Wondering if anyone has suggestions on things one can do to the home to help keep out intruders and also is there's an intruder in the home
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
As suggested by others here, plant thorn trees where you can. They are miserable to get through. Motion detectors with the alarm inside give you advance warning and don't make your place look too inviting.
Motion sensing lights outside, all sides of the house, is an easy deterrent. No one wants to be seen doing something criminal.
Upgrading your deadbolt system is a huge one, if you take a close look at most home setups, there is little more than a few inches of wood stopping them from kicking the entire door in.
There is special glass covers for accessible windows, kind of like a film, that make them shatterproof.
Keep what you have out of sight and locked up.
Installing a cctv surveillance system, or even the fake cameras on the outside of your house, and in front of doorways.
If you have a motorized garage door opener, the string hanging down can be pulled from the outside with a coat hanger, zap strap it up.
As mentioned in a earlier post this week....a big dog!
Thanks guy in regard to dead bolts any suggestions about reinforcing the doors and windows
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
to Reinfoce the doors,
start by removing the frame it is probably soft woods. Now either use a steel frame or hardwood. Make sure you use 8" bolts to anchor the new frame to the walls. The door itself should be a solid core, metal skinned door.
Windows can be rienforced similarly. Home Depot sells Lexan and Optimax glass replacements plexi. Both are much harder to break. You could then put the film over the windows, this adds in extra UV protection so the plexi lasts longer and adds in extra shatter proof resistance. Films by 3M are the most popular.
As a quick fix if affording changing out these items may be too cost prohibitive, you could also for the short term just remove existing screws in hinges that go into door frame as well as hole the striker plates, and pre drill and use #8 screws by 3 inches long so as to get a good bite into the studs beyond the door frame. The gives much better holding power than the short screws that are typically installed. Ensure you have decent quality dead bolts, and even go so far as removing your trim on the dead bolt side and installing a nice piece of 2" x 4' piece of flat steel, pre drill and also screwed into post with 3" screws to strengthen up this week point of contact for your door security.
Just a thought to beef up exisiting, without going to too much expense.
Cheers
Chevy55
Put a sign on windows.
"Please do not open windows.
Our pet Boas will get out."
Also/or:
Use caution when walking outside around the house
as some Boas have gotten loose."
sorry couldn't resist. 😉
A sense of humor is absolutely essential to survival.
l think to much overt home security/defence is an invitation to invasion. One of the best forms of defense in this case i belive is secrecy. A big dog is common enough and a good deterant.
How about a sign that says
"Grumpy Old Bastard who gets up all ours of the night to pee,
with a shotgun!"
How about a sign that says
"Grumpy Old Bastard who gets up all ours of the night to pee,
with a shotgun!"
I take offense to that statement, I am certainly not grumpy... 😆
I AM !
also have a staff
kukri knives and machetes
K-bar
assorted knives
and a dog, who sometimes gets me up in the middle of the night when I am actually sleeping and makes me even Grumpier, like last night!
Nah,i have a sign with a life size silloutte of a heavily armed soldier in full NBC gear with a caption that reads '' Hostile owner,trespass at own risk'' 😉
Wow so much good info I even thought at one time doing like will smith did on I am legend with his doors and windows with the inside shutter system but the door and window stuff is great not sure if my choc lab and Australian cattle dog are much or a deterrent
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
Bad guys don't want to be caught or hurt.
An unpredictable defense such as a dog or a randomly wandering homeowner is what they fear most. All static defenses have weaknesses that can be defeated but some are harder than others and the obvious signs (like 2 dead bolt locks or window bars) usually say "go elsewhere".
If your place appears better secured or better lit or harder to escape from than the ones next door you have much less to fear.
If someone wants in to your house specifically because for some reason they already know what you have the battle is already lost. They will take the time to recon your setup and plan. Opsec is probably the key here.
