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Hardened Home

8K views 43 replies 26 participants last post by  Vegasgunhand 
#1 ·
What physical improvements or architectural designs have you done, or want to do, that would make your home more secure?
 
#2 ·
My wife and I have made our master bedroom suite.



A quasi hardened room. When Australia came down hard on gun ownership a few years ago. They had a major uptick in home invasions on isolated residences. My wife and I certainly qualify insofar as isolated residence is concerned. Considering that we were building this new bedroom suite right about the time that Hillary Clinton was running for office. The bitch that was loudly proclaiming what great success the recent gun control effort had been down under.


We put a security door in that will withstand a pretty hefty amount of abuse. Additionally while we are on the second floor, we have windows. They are a concern, but they are also about ten feet off the ground. A little bit less of a concern. However we still elected to go with tempered glass with 3-M security film applied as well. these windows while not likely bullet proof should be pretty hard to breach from some goon perched on a ladder.
 

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#3 ·
a moat and draw bridge .....:dope:

other than top quality locking storm doors and dead bolt strike plates w/screws that go well past jamb into the 2x4 ..not much really

that will slow someone a little ...or at least give enough noise notice to prepare if at home

beyond that...if I'm not home...
as a contractor, I know I could get into any home pretty quick with tools I could carry in one hand

you may be able to deter the average stupid smash 'n grab punk, but truth is, anyone with a BFH and 4ft wrecking bar can get into any wood framed home real quick

..L.T.A.
 
#5 · (Edited)
a moat and draw bridge .....:dope:

...wrecking bar can get into any wood framed home real quick
Funny you mention a moat. I live on a relatively large freshwater body of water. Most of my property boundary is water. My house is remote. The roads to my home are not accidentally traveled.

99% of all strangers who “know of” my house, see it from the water in a recreational watercraft. I am very concerned about the physical security of my property. Especially when I am away.

I have plenty of cameras, early warning and alarms - to include dogs with big ears.

I created this topic because I am ready to start hardening the property. I am mostly interested in widow strengthening products as well as driveway gates, but I would love to hear and see other ideas / considerations in regards to the topic. I hope to stay on topic.

I love USSM’s door...and I want one of those (but I got greater priorities).

My concern is that a wrongdoer could operate a chain saw on my property and no one would hear it - or respond. So your point about the crowbar is especially valid. I am struggling with the idea of a hardened home if a ******* with a “screwdriver and time” is all it takes to defeat.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I wonder what happened to those things.

That they used to advertise in all of the gun magazines? As I recall it was a pepper gas dispenser that you could install in a room that could be set up to release in an unauthorized entry. Supposedly it would run anyone in the room out and keep them out for at least a couple of hours.

You do not see them advertised any more. I am wondering if they just were not selling them or there was another reason?

I just recently upgraded the chain and lock for the gate. Getting past this rig is not going to be easy.

https://www.westechrigging.com/pewag-abus-security-chain-012-galv-kit-3.html#reviews
 
#26 ·
That they used to advertise in all of the gun magazines? As I recall it was a pepper gas dispenser that you could install in a room that could be set up to release in an unauthorized entry. Supposedly it would run anyone in the room out and keep them out for at least a couple of hours.

You do not see them advertised any more. I am wondering if they just were not selling them or there was another reason?
I know in some states, "booby traps" are illegal, even on your own property or in your own home. I would imagine that is why the product you are talking about is no longer advertised.
 
#7 ·
A good thread, hopefully it will run for awhile.

I've given much thought to this subject in regard to decades of planning for a retirement home.

So in my first post in this thread, I'll start with the thought of avoidance ... that is, avoid creating impressions that there might be a hoarde of valuables in the home. Avoid creating an appearance that your home might be a more "profitable" target and/or an easier target than other homes in the same area.

A long time ago, my then-living grandparents lived in a very humble house. Almost primitive. And no one ever bothered them.

Again, just a first thought to contribute.
 
#8 ·
There are any number of things to consider.

When you are thinking about the security of your home. People write books on it. Keeping a low profile surely helps. And while physical security measures are certainly important, both passive and active. Your behavior makes a big difference also.

A lot of times people get ripped off by people that they know. A lot of times people get ripped off by people that have been inside their homes, service people etc. My wife and I have done extensive renovations to our home over the years. We have used the same contractor over the years for a number of reasons. One of which is that they are discreet and honest. This is important. On the rare occasions when we have to allow unknown, thus not entirely trustworthy people into our home. We will make arrangements to display a more modest circumstance. Not making yourself a good target is crucial.
 
#11 ·
When you are thinking about the security of your home. People write books on it. Keeping a low profile surely helps. And while physical security measures are certainly important, both passive and active. Your behavior makes a big difference also.

A lot of times people get ripped off by people that they know. A lot of times people get ripped off by people that have been inside their homes, service people etc. My wife and I have done extensive renovations to our home over the years. We have used the same contractor over the years for a number of reasons. One of which is that they are discreet and honest. This is important. On the rare occasions when we have to allow unknown, thus not entirely trustworthy people into our home. We will make arrangements to display a more modest circumstance. Not making yourself a good target is crucial.
The cable guy sitting at a bar with his buddies telling them about this huge gun safe he saw in a house today and Keeping the garage door open and people seeing your big snap on tool box. All red flags that mark your house.
 
#10 ·
Funny, this discussion was hit on just a bit in another thread where I described some of what I have done on mine. First, I refuse to live in a bunker, so when my wife and I sat down with her Dad (an architectural engineer) several years ago to design our "forever home", we wanted as much security as we could get, and as much protection from Mother Nature as we could get, while still having a warm and inviting home to live in. We did not want the security aspects to be all that obvious to the casual observer either.

What we ended up with when we finally built this place three years ago is a solid stucco exterior with 18" thick walls, metal roof and, as I just found out, Level 1 windows (which are rated to 9mm FMJ). Actually was not aware of the Level 1 thing until this week and just thought I had high-end hurricane windows, but that other thread lead me to discovering this "gift" from my builder who is also my best friend. Lots and LOTS of security cameras, all recorded and with a monitor running 24-7 in two locations in the house and well-placed signs letting folks know that they need to smile. Steel gate out front and THICK woods around the house to make it more difficult for vehicles to enter. We have a creek running across the back of the property as well, so a partial moat :). Motion detectors around the perimeter of the house, although I do not always have those on since I have a lot of deer which cause false trips. The master walk in closet is built as a safe room and one of the central storage closets is also reinforced as a storm refuge in case of a tornado. Armored doors and jams on all exterior doors and on the safe room and storm closet. Other things that are a LOT less obvious, like all walls on 12" centers, all roof joists strapped, etc.

Not a fortress, but tougher than the average home. I'm pretty anal about security, but I also want to enjoy where I live and not have visitors see anything but a nice, livable home. Frankly, most of the "hardening" was done to prevent storm damage and to minimize exterior risks to fires since the periphery of my property is all dense forest with my home centrally located in it, but I did want to make it hard to break into since it is also fairly remote from neighboring homes. I've done what I can, but again, no bunkers to live in for this boy.
 
#13 ·
A few years back as a just for fun exercise I talked to a friend who designs houses about a hurricane proof/shtf/zombie proof house.

What he came up with was a 1800 sq ft above ground concrete bunker with exterior features to make it look like a normal house. Had all the goodies like hurricane windows with steel shutters, back up generator, back up well/septic air filtration and solar . Estimated cost was close to a million.
 
#15 ·
Reinforced exterior doors and door jambs. Replaced door from garage to house with solid wood door, original was hollow core. Alarm system. Getting ready to do a camera system from a friend that does it on a commercial basis. Slowly upgrading Windows to impact glass mainly for better hurricane protection. Plan to make M B a safe room.
 
#19 ·
I live in a mid-sized town in Kentucky. We certainly have our fair share of crime. When I bought my house 4 years ago, I chose to not continue the alarm monitoring plan that was in place at the house. I did however elect to leave all the signs up in the yard. As they say in poker, sometimes a good bluff is better than a good hand. :)

I also installed enlarged, hardened strike plates on all doors with long screws that drove into the 2"x4" framing around the doors. My back door and garage entry door have windows. Anytime you see a breakin in a movie or on TV, they simply smash the window, then reach in and unlock the door. So I changed the deadbolt on the house back door to one that requires a key to unlock both inside and outside. The key is actually hung near the door frame on the inside, but it's doubtful a hand reaching inside would find it. For the garage door, I didn't have a second deadbolt like described above, so after I lock it, I simply remove the lever on the inside and store it in a nearby toolbox. Since that particular deadbolt locks so hard to begin with, I'd highly doubt that someone could twist the little stud that the lever mounts to.

Finally, I installed motion sensors on my front and rear lights. At the very least, if someone gets close, the lights will come on. My hope is that being lit up will persuade them to try another house.

Of course should any bold fool decide to go thru all these barriers while I'm home, there's a Beretta PX4 with laser/light loaded with 18 rounds of Federal HST.
 
#20 ·
Even tempered glass is pretty tough.

Not talking bullet proof here. But it is pretty tough. I have a pair of French doors leading out onto my deck. They are mostly glass, tempered glass. They have unintentionally been subjected to some pretty high K.E. impacts over the years that surprised me in that the glass held.

The tempered glass windows covered with 3M security film that I have in my bedroom, I suspect will withstand a pretty good amount of abuse prior to failure.
 
#21 · (Edited)
High tensile screening is a good addition to doors and windows.
Local companies will sell it under their own name/products, but its essentially all the same stuff
see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04XbUK5eAfU
(note, CRL shows marine grade SS, but there is high-tensile SS which is better)
In almost every context of security, layered controls is a good proven strategy.

And since this is the DP forum, perhaps also connect to the screening the high voltage fencing unit, this way if you are inside and need additional "keep away" power, you turn on the high voltage. ;)
 
#22 · (Edited)
......

And since this is the DP forum, perhaps also connect to the screening the high voltage fencing unit, this way if you are inside and need additional "keep away" power, you turn on the high voltage. ;)
As James Bond once said: "Shocking ... positively shocking"

https://gfycat.com/obesesomberkob

+1911
 
#23 ·
I was thinking of having a house built underground with a shell house on top of it. Being here in Texas, you never know if a tornado might come ripping through during a storm or not. Plus it has the advantage of hiding your real home to some extent.

But as mentioned a really good set of doors is a plus, you don't want a thug to be able to kick the door open. Windows being secure from entry is the next thing to take care of. In higher crime areas most everyone has bars on the windows and barred door entrances too. Having a outdoor video camera setup to watch the front/back doors and garage would be on the list too.
 
#24 ·
Protecting your home is no different than protecting a school, a refinery or power plant. It takes time to do the analysis and develop an effective plan.

Start by asking some simple questions......

What do I have to protect, what do I have to protect it from and what do I have to protect it with. Ultimately, you have to balance this concept where you are confident that your protective measures are adequate to deter or defeat the threat (or a hazard - acts of god etc) at a reasonable or acceptable cost. You cannot afford to protect a $10 dollar bike with $100 lock.

This whole concept of greyman theory doesn't always set right with me. While I agree you don't want to advertise what you have, you need to make your home look lived in and cared for from the street. Sun Tzu says the best victory is the battle never fought. Next you need to decide where you want to start to detect potential intruders. For urbanites, it may be the front door, for folks like me, its at the perimeter of my 40 acre farm. BLUF, You should never learn of an intruder as they enter your house. You should know as soon as someone enters your yard or area over which you have some control. These detection devices can be as simple as dogs or geese or sophisticated with infrared, bluetooth, wireless, CCTV etc.

As far as hardening the skin of your house, there are numerous methods and recently, commercial products to exponentially harden the door that has only 1/2" of a 2x4 between you and a threat. Broom stick or metal brace in the sliding glass doors, lock the windows with a pin that goes into the jam and not just a latch btx the upper and lower shades. Avoid windows on or near the doors. 3M and some others make a security film that is resistant to breaching by slow heavy projectile like a hammer, brick, board etc. Its not bullet proof, but can buy you some time to initiate a response both within and outside of the house. If you have significant assets in a safe, consider a throw away safe with replaceable assets and some cash. Grand Ma's ring and other non-replaceables go in the "other" safe.

Know where in your house you have cover vice just concealment. Have a safe room where everyone goes in the event of an intruder. Pick a covered position that puts you btx the safe room and the avenue of approach from outside or downstairs. No matter your plan, rehearse it with your family to make sure it is feasible.

There are lots of other specifics I can go into, but the point is , know who comes onto your property as soon as possible and assess their intent, know when and where you can legally start to detect a potential intruder. Have a plan, practice it and adjust as needed.
 
#29 ·
A few years ago I had a friend whose back door had been kicked in a couple of times. I took a 2 inch by 2 inch by 6 foot piece of 1/16th aluminum angle and made that the strike plate for the lock. I ran 3 inch screws into the studs on both sides of the angle. Screw holes were countersunk so eveything was nice and flat. The inside trim went back in place so it's hardly noticable. Also replaced the hinge screws with 3 inchers into the stud on that side. Couple of months later, he came home to find another break-in. Big ol' boot prints on the door but it held so they broke out a window and went in that way. Friend was done and moved out. Did the same door reinforcement on another house with similar results. Burglars shouldered the top of the door far enough to set off the alarm but no entry.
If you have a large enough gap, the 1/16" angle may fit without any extra work. If your door fits tight you may have to chisel a space in the jamb for the angle to fit. You could also use steel angle if you prefer but it's more difficult to make your holes. I used #10 X 3" screws. Predrill holes for trim screws to put your door trim back in place.
One other item to do is upgrade your locks. Talk to a locksmith about buying beefier commercial grade locks. Some even sell used locks at a discount.
These are budget friendly ways you can beef up your own home. As others have mentioned, windows are always a soft spot and not cheap to secure. I wanted to plant cacti under my windows as a deterrent. My wife wanted holly bushes so we compromised and put in hollies. They won't stop someone determined to get in but I figure half the battle is making my house less appealing than others.
 
#30 · (Edited)
*Security cameras that the wife and I can monitor from our iPhones
*Home defense weapon on each floor
*An artillery piece if they try to storm the ramparts

 
#31 ·
Replaced ALL exterior door hinge and strike plate screws with 2-inch deck screws, added motion sensor solar-powered lights at key points, trimmed back/removed view-blocking shrubs, and installed a passive driveway monitor. Oh, yeah: We have a 65 pound Boxer 'puppy'.
 
#34 ·
Another thing to check is your garage door. Not only can burglars gain entry to your house through the garage door, they can load up their vehicle out of sight of the neighbors. If you have an opener, remove the emergency release handle. I'm hesitant to put too many details on the net, although I'm sure anyone could find them easily enough, burglars can use a device to release the door so it can be opened manually. If you are going to be away from the house for an extended period, or just don't use your garage door much, padlocks in the rails will keep the door from opening. If you do block the door, it's best to unplug the opener so you don't accidentally try to open the door while it's blocked.
 
#36 ·
I have a pretty nice garage. I have two interior steel doors, that lead to my tornado room and storage with a couple gun safes. One of the interior doors swings in, the other out. When I travel for more than a few days I go in the room and screw a couple 2x4s across the door that swings in (easiest to kick in) to barricade. The other door I camouflage the existence with my tool locker. Passive, but it makes me feel better
 
#40 ·
One of the interior doors swings in, the other out.

r
if a normal door, Harry, the one that swings out is the least secure.
It's just a matter of pulling the hinge pins






Replaced ALL exterior door hinge and strike plate screws with 2-inch deck screws,
2" is better than the lil' peeder screws they give
But 3.5 or 4" screws is more secure, Shooter.
2" will only reach 1" into jack stud (or less on some doors)
4" will run all the way thru jack stud and into second one it's joined to


the hinge side is pretty secure ...one 3.5-4" screw ea hinge is more than enough there
(and three long hinge screws come with new exterior door to hold the weight )

The knob/strike side is the weak link on a door.
Dead bolts help a lot .
and the better ones come with heavier/larger strike plates and long screws

If no dead bolt, long screws in strike plate are a must.
To reach fully into stud


..L.T.A.
 
#41 ·
From the military perspective, the doctrine is "defense in depth"...
Both of my driveways are gated. Those that have unfettered access have a remote for the gates. Those that don't go to the "visitors" drive, which is left open when guests are expected, and has a call box when they're not. Both have driveway alarms, as discussed earlier. The roadside of the property has a 4x4' hedgerow of Japanese Barbary, with very pleasant 3" thorns.... I may have also used pickets and single strand c-wire to support the shrubs when I first planted them a decade ago. Same shrubbery accenting all ground floor windows. The fence around the back yard, that covers half the house, is 6', four rail, with 4x4 mesh and an electric top wire. The windows all have hurricane/security film. The doorsbhave multiple bolts, and the dogs have clinical antisocial personality disorders....
 
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