What’s Behind the Safe Door?

You buy a house, and somewhere along the way you discover something you weren’t expecting: a safe.

Maybe it’s a wall safe hidden behind the clothes in a walk-in closet. Maybe it’s a big, heavy safe sitting in the garage. Maybe it belonged to the previous homeowner. Or perhaps a spouse or loved one has passed away, and now you need access—but nobody knows the combination.

It can be a pretty big mystery.

I’ve seen this many, many times.

Wall safes are especially common in walk-in closets. You might have clothes hanging all the way around, and somewhere behind them is a little wall safe. Sometimes you have to move half the closet just to get the door open.

Then the homeowner calls me: “I found a safe, but I don’t have the combination.”

That’s something I can help with.

As a licensed, registered locksmith, I can open certain safes without damaging them, reset the combination and give the new homeowner control of their safe.

Sometimes people simply forgot their combination because they haven’t opened the safe in years. Other times, they’ve inherited a home and have no idea what’s inside. I’ve also worked with attorneys, executors and successor trustees who need access after someone passes away.

And you never really know what you’re going to find.

I’ve opened safes containing jewelry, cash, important records, stamp collections and rare coins. One antique safe belonged to a man who had passed away. When I opened it, I found his entire collection of rare stamps and coins, along with binders of records.

Another safe was packed with jewelry—pearl necklaces, including black and white pearls, diamonds and all kinds of valuable pieces. The homeowner was understandably concerned about having someone open the safe without disturbing everything inside.

I told her, “You won’t have to do anything. We’ll get in, and we won’t move anything.”

That’s how I approach this work. Whatever method I use to open the safe, I want to be able to repair it so that what I did is not visible. I want to restore the safe to the way it was before the event happened.

And when I’m working on a wall safe in a walk-in closet, there’s another problem: dust.

Cutting into a wall can be like working in a snowstorm. Imagine all those fine particles floating around your millions of clothes. You can’t just open the wall and let that stuff go everywhere.

So I put up what’s called a ZipWall. It goes from floor to ceiling, with a zipper in the middle. I step inside with my goggles and mask on, zip myself in, and I’m completely contained while I work.

Everything else stays protected.

Safes can also be upgraded. I can change combinations, replace older locking mechanisms and install high-security key systems. I also install wall and floor safes, and I’ve even turned dresser drawers in walk-in closets into secure storage by installing high-security locks.

It’s not a steel safe, but it keeps honest people honest.

One thing I always recommend, especially with an older or antique safe, is having it cataloged. I take pictures of the inside and document how everything is mounted. It’s almost like I have X-ray vision. If something breaks years later or you get locked out, I already know exactly what I’m dealing with.

Not every locksmith works on safes. It’s a specialty that takes experience.

So if you’ve discovered a mystery safe, forgotten your combination, inherited one from a loved one, or are thinking about adding or upgrading a safe in your home, give me a call.

Send me a picture if you can. It helps me know what I’m dealing with before I arrive.

You never know what’s behind that door.

If you ever need your safe serviced, opened, repaired, or combination changed or have any other locksmithing needs, please feel free to give us a call at 415-453-1300. Greg’s Locksmith is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you quickly, safely and affordably meet your security needs. Your Security is our Business!