Customer Reviews

Secret Rooms Secret Compartments

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been frustrated with this type of book in the past.

I am carpentry challenged, but I actually want to build a secret room and/or compartment in my home by myself to preserve secrecy. Unfortunately, most of the hiding books I own do not tell you how to actually build anything. They are really just lists of hiding places, with a few hand-drawn type illustrations to give you vague ideas on how to construct them. This includes all of the major ones out there: "How to Hide Anything," "The Big Book of Secret Hiding Places," and ironically enough even "The Construction of Secret Hiding Places" is very short on actual building instructions and illustrations. Even worse, a couple are simply retreads of others!

This book is totally different and does not reference any other books, and in fact exceeds them in quality in every way as far as content. It appears to be self-published, and the author has obviously spent years thinking about this subject and building the projects he discusses. This is uncoventional carpentry, folks; Mr. Dzindzeleta realizes this and wrote to show you *how to build* this stuff, without getting locked into "example" projects that are too dependent on certain sizes/materials to apply to you.

The strengths of "Secret Rooms, Secret Compartments":

It is chock full of quality illustrations that detail the actual working mechanisms for locks, glides, rollers, sliding panels, the operation of hidden doors, and even a special hinge I have not seen before.

Even better, the author has the text and the illustrations completely cross-referenced, so you can hold one finger on the page with the illustration and go back again and again as he discusses each design idea or variation.

Dzindzeleta also gives ideas for supplies that you will probably need for each project. However, please note that he does not give specific brands or models, because he realizes that every secret room/compartment is totally custom and will be different. He does give you a general idea of materials, and it will get you started.

Another strong characteristic is the introduction. Not only does he go into detail about "how to think" multidirectionally to best locate and most easily build your secret room/compartment, he also goes into how incredibly important secrecy is, and gives very good, *detailed* instructions on doing a tour of your home or business to figure out where the "wasted" space behind the walls is or where the best place to "shorten" a room is. He even gets into plumbing, heating ducts, etc.

If all of this isn't enough, the design ideas themselves are innovative. Dzindzeleta has ideas in here that I have not seen before, and what's more they are usually a lot better than the other books as well. This includes a unique under-the-stair design, column compartments, a secret elevator, a closet in a closet, box-beam drawers, room divider to mask a secret entrance, floor-access room or compartment, and the obligatory bookcase projects.

Other than some (admittedly annoying) typos that do not affect its usefulness, this is simply the best "build your own hiding place" book I have ever read. I do recommend that if you want "all" the possible hiding place ideas for your home, that you purchase "How to Hide Anything" by Michael Connor in addition to "Secret Rooms, Secret Compartments." Connor's book is the one that the retreads always copy, and was obviously the standard "good" hiding book back in the 1980s, when most of the hiding books were written.

This book is a must own for those of you who are concerned with the protection of personal property. It is a step by step guide to building your little secret and invisable spot or spots. I gave it a four only because it can be labour intensive and some mechanical ability is needed. It's not exactly good reading it's more of a Do It Your Self type of book. So get your tools and hide stuff

I bought this book after buying some others that fell short. I was looking to build a classic bookshelf door and this book came through. I am finished and new visitors to my condo never have any clue its there, just walk right on past. Wonderful feeling, I spent quite a number of man hours but did it all by myself. From building the wall to finishing the bookshelf with trim. This and a home depot do-it-yourself type book and you are off and running. Have fun, good info in this one.

I would've enjoyed a few more pages. But I did enjoy what was there. I agree, it is labor intensive, but anything worth doing usually is. If it's going to truly be a hidden panel. It will take that little extra to make it unnoticed.

This book delivers far more than I was expecting with regard to USABLE ideas.

As stated before, this is much more than simply 'places to hide your stuff' that is so common now. Many of the constructions shown and fully explained were new (to me) ideas that will be used.

If you need information with more depth than just where to hide something, this book is for you. This book is really about HOW TO HIDE YOUR STUFF AND REGAIN ACCESS TO IT IMMEDIATELY with some of the most ingenious locking devices and hinges one can use. It does little good to hide something if you need to destroy the wall you sealed it behind to gain it again.

Do not get hung up on the fact that it is spiral-bound. So what? Are you interested in putting the book on display or do you wish to enlarge your knowledge base with regard to your security?

This book is well worth the price, regardless of how it is bound, or what it looks like. If you want usable knowledge, which this book supplies in spades, buy it.

Enjoy.

This book is great. No matter the size of the compartment you want to make, it is listed. You have probably seen the movies where some dude pulls a candle holder on a wall and a secret door opens up. Well why not have something like that in your house. This book explains how to make that happen, along with many other interesting devices.

Do you want a secret shelf that slides out of sight? This book tells you how. That secret room you always wanted to make, is all right inside the pages.

There is even some practical advice about where the secret places should be so that they will be even less noticable. The man even talks about you being wary about the neighbors noticing you bringing all the extra building supplies home (they might suspect your secret).

I would love to build a house and incorporate some of these ideas into it.

My only negative comment on the book is the binding. It looks like it was bound in a public school. If you buy it you'll see what I mean. Otherwise, this book has valuable, and very hard to find information. You can hide anything as long as the smell doesn't give you away.

I bought other books that didn't go into the nuts-and-bolts of the hinges and catches. This one does. I built a secret room so hidden, I don't think anyone will find it even after I'm gone.

Excellent compilation of ways to make secret doors, drawers and rooms.
Lots of good mechanical drawings with construction details. So far, the best hiding place book that I've found.
CONS: Kind of pricey and in binder format but content is excellent.

Most "secret hiding places" books aren't worth much. I know I've got Michael Connor's "How to hide anything" and I'm positive at least one of the others that come up here with this title at Amazon- buy this one instead even if it is the most expensive book of the lot. It is cheaply produced and not a lot of detail (you may want to get some carpentry books to go along with it) in some ways but it is helpful and worth owning. The other books I have were so useless I've forgotten just which ones I have or even which box in storage I've put them in- this one stands a chance of actually being used someday.

Basic photocopy spiral bound book. Good design concepts, excellent ideas. Would like to have seen some photos of finished concepts.