Reading the home invasion thread has got me thinking about how I could further harden the entrances to my house.
Doors are solid core and are almost always locked with heavy duty double cylinder deadbolts. Strikeplates are heavy duty and secured with 3" screws to the stud. The double hung windows have aluminum pins to make prying them open very difficult (although my wife could be better at putting them back in.) The garage door is usually closed. The back yard has motion detector lights. The front landscaping is deciduous and I'm relocating the rose bushes to be in front of the windows.
One basement window has bars installed on the inside. The other basement window meets code for emergency egress. It does have a pair of 2x4 wood grates over the well and it is well concealed by a fence and shrubs. It is highly likely to be seen but it would give an intruder excellent coverage.
I live in a typical subdivision where emergency response is three minutes or less.
For the doors, I could replace the hinge screws with 3" screws.
I could add wood blocks to the upper sashes to limit how far they can be opened. (Anybody know how to add blocks if I change the windows to fiberglass windows?)
I should probably add metal bars to the vulnerable basement window.
I should probably change the front lights to be motion activated also.
Does anybody have any experience with the individual door/window alarms like http://www.dobermanproducts.com/home_security.html?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
PS. I carry virtually all of the time so if I can't keep them out, then I need just a little notice.
Doors are solid core and are almost always locked with heavy duty double cylinder deadbolts. Strikeplates are heavy duty and secured with 3" screws to the stud. The double hung windows have aluminum pins to make prying them open very difficult (although my wife could be better at putting them back in.) The garage door is usually closed. The back yard has motion detector lights. The front landscaping is deciduous and I'm relocating the rose bushes to be in front of the windows.
One basement window has bars installed on the inside. The other basement window meets code for emergency egress. It does have a pair of 2x4 wood grates over the well and it is well concealed by a fence and shrubs. It is highly likely to be seen but it would give an intruder excellent coverage.
I live in a typical subdivision where emergency response is three minutes or less.
For the doors, I could replace the hinge screws with 3" screws.
I could add wood blocks to the upper sashes to limit how far they can be opened. (Anybody know how to add blocks if I change the windows to fiberglass windows?)
I should probably add metal bars to the vulnerable basement window.
I should probably change the front lights to be motion activated also.
Does anybody have any experience with the individual door/window alarms like http://www.dobermanproducts.com/home_security.html?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
PS. I carry virtually all of the time so if I can't keep them out, then I need just a little notice.