You did say specifically to protect my home, so that gives me a number of options that would not be available in other scenarios.
Before even thinking about a weapon, I want to take a number of factors into account. These include (but are not limited to):
1. Make it as difficult as possible for an intruder to get into my home in the first place. Planting thorny vegetation under/in front of windows, having tough, secure doors and locks, a well-lighted exterior with minimal dark areas through which someone can sneak, etc. all come into play here.
2. It's very important to minimize close-contact fighting between an intruder and myself and/or my family. Distance is your friend - at contact range, all an intruder has to do is make a lucky swipe with a knife or club, and someone will be badly hurt (or down and unable to protect others). Therefore, the interior design of the home should keep intruders away from myself and my family when we are most vulnerable (i.e. asleep). The sleeping areas should be secured from the rest of the house with gates, doors, or something similar, to prevent easy access, or to require an intruder to make a loud noise in getting through the obstacles, so as to provide warning.
Now, after that lot's been dealt with, we can get to weapons. I want weapons that will keep the intruder at a distance from me. A Cold Steel assegai or boar spear (centre and right, respectively, in the picture below), with a long shaft, would make an excellent choice in a corridor or narrow approach route, as I can keep the intruder several feet away from me.
Something like a Japanese sword would help for closer work - it's still long enough to keep a distance between an opponent and myself. For last-ditch work, a kukri, machete or something similar would be better than a short folding knife or hunting blade.
I'd also look hard at options such as a crossbow, sling, bolo, etc. - anything I could effectively use within the confined spaces of a home that could disable an intruder before he got to me.
I'd also make sure to train with my wife (and any kids old enough to be reliable in a crunch) to tag-team any intruder. While one of us keeps him busy and facing a threat, the other can stab, thrust, etc. from the side, or circle around behind him: or one can occupy him while the other uses a distance weapon to shoot or throw things at him. If there are multiple intruders, again, using the layout of the house to force them to attack one at a time, or no more than two at a time, acts as a force multiplier for us, and a force divider for them. One could throw some caltrops on the floor in the corridor to hurt their feet as they approach - although this might hinder one's pursuit of them as they leave!
There are all sorts of ideas and options to be explored.
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