The recent "Cleared My House" thread got me to thinking. What have others done in their homes to provide themselves with a tactical advantage in the event of a home invasion?
I'll kick things off. My home is a single story home with a finished basement.
1. My front door is actually a double door with heavy glass in both doors. My front porch and two side windows all have flood lights on over them. These remain on at night so the main entry is well illuminated back-lighting anyone who decides they want to come in the front door.
2. There are two rear entries into my house - one roughly opposite the entry I just described and one into my master bedroom. My back yard is completely fenced with a 6' privacy fence. The back yard is also illuminated. Anyone coming through either of the rear doors will also be back-lit.
I'm basically creating a fatal funnel with backlighting for anyone who enters the main area of my house (basically one large open area). There is little cover or concealment.
The only thing I don't like about the layout of our home is that our son's bedroom (we only have one child) is on the opposite end of the house from our master bedroom (across the large open area). I'm thinking about moving him to the basement.
3. My master bedroom is kept very dark with heavy curtains. This gives me two advantages - I'm not back-lit and my night vision will be much better than anyone coming in through the main area.
This keeps me from having to clear my house giving me a much stronger tactical position.
4. I have prickly shrubs planted in front of the windows that could easily be reached from the ground.
5. My house sits higher than my neighbors' and had an open front yard and relatively long, steep driveway. Approaching my house from the front leaves one VERY exposed.
6. We have an emergency exit plan (for invasion or fire) that we review and test every month.
7. We have bug-out bags in our bedrooms.
8. I have a pistol and a shotgun safely stored but ready in my bedroom. I can access either of them in less than 10 seconds. Both are loaded.
9. We have fire extinguishers in each of the bedrooms (not really home-invasion-related but a good idea, nonetheless).
Other things I'm thinking about:
1. Beware of the Dog signs at each of the gates to my back yard with pictures/symbols of a "vicious" breed on them.
2. Grates for front doors and french doors to the rear entrances.
3. Grates for the egress windows in my basement. (Especially if my son moves his bedroom down there.)
What have you done/planned?
I'll kick things off. My home is a single story home with a finished basement.
1. My front door is actually a double door with heavy glass in both doors. My front porch and two side windows all have flood lights on over them. These remain on at night so the main entry is well illuminated back-lighting anyone who decides they want to come in the front door.
2. There are two rear entries into my house - one roughly opposite the entry I just described and one into my master bedroom. My back yard is completely fenced with a 6' privacy fence. The back yard is also illuminated. Anyone coming through either of the rear doors will also be back-lit.
I'm basically creating a fatal funnel with backlighting for anyone who enters the main area of my house (basically one large open area). There is little cover or concealment.
The only thing I don't like about the layout of our home is that our son's bedroom (we only have one child) is on the opposite end of the house from our master bedroom (across the large open area). I'm thinking about moving him to the basement.
3. My master bedroom is kept very dark with heavy curtains. This gives me two advantages - I'm not back-lit and my night vision will be much better than anyone coming in through the main area.
This keeps me from having to clear my house giving me a much stronger tactical position.
4. I have prickly shrubs planted in front of the windows that could easily be reached from the ground.
5. My house sits higher than my neighbors' and had an open front yard and relatively long, steep driveway. Approaching my house from the front leaves one VERY exposed.
6. We have an emergency exit plan (for invasion or fire) that we review and test every month.
7. We have bug-out bags in our bedrooms.
8. I have a pistol and a shotgun safely stored but ready in my bedroom. I can access either of them in less than 10 seconds. Both are loaded.
9. We have fire extinguishers in each of the bedrooms (not really home-invasion-related but a good idea, nonetheless).
Other things I'm thinking about:
1. Beware of the Dog signs at each of the gates to my back yard with pictures/symbols of a "vicious" breed on them.
2. Grates for front doors and french doors to the rear entrances.
3. Grates for the egress windows in my basement. (Especially if my son moves his bedroom down there.)
What have you done/planned?