Cheap Hidden Door Lock

I have a grow room that starts in the closet of my office, then moves into the attic. I want to add a lock to the closet door, but I don't want it to be visible. I don't want it to draw attention to itself because occasionally I have people come into my office and also there are workers remodeling parts of the house. I want some sort of hidden lock, but at the same time I don't want to shell out 200$ for a magnetic one. Anyone have any suggestions or good ideas?

Did you not use google?

http://www.smarthome.com/519012/Electric-Door-Strike-12VDC-220-12/p.aspx

Just need a 12VDC wallwart and a switch to activate it.

Thanks Bigbud. I'm thinking though once I buy a power source and a switch I will be around 70-80$ and I would really like to find a cheaper solution. Anyone else have this same issue they have successfully dealt with?

Just get a locking door knob, who would come into YOUR house and ask you questions. If someone says something tell them to leave. You are going to have silent fans in the closet? Good luck dude cause that is almost impossible. People will ask questions about a fan in your closet before a lock on the door knob

didnt think there was a need to be mean to him tom. but i guess you feel a need for it. and yeah sea i would go with what bud said, thats a great idea goodluck with it

DLC420 said:

didnt think there was a need to be mean to him tom. but i guess you feel a need for it. and yeah sea i would go with what bud said, thats a great idea goodluck with it

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I wasn't being mean I was giving him the truth
People will ask about a fan or humming noise coming from a closet before they would ask about a lock on the door. Wouldn't you agree?

Yeah, just get a locking doorknob. If they ask, tell them it's for insurance purposes.

Thanks for the responses.
I wanted a hidden lock because the house is a victorian being restored. No one should go upstairs and into my closet/attic space, but occasionally my father in law comes over (he is a contractor) and likes to inspect my handiwork and he would notice an additional lock on the door. He also likes to send his workers over to "help" without notifying me. I felt that it would be easier if I didn't draw attention to the closet, and it definitely would if I switched out the victorian door knob and non functioning lock-set with a new locking door knob.
I thought my easiest option would be a hidden lock on the inside of the door, and I also thought people on this forum may have creative solutions from their experience.

someone suggested an option.. you said its too expensive. Honestly I dont see any other alternative besides a $20.00 locking doorknob.

Open up the wallet a bit man Seriously, you are restoring/fixing a Victorian, have an office, and a grow....you can surely dig in the cushions for the <$100.00 electronic option posted.

This is for YOUR security and PEACE of mind. Plus you'll get to keep the doorknobs intact.

Not to mention feeling like James Bond when you let yourself in with your top secret, hidden buzzer thingymabob
- ogh

420OldSchoolDJ420 said:

someone suggested an option.. you said its too expensive. Honestly I dont see any other alternative besides a $20.00 locking doorknob.

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seriously...$70-80 is too much? Im a contractor myself, and beliieve me when i say this...you wont find a "secret/hidden" lock that can be bought and installed (with or without electricity) for less then that. You want a lock that cant be seen from the outside...it has to be electric or magnetic (like a metal rod in the door that goes through the floor or door frame, and can be slid up or sideways using a large magnet. thats a "creative" idea, but its going to cost you time...and time is money. The other members are right, you cant have the security your looking for without spending some cash...and im not talking about $20.


PS...tom wasnt being a dick. he had a good point.

Thank you all for your replies.

Oldgrayhair, I know $100 isn't a huge amount of money, but I am trying to stay within my budget. It is really easy for me, and I am sure a lot of other people, to go crazy upgrading to the next tier on every item, going digitial ballast instead of magnetic, 1000w instead of 600w etc, and then you end up spending 2 grand instead of 1.5. I just see all these amazingly creative grow rooms, and think people have had to come up with some ingenious ways of securing them.
I definitely like the whole Bond secret lair entrance feeling, but I think I am more like a villain in since I am trying to grow weed.

Strictly Seedless. Thanks for your response, I have actually been checking out your grow threads and I respect the work you have done. I am not a contractor, nor is my profession related to construction of any sort, but I spent a couple of summers as an apprentice carpenter, so I like to build things myself and try and find creative solutions. It usually is more hassle than its worth, but is a fun process.
The magnet idea you suggested is more along the lines of something I might try to experiment with. I found a pretty cool and affordable website to buy magnets from. http://www.kjmagnetics.com/ I think thats the direction I may head, and if you have any experience or suggestions about working with them since it was your suggestion, I would appreciate it.
Also, you can have a good point and still be considered a dick, its all about delivery.

On a side note, father in law sent an engineer over today while I was at work to do a structural evaluation. Grow room is still under construction, so hopefully it wasn't too obvious.

Come on guys... Theres no need to blast the guy for not having the money.. I def can relate to being broke..Seaweed11 Keep ya head up and do what you can until you can do what you want.

Seaweed11 said:

On a side note, father in law sent an engineer over today while I was at work to do a structural evaluation. Grow room is still under construction, so hopefully it wasn't too obvious.

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Honestly, I think you are picking a bad time to construct a grow room and grow.. Its surely not a good idea if you have people coming and going whenever they want.. IMHO you may need to wait till all the work on the house is done before you proceed.

We aren't blasting him, we are giving him straight answers. If you want some super secret locking mechanism you are going to need to shell out cash.
I want a 1000 watt air cooled light for $75 but I know that isn't realistic and that I need to shell out the the money to get what I want

Oldschool, thanks for the support. You're probably right about it not being the best time/situation, but the lady really let her dad have it for sending a stranger into our house without us knowing while we were not home so hopefully thats the end of that. Its all legal, both the lady and I have our medical prescriptions, so I'm not worried about that. I just don't want my business aired out and her parents possibly finding out and giving me shit.

Seaweed11 said:

Its all legal, both the lady and I have our medical prescriptions, so I'm not worried about that. I just don't want my business aired out and her parents possibly finding out and giving me shit.

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well thats a totally diff story.. I assumed you werent legal by asking about a hiden lock. I would say fuck it and grow them in my living room. Maybe a few on the front porch too.

peace

My thinking is a 1/2"x4" rod or two (maybe a lag bolt without the head) in the door that can be slid using a large magnet (keep the magnet in the kitchen or something). If you drilled a 1/2 hole with a spade bit in the door frame and the door (getting them to line up will take some skill) make sure not to drill the hole to deep on either side, and use the magnet to slide the rod into the door frame and out of the door frame. Do one at the top of the door and one at the bottom.


Tom im sure if i tried i could find a $75 1000 watt air cooled light...theres always craigslist...and patience.

Might you go to a salvage home supplier and find an old Victorian knob with skeleton key lock or some such? Maybe a replica but with a key and then stash the key somewhere? That would be a little cheaper at least and fairly easy to install as well as going along with the home decor.
You could also be yourself in-spite of what others think especially if you have a medical card and then you don't have to worry about it. That's real freedom