Need advice on installing condo hidden safe

[jeab1980]

38 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

A very wise old man told me that the best anti-elephant protection was to put a large bale of straw coloured purple by the front door. Elephants hate purple straw and will never go near it.

 

I've done this for years in my condo and so far I have never had any elephant problems.

Are you sure about that!. Being satirical really doesnt suit you.

My point being in 60+ years and having houses broken into at least 4 times i have never had my valuables which i place in said bag taken. It works.

[manarak]

2 hours ago, dinga said:

Good suggestions - but the 'good large safe' may only protect against a robbery when you're NOT home.  What if the 'good large safe' causes such high expectations of a significant haul that the robber/s target their visit for when you ARE AT HOME.  Don't like the potential threat of "open it now or else..." 

yes, it depends on your personal situation.

as my home has security very nearby a home intrusion while I am at home is very unlikely.

 

Edited September 2, 2017 by manarak

[manarak]

3 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

In a condo the floor is normally structural and belongs to the building, even on the ground floor. So permission would be required to make holes in it.

 

not all of the floor will be structural - a builder will be able to tell.

[KittenKong]

15 hours ago, manarak said:

not all of the floor will be structural - a builder will be able to tell.

 

Common condo construction here uses concrete floors, including at ground level. These are structural and belong to the building.

 

Some units might have wooden floors fitted on top of the concrete and these might have a gap between them and the concrete. If so the area of that gap could be used to put a safe into. Though from what I've seen here it's more common to fit wooden floors directly to the concrete, like tiles, with the possible addition of a waterproof membrane if you're lucky.

 

Even if the floor isnt solid concrete it could count as common property and belong to the building. So I would be inclined to ask before altering it.

[inThailand]

Almost every condo development and house here is a post and beam structure. The walls and the floors have no structural effect on the building. Also, we are talking about four bolts to hold a safe, hardly intrusive to the structural integrity of the building.

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, inThailand said:

Almost every condo development and house here is a post and beam structure. The walls and the floors have no structural effect on the building.

 

Have you ever looked at a condo building under construction? Apparently not. Try it, and pay particular attention to the floors.

 

 

4 hours ago, inThailand said:

Also, we are talking about four bolts to hold a safe, hardly intrusive to the structural integrity of the building.

 

The structural integrity is neither here nor there. The discussion is about the ownership of the (dividing) walls and floors. In a condo building these are owed by the building, not by the unit. Permission must be obtained from the building before doing anything invasive to them.

 

And as fas as I can see the suggestions for putting a safe in the floor would involve a lot more invasive action than just putting a safe on the floor and bolting it to the floor. And a safe on the floor would not be exactly hidden, which is the topic.

[bbradsby]

No way to generalize about whether you can cut into a condo building floor [at any level] or ceiling elements visible to you as a consumer. You need a knowledgeable professional to review and advise. The slabs in high rises are often post-tensioned concrete. and if you cut into one of the steel tendons, it could maim or kill you, and would compromise the strength of the floor area of the cut. Assuming you didn't get an ambulance ride, you'd still be in serious legal and financial trouble.

 

The walls are less critical for a small cut-out, but wouldn't you be embarrassed to see daylight into your neighbor's condo while hammer-drilling into the wall for your "safe."