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monica_harmon

How would you create a small safe room/office/man cave?

last month
last modified: last month

This is a popular floorplan in the neighborhood we want to buy in, but the primary bedroom is much too big for us and we dont want or need the extra sitting area. What we do need is a small man cave and/or a hidden room (like a safe room) that we could put a desk and our gun safe in. Maybe even a hidden door in a paneled wall. But we can’t figure out how to make it work with the dimensions of a king bed and 2 nightstands. We dont want to do too much construction and blow the remodel budget on just this project, either. Any ideas on how to reconfigure the primary bedroom floor plan?








Comments (22)

  • last month

    you could adjust the bathroom layout (remove the Tub) and add a private door into the safe room from the master bath.

  • PRO
    last month

    Here are some suggestions for your consideration. Only the concept is being presented with your requests in mind. We added space into a safe room through your master bedroom closet.

    We understand that you were hoping you could eliminate the sitting area in your bedroom and turn that into a safe room but the room's configuration along with the windows and door leading to the outside seems to limit that option. But pulling someone in that specifically builds safe rooms can offer additional options. We are going to post a floorplan and some pics of the safe room we put together for you. Hope this helps.

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    Here goes. We added a room that extends into the garage and shortened the closet by about a foot.

    In the safe room you will see:

    • One desk and desk chair
    • One desk lamp
    • One large screen desktop computer
    • Two soft chairs that can be turned into beds.
    • One set of nesting tables for food, etc.
    • Two floor lamps behind each chair.
    • One small file cabinet
    • One small fridge on top of the file cabinet
    • Three combination safes
    • One set of lockers with three individual lockers for your guns, supplies, water, additional food, meds, etc.
    • One large screen TV on the back wall to be able to view security footage and to stay in touch with the outside world.
    • Wi-Fi



  • PRO
    last month

    Additional 3D pictures of the room.










  • last month
    last modified: last month

    It sounds like all you need room for is a desk and gun safe. Can you put those in the sitting area of the bedroom?

  • last month

    You could make a reach in closet along wall back to back with the kitchen. Then you could turn part of your walk in closet into a small hidden room.

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    Okay here is another suggestion. Add a wall in the backend of the bedroom measuring 9' x 14'2". Yes you will have to close off the windows. The door can be disguised using wall paneling, wall paper or wall strips. The room has all of the items suggested in the list below. Best wishes.



  • last month

    I would love to do it just like the picture but the bed MUST face the other direction. This room is on a golf course with mountain view’s and gorgeous sunsets. It would be a travesty to cover those windows with a huge bed and then not be able to see the view.

    Someone’s idea of having the door in the bathroom is definitely a possibility since the shower has to be remodeled anyway and the tub was going to be eliminated or replaced. The shower could go where the tub is currently.

    We don’t want the office in the place where we sleep… that is why we are trying to find an alternative to use this extra large and otherwise unused bedroom space.

    There might be a way to change the doorway entrance to make the shared bathroom wall longer so the king bed and 2 large nightstands can fit in that wall, I just can’t figure out how to do it.

  • last month

    Easiest would be to use the walk in closet as your safe room and add a standard closet along the wall that backs up to the kitchen.

  • last month

    Really rough idea is to square off everything. Once you get your budget in mind you can look at the details like moving the entrance to the bathroom off the office instead etc. A king bed with 2-24" nightstands and a 34" door is less than 14ft and a king bed length will fit fine in an approx. 13ft length room.


  • last month

    Thank you!

  • PRO
    last month

    I know you say you don't need to accommodate sitting in your master but keep in mind that a prospective home buyer might love it. So, am not sure I would advise you to cut down on the master size.

  • last month

    " This is a popular floorplan in the neighborhood we want to buy in "


    Is the house built or is this new construction?

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    What a strange way to design a home . I have never had the need for gun cabinet but maybe somehwere else altogether. Such wasted space why not just make the closet the safe room and do a new walkin closet in the bedroom since going through the bathroom to the closet is always bad planning . I have no idea why you want this poorly planned home so maybe think about that first.

  • last month

    You've got a very big closet off of the bathroom. Is it big enough for your man cave? Looks like it to me. You'd need to change the door from opening to the bathroom to make it open to the hall. You'd then need armoires or built-in closets in the bedroom. For the desk, could it work in the library?


    I'd look at your layout and think about how you plan to use the rooms and what functions you want. A gun safe, for example, could easily fit in the space by the sink at the end of the garage. Or at the back of that very large closet.

  • last month

    Do we know what the OP meant by 'safe room'? I assumed some barracudalike room where no one could get to them. If it's just a space to put a gun safe in--find a garage corner! As mentioned by several that closet is an insane waste of sq footage and poorly located. I also find an outside door in a bedroom off putting. I don't know what your remodel budget is planned for but the primary bedroom needs some rethinking.

  • last month

    So by ‘safe room’ I meant that it would be kind of hidden away, but ultimately function as an office and man cave for my husband. But it could also be where we keep our huge gun safe and our valuables. A room that has a disguised door so it is hard to find unless you know where to look. NOT reinforced walls or anything. There would still be a window in the room and that’s ok.

  • last month

    And again:


    " Is the house built or is this new construction? "

  • last month

    It’s built. From 1999 and needs remodeling everywhere. Excellent bones though. But the whole master suite just has so much wasted space.

  • last month

    It seems like the hall into the master bedroom and the corresponding entry into the bath and closet are inefficient. I'd rather have a single door into the master bed and recapture some wall space.


    It does seem like the only place to locate an extra room is on the far side of the bedroom, unless you want to reconfigure the entire master bath, closet, and bedroom. If you were going to do that, you could consider putting the extra room where the closet is and re-configure the closet and bathroo to maximize the windows in the far end of the bedroom.

  • last month

    I would consider a bookcase door if you want to hide the office space which is easy to insert in any decor.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Use the walk in closet for the gun-and-safe room. Put a very long reach in closet along the empty bedroom wall that is perpendicular to the window wall. The disguised entrance to the safe room can be from the hallway- that would keep the humidity from the bathroom from affecting the safes' contents.

    One thing to keep in mind with a closed-off room is that you will need ventilation. Bunker-type safe rooms can be built to purpose with ventilation not tied into the main HVAC, but it doesn't seem like you are aiming for that kind of bunker-type safe room.


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