Hidden Wall Outlet Safe

This instructable will show you how to make a simple and fun wall outlet safe. The wall outlet safe looks just like a normal wall outlet plate but can be used to store your valuables in the wall. It can store quite a bit of stuff things up to 6.5" longs. It is designed for .5" thick sheet rock which is standard in residential housing. Hope you enjoy this instructable and please vote for it in the secret doors and compartments contest.

Step 1: What You Will Need

Materials:
5.5" x 24" x .5" wood plank. I used poplar that I bought at Home Depot for under $5

Wood glue

Blank outlet wall plate. I got one for $0.50 at Home Depot

Tools:
Jig saw or laser printer

Screwdriver

sheetrock saw or knife

Step 2: Making the Main Box

If you can put together a puzzle this step will be easy for you. I have attached a PDF of all the shapes you will need. If you are lucky like me, and have access to a laser printer, you can just import it and have the laser do all the cutting, making your job easier. However, if you don't have access to a laser printer you can print out the PDF making sure it is 1:1 scale. Then you can continue to trace and cut out all of the shapes with a jig saw or hand saw if that's all you have available.

Once you have cut out your shapes you can glue it together like the above picture showed. You shouldn't need to do any clamping. It should be able to hold its self together once you hold it hand tight for awhile.

Step 3: Putting on the Outlet Plate

Once you have your box assembled the next step is the put on the outlet plate. You can sand or cut a little grove in the top of the plate for your finger to be able to tilt it off the wall. Be careful not to make it to big or else it will be noticed when it's mounted in the wall. Not all plates are the same so depending on what type of you plate you got depends if you need to put some washers on. So what you want, is your plate to be flush with the front of the main box. If it is not you might have to add some washers to make it as flush as possibly. The above picture kinda shows it. Once you have it flushed up it is as simple as screwing in the screws in to mount the outlet plate.

Step 4: Location and Cutting the Hole

Location, location, location. Location is key! You want to find a location that is away from a lot of traffic but still easy to access when needed. It has to be on a non insulated interior wall and you want to make sure it does not lie on a stud. Once you have found your location measure the distance from the floor to the bottom of an existing outlet. Then add .25" to that and this will be the measurement for the bottom of the new hole. You can then make a rectangle that is 2" x 3.75". Cut it out with a Sheetrock saw, knife, or dremel. The Sheetrock saw works the best but be careful there will be dust!

Step 5: Finishing Up

Once you have cut the hole you can simply just slide the box into the whole. It can be opened easily by pulling town the the top and it will just sort of pivot open. It will look just like a normal blank outlet. No one will ever be able to find your stash of valuables.
Hope you enjoyed this instructable and stay tuned for the wall safe with an added lock.

Comments

[bigdawgte]

BTW, excellent Instructable....

[bigdawgte]

I think a good way to go about the lock might be simply to pre-drill a small hole through the wall a few inches below the exposed outlet/cover and drive a measured (drywall plus thickness of safe panel plus 1/4") wood or drywall screw in. You could spackle & paint the screw head then for maximum security (use a stud locator to find it when needed), or if the box was mounted low enough on the wall, the screw could go into the baseboard and no one would think anything of it.

[marsjer000]

Sorry still can't post PDFs as of now if you would like them just msg me

[marsjer000]

And sorry I can't attach the PDFs for the box my computer is being wacky

[marsjer000]

Yes I was thinking of a turn latch. I was thinking of putting the turn scre or lock inside a cable jack or a phone jack. Making it undetectable. Because people can try to plug things into a outlet all the time but no one will bring a tv or a landline to your house to plug in. Who even has a landline anymore anyways.

[mdb5972]

Nice. Off the top of the head. A simple lock would be to use the top screw to make a turn latch. Longer screw with nut and washer to a attach the wood face and small stick of wood between two nuts.

[ned103]

Here's a thought and I wonder what you think. Would it be a good idea or not. What if you used and actual outlet that looked like a plug and put a battery operated nightlight on it. One of those that only come one when it's dark and turn off when there's light so it looks like a real working outlet. You plug it into the bottom outlet so the top one isn't accessible. Do you think that would draw attention to the safe or make someone net even give it a thought as a safe? Obviously you wouldn't put it where the outlet would be needed and there would be temptation to use it. Give me your thoughts.

[marsjer000]

Thanks glad you liked it.

[RyErickson11]

Looks great! Can't wait to see the lockable version.