So I’ve got the thumbs up to hopefully build a secure man cave and wondered if anyone had any recommendations on a composite door supplier?

The new man cave will be small (just 1.5m2 inside) and built from breezeblocks laid side on for the walls – with the walls and the concrete roof reinforced with rebar.

The local kids are now going round tooled up with portable angle grinders so I think the walls and roof will be secure enough so there’s just the tunnelling in from below (haven’t seen kids with hoods up carrying spades yet) which just leaves the door and getting mugged for the door key as the points of weakness.

I’ve narrowed down to three composite door systems:

1. A “rockdoor ultimate” which has a carbon reinforced foam core, steel mesh under the front panel and decent locks

2. A “solidor” which has a solid timber core under the composite exterior, decent locals etc
3. A trudoor which has a foam core and decent bolts but also has frame deadbolts (which stops the door being lifted out of the hinges are cut.

Due to the need to cram as much man stuff in the cave as possible the door will open outwards.

Does anyone have a view on any of the above? Are there any other doors I should look at?

As well as a decent door the bikes will be locked up with separate kryptonite New York locks connected to wall anchor points bonded in to the brickwork. Oh, and a poachers alarm / empty shotgun cartridge on the door so anyone who gets through that will be clutching their ears for a while.

Are there any other security things to consider? Already have cctv, a burglar alarm and “under siege” mentality 🙂

I have a solidor and an ex policeman friend who is also very geeky about security said they were very very good, the locks on them being the best he knows of.

They sound expensive. Wouldn’t a galvanized steel sheet and some coach bolts make a cheap door secure?

I’d move.

Local bike shop got done over recently. They just pulled the whole door and frame out of the wall in one.

How much stuff are you going to get in 1.5m2?

Recently had a Rockdoor fitted and very impressed it feels solid, looks good, keeps the draughts out and cut down on the outside noise a lot which didn’t expect

Given your description of your neighborhood I’d also move. You do know you are only here once? Why put up with that? If you can afford one of those doors you can afford to move somewhere nicer!

A portable angle grinder and a thin cutting blade will open any of your door choices….

Thanks everyone.

So basically any of those doors will only slow them down a few minutes?

I’ll now investigate options for an oil filled flaming moat round the man cave and maybe another moat round that with some crocs in.

Local bike shop got done over recently. They just pulled the whole door and frame out of the wall in one.

That happened to my LBS a few years back.

shutter type door in front of a more conventional one?

Getting very expensive for a small space though.

Also, online alarm plus some of this?

http://www.smokemachines.net/buy-security-smoke-systems.shtml

1.5m2? Isn’t that the size of e.g. a small downstairs loo? Unless you’re storing bullion in there, it seems a huge expense to secure a tiny area.

We got a Rockdoor, it seems good, if expensive. Could still get in with a cutting disc on an angle grinder I expect.

Just get a 1mm steel door with multi-point locking, it’s as good as anything else and they’re cheap off Ebay.

It’s what I have on the workshop. I could open it in a few mins with an angle grinder, but then I could do that to any door which is less than say 10mm thick steel.

Just get a 1mm steel door with multi-point locking, it’s as good as anything else and they’re cheap off Ebay.

It’s what I have on the workshop. I could open it in a few mins with an angle grinder, but then I could do that to any door which is less than say 10mm thick steel

+1 – I think mine was about £240 off ebay..