Yes, your home
can have a
SECRET
DOOR
By Melissa Erickson
More Content Now
The
INC.
Four Vermont
Locations:
Bennington
802-753-7393
Ferrisburgh
802-870-3220
Londonderry
802-824-3677
N. Clarendon
802-747-9950
gas • wood • pellet
stoves and fireplaces
thestovedepot.com
14 • 2018 Fall Vermont Home, Garden & Car
W
ant in on a secret? If you want your home to have
real wow factor, add a space with a hidden door.
Secret passageways, hidden vaults, stealth walls,
rotating fireplaces and stone structures that open with
the flip of a switch are as cool in real life as they are in the movies.
Not just edgy and fun, they also add value to a home, said Steve
Humble, president of Creative Home Engineering, an Arizona-based
company that builds hidden doors in homes all over the world.
A mechanical engineer who became bored with his desk
job, Humble created his company when he wanted to upgrade
a spare room in his home but couldn’t find a company to
create a custom hidden door. So he did it himself.
Once reserved for royals and business tycoons, hidden doors can also
be put into homes of more modest means, but for the most cunning
designs custom work can cost $10,000 to $40,000, said Humble, who
introduced a new line of pre-designed doors last year that start at $1,500.
It’s not just the lure of James Bond-ian intrigue that stimulates
people’s interest in hidden spaces. Unused space is pretty common
in home construction, especially in big, high-end homes, said Joshua
Johnson, president/chief executive officer of Covert Concepts Secret
Door Co., which creates hidden rooms and secret spaces to store
valuables and for personal security. A mirror door will have guests
checking their appearance and not thinking what’s behind it, he said.
Covert Concepts can design, build and install a basic
secret door for about $3,500 to $5,000, Johnson said.
Look at a home’s layout plans and you’ll find unused
space in the attic, basement, closet or under stairs.