The economic elite are no longer into in-house saunas and health spas. Gone were the days when their main concern was getting relaxation within the comforts of their own homes. Now, luxury property owners are concentrating on their safety by having Kevlar-and-steel fortified "safe rooms" installed.
Since the 9/11 attacks, New York's one percenters have grown anxious of an economic collapse, terrorist attacks and civil unrests. As a result, the demand for safe rooms, which can cost more than $500,000, shot up and have "become a part of the suite of amenities that makes a property part of the upper end market."
Ironically, homes with safe rooms are located in areas with low crime rates. They are usually situated in New York's safest and most affluent zip codes. So, why are the rich so afraid?
"They're thinking of 'what ifs,'" said Gaffco Ballistics CEO Tom Gaffney. His Vermont-based company specializes in installing bullet-resistant systems, armor and safe rooms. He explained that "the more you have, the more you have to keep safe."
Gaffney pointed out that the city's elite are more concerned about bomb attacks compared with other affluent homeowners in other states. "The whole idea of New York being locked down in an emergency scared them," he shared. He also related that when news of another terrorist attack explodes, calls immediately pour into his office.
"Demand is definitely on the uptick," said Gaffney, noting that in December 2015, he issued a million dollars' worth of bids in just one week.
Gaffco's blast and bullet resistant safe rooms boast state-of-the-art features such as backup generators, panic buttons, booster systems for communication networks and audio-video systems so the homeowner can monitor every room in the house while inside the secure fortress.
The company's safe rooms are also equipped for biological warfare. They have a built-in bio-defense system with HEPA filtration to clear the air of nuclear, chemical and biological toxins.