Everyone has a reason to conceal something. More often than not, that something is of great monetary or sentimental value, like precious jewelry, rare stamps and coins or even love letters from long ago. It could also be a gun for self-protection or a stash of cash that is being kept aside for a rainy day. There are literally hundreds of places in your house where you can hide these valuable items that will frustrate even the most determined of professional thieves. All it takes is to learn how to build secret compartments out of these places.
Basically, secret compartments can be made out of existing hollow spaces in inconspicous nooks and crannies, or can be constructed to create an illusion of emptiness. Your choice of where and how to build secret compartments in your house will be determined by what you want to conceal. Take for instance the hollow spaces on walls, which are typically sheetrock nailed on 2” x 4’” beams that run vertically from floor to ceiling and are spaced 16 inches apart. Even with little practice, you can find where these spaces are by tapping along the wall. Then, with a coping saw, you can carefully cut a hole to create a suitable stash between the beams. Just remember that the hole must be smaller than the object that you will use to cover it, like a line of shelves, a picture frame or a gun rack.
If the item you want to conceal is thin like a few thousand dollar bills, shares of stocks or treasury bills, then you may want to make a false bottom in one of the drawers of your favorite desk. To make a false bottom drawer, cut a liner from a suitable material. But in doing this, remember that the measurement must be exact and you must use the same kind of wood because things cannot look altered. If you cannot find the same kind of material, you will have to repaint or revarnish the whole desk and every drawer. Then, glue a washer at the center and at each corner of the real bottom as well as to the false bottom. When the false bottom is inserted in the drawer, the washers will line up and create a secret compartment of desired thickness. Lifting the false bottom can be made through the use of a strong magnet or inserting a pen in a small hole at the bottom of the drawer to push up the false bottom.
Other common household items that can contain secret compartments are books and even the heel of your shoe. An old dictionary, for instance, can be turned into an innocent-looking secret compartment for your hand gun. All you need is a knife to cut out the space in the inside pages for the hand gun, tape the compartment and you’re done. On the other hand, the simplest way to turn a heel of a shoe into a secret compartment is to lift the heel pad from the inside, then carve out a space using a drill and a sharp knife. Insert the object, glue back the flap and join James Bond in his top secret missions.
For more information on How to Build Secret Compartments read:
How to Build Secret Compartments
How to Build Secret Compartments
How to Build Secret Compartments
