the ceiling joists were 2x12's, they were not for load bearing use.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5627975
03/01/15 04:24 PM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 447
Strongbad
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There are also specific building codes regarding finishing out attic spaces, so check with your local office.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5628335
03/01/15 07:21 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 45
Jordan249
Light Foot
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Light Foot
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I would honestly get an engineer involved. If that safe came crashing down and hurt someone it would cost a ton to repair the house plus the damage to the person is not worth the risk.
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: Jordan249]
#5628825
03/01/15 11:17 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,272
Texas Dan
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I would honestly get an engineer involved. If that safe came crashing down and hurt someone it would cost a ton to repair the house plus the damage to the person is not worth the risk. Yes, you buy a safe to reduce risk or the potential for loss, and not to increase it.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
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Re: Gun safe on the 2 floor of a house
[Re: cavediver]
#5628848
03/01/15 11:24 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657
colt45-90
Texas colt45
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Texas colt45
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not all load bearing walls are equal, the wall could have been constructed with 24"oc, so, I would definitely get some professional advice, I always doubled the studs, sometimes tripled when planning for a heavy load.
hold on Newt, we got a runaway
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