Panic rooms in Mallorca

What a panic room is, and what it is not

What it is: a room whose entrance resists a break-in attempt for as long as it takes help to arrive, with a means of communication that does not depend on the house installation, and with the essentials to spend a few hours.

What it is not: a space shielded against any threat indefinitely. The realistic objective is to buy time, not to withstand a siege. Anyone selling you the latter is selling you smoke.

In most projects an existing room is adapted, usually the main bedroom or its dressing room, because that is where the occupants will be at night, which is when this makes sense.

Levels of protection

The first level is anti-intrusion: a high-grade armoured door, wall reinforcement where partitions are lightweight, and control of the entrance from inside. It covers the realistic scenario in virtually every case in the Balearics.

The second level adds ballistic protection to the door and walls. It comes up for specific profiles, and it has to be said plainly: it makes the project considerably more expensive and in most situations adds no practical security.

The third level incorporates air filtration and airtightness. This is a very rare requirement in a private home and we only recommend it when there is a concrete reason for it.

Our approach is to size the level to the real risk, not to the maximum possible.

How it is integrated into the home

In new build or a full renovation it is simpler and cheaper: the room is defined on the plans, structural reinforcement and service routes are allowed for, and the result is indistinguishable from the rest of the house.

In an existing home we work with what is there. We assess the candidate room, the type of wall, where the services run and what access it has. The security door is installed, walls are reinforced where needed, and autonomous communication and emergency power are added.

In both cases the design criterion is that it should not be noticeable. A panic room you can spot from the hallway loses much of its usefulness.

Confidentiality

These projects are handled privately. We do not publish photographs or locations, we do not give client references without their express authorisation, and the staff involved is kept to the minimum necessary.

If you want to assess a project, the usual route is an initial phone conversation to understand the case and, if it makes sense, a visit to carry out the assessment. That assessment is free and commits you to nothing.

Where we work

We carry out panic room projects across Mallorca, with a particular presence in the residential areas of Calvià, Andratx, Bendinat, Portals, Son Vida and Pollença, and we take enquiries from the rest of the Balearics.