I have a better idea. A friend of mine just bought a brand new house. It DOESN'T have a real fireplace. What it does have is a "mood fireplace". When she told me about it I thought WTH! I asked her why, and she said that most builders are actually putting "mood fireplaces" instead of real ones because most people don't use their fireplaces.
I looked at the house when it was 90% complete and of course, the brick around it, (as if it was a real fireplace), the thing is huge like 54 inches wide. I told her that would be a good place to build a safe and keep valuables, (removing the mood fireplace, (only 4 screws), it is big enough to get in there, stand up and looking into it and the area is like a small room built within the wall behind the fireplace hearth, (32 inches wide X 9 feet tall and on both sides a little over 2 feet deep).
I told her that it would be good to make a metal frame for the "mood fireplace" hinge it with a secret release button of some sort, (hidden), so it could swing it open to gain access inside. Then frame out the inside of the wall behind the fireplace hearth, then you could store anything, (especially guns, ammo, or other valuables), and no one would even know the secret place is there, even if a burglar ripped the place apart or feds for that fact.
So she is going to get me to do it for her. It will be some time this summer, as she is going to have to save up enough money to get the job done. I know when I do it I am going to take pictures of my progress!
Oh the mood fireplace is electric this is kind of like the one she has, and of course as I said, she has a BIG brick hearth around it going up to the ceiling.
http://www.soothingfireplaces.com/e...laces/napoleon-ef39hd-electric-fireplace.html
,. After several tries, I found that a red-hot Awl , pushed into the corners +........ worked good . Then just do the rest with an Exacto blade . 
. Thick old books are a dime a dozen . 
But they were obviously kicka$$ in the 80s! (and probably FAR less to buy than what they're worth now)
