Dionysusigma
Member
Well, I finally got a place of my own, a 1-bedroom apartment with not-too-thick walls. Now, I'm working part-time at a very low-paying job, so money isn't exactly something I have that can be tossed around. In a thread over in the Shotgun forum, I stated that I used what little savings I had to pick up a new Mossberg 590 "Special Purpose" for HD, but...
I'd also like some advice on general alert systems and such. I have no money for a dog (as much as I'd like one) due to the upkeep costs involved, plus extra deposits to the landlords and such. And I'm a bit of a heavy sleeper too, which doesn't exactly help an HD situation. After talking with my new neighbors and surveying the general area in which I live, HD is a pretty dang good idea and I've come up with an interesting (if crude) idea for a penniless bachelor (me) that'll warn him if anyone unwanted tries to come into the apartment.
Quick layout of the place:
=The apt. complex consists of only 8 separate 1-bedroom tenaments on the east side of the building, all on one level that's about 1.5 stories up a flight of stairs (below is a storage facility). The stairs are one long flight, on the south side of the structure.
=Finding the building itself is difficult, as it's back a distance from the street in an area known for some light businesses and mostly suburban houses. The building is a drab blue-gray color, which is easily dismissed if you're going by in a car. Advertising for the place is equally low-key.
=My apartment contains on the east wall the front door towards the south and a window in the middle of the wall (the only other opening in the house is another window on the west side, with a 2-story drop to the ground below).
Now for the "security system," total cost: Free.
=On the windowsill by the front door, I've placed a couple of books standing up, with the front of each book facing the window. The blinds are shut. Below these, two bricks (from my parent's garden) rest on the floor. On top of these bricks rests a 1.5' x 4' piece of sheet metal (compliments of my stagebuilding days in high school).
=Leaning against the door is another large piece of sheet metal, with the base only about 2.5" from the base of the door.
The idea is this:
If someone tries to come through the window, they'll probably knock a book onto the sheet metal, creating an ungodly racket that will wake me up in an instant.
If that doesn't work, when they step on the metal itself, it'll still make a racket. (BTW, the bricks are there to space the sheet metal from the floor--the carpeting dampens the sound quite well and ruins the effect.)
If they come in through the door, the sheet metal laying against that will fall upon the metal on the floor. Loud noise ensues, I wake up.
And all this in case the sound of the busted window/ broken door doesn't do the trick.
So, IF they find this place; and IF they bother with the long stairs; and IF they know about and are silent with the window, door, books, bricks, and sheet metal... At least my cell phone is always within arm's reach, and the Mossberg within the other arm's reach.
Am I being paranoid, or just making the best of a low-money situation? What would y'all do differently/ the same? This whole nonsense is all sort of a Rube Goldberg explanation and idea, but I figure hey--if I don't take it all down before I try to leave for work in a hurry, my inadvertant collision with it all wakes me up the rest of the way.
And that's worth something, ain't it?
I'd also like some advice on general alert systems and such. I have no money for a dog (as much as I'd like one) due to the upkeep costs involved, plus extra deposits to the landlords and such. And I'm a bit of a heavy sleeper too, which doesn't exactly help an HD situation. After talking with my new neighbors and surveying the general area in which I live, HD is a pretty dang good idea and I've come up with an interesting (if crude) idea for a penniless bachelor (me) that'll warn him if anyone unwanted tries to come into the apartment.
Quick layout of the place:
=The apt. complex consists of only 8 separate 1-bedroom tenaments on the east side of the building, all on one level that's about 1.5 stories up a flight of stairs (below is a storage facility). The stairs are one long flight, on the south side of the structure.
=Finding the building itself is difficult, as it's back a distance from the street in an area known for some light businesses and mostly suburban houses. The building is a drab blue-gray color, which is easily dismissed if you're going by in a car. Advertising for the place is equally low-key.
=My apartment contains on the east wall the front door towards the south and a window in the middle of the wall (the only other opening in the house is another window on the west side, with a 2-story drop to the ground below).
Now for the "security system," total cost: Free.
=On the windowsill by the front door, I've placed a couple of books standing up, with the front of each book facing the window. The blinds are shut. Below these, two bricks (from my parent's garden) rest on the floor. On top of these bricks rests a 1.5' x 4' piece of sheet metal (compliments of my stagebuilding days in high school).
=Leaning against the door is another large piece of sheet metal, with the base only about 2.5" from the base of the door.
The idea is this:
If someone tries to come through the window, they'll probably knock a book onto the sheet metal, creating an ungodly racket that will wake me up in an instant.
If that doesn't work, when they step on the metal itself, it'll still make a racket. (BTW, the bricks are there to space the sheet metal from the floor--the carpeting dampens the sound quite well and ruins the effect.)
If they come in through the door, the sheet metal laying against that will fall upon the metal on the floor. Loud noise ensues, I wake up.
And all this in case the sound of the busted window/ broken door doesn't do the trick.
So, IF they find this place; and IF they bother with the long stairs; and IF they know about and are silent with the window, door, books, bricks, and sheet metal... At least my cell phone is always within arm's reach, and the Mossberg within the other arm's reach.
Am I being paranoid, or just making the best of a low-money situation? What would y'all do differently/ the same? This whole nonsense is all sort of a Rube Goldberg explanation and idea, but I figure hey--if I don't take it all down before I try to leave for work in a hurry, my inadvertant collision with it all wakes me up the rest of the way.
And that's worth something, ain't it?
