Making a house 'lock up & leave' ?

[SVS]

As well as security film for the windows, you'd probably want Kickstop door, hinge and frame reinforcement too.

Obviously you'd want high security locks too (e.g. Abloy Protec, Banham, Bramah). And all the basics sorted, like boundaries that make it easy for your neighbours to see anyone dodgy on your property (e.g. low fences where your property's overlooked by neighbours, but high fences where it's not overlooked).

[elanfan]

eliot said:

Foliage said:

http://iglintels.com/lintels/standard-lintels/exte...

for a new build,

retro fit, no idea, id speak to a specialist company see what they can do.

Very clever.

Clever agreed, even quite aesthetically pleasing too. Would it stand up to a 4lb sledgehammer for more than 10 seconds I doubt it.

[227bhp]

elanfan said:

eliot said:

Foliage said:

http://iglintels.com/lintels/standard-lintels/exte...

for a new build,

retro fit, no idea, id speak to a specialist company see what they can do.

Very clever.

Clever agreed, even quite aesthetically pleasing too. Would it stand up to a 4lb sledgehammer for more than 10 seconds I doubt it.

Burglars don't walk around with sledgehammers. They have screwdrivers and small pry bars and walk around and looking for the easiest house to get into.

[battered]

It depends on your house. I work away and selected my house so that it has little frontage. Everything gives to the rear which is behind a locked gate. From the front all you can see on the GF is a garage door, a front door, 2 or 3 small windows. It makes me a lot happier that I can lock it up and ignore it all week, or for several weeks. On this basis something like a modern town house (garage on the bottom, living space upstairs) is more secure and nobody can see in to check whether you are at home. I'd choose that over a traditional 30s semi.

As others have said, live in a good area and ensure the neighbours know the score and have your number. Mine do and they look after me no end if the alarm ever throws a wobbly. Oh, and check that your insurance allows you to leave it standing empty for over a month.

[Foliage]

elanfan said:

eliot said:

Foliage said:

http://iglintels.com/lintels/standard-lintels/exte...

for a new build,

retro fit, no idea, id speak to a specialist company see what they can do.

Very clever.

Clever agreed, even quite aesthetically pleasing too. Would it stand up to a 4lb sledgehammer for more than 10 seconds I doubt it.

Erm, its the same as a standard roller shutter, but mounted in the cavity, id imagine it would be stronger as the runners and roller are inside the cavity so any force applied would be against the blockwork not just the bolts fixing it.

The usual way that ive seen for getting through roller shutters is to either get a jack under or cut them with a grinder.

[LDN]

Some great tips here and some food for thought from everyone. I guess for me, it's less about being able to stop a tank getting in; and more just to stop your average have a go criminal from finding themselves an easy target.

[battered]

Unless you put bars at every window then any house is an easy target. If you don't mind making some noise then any empty house is open in seconds to anyone who owns a hammer.

[RichB]

battered said:

Unless you put bars at every window then any house is an easy target. If you don't mind making some noise then any empty house is open in seconds to anyone who owns a hammer.

You say this but my next door neighbour had a habit of locking himself out of his house (while drunk, don't ask). On one occasion I went round to see him trying to smash a window with a brick, then a huge flower pot but the glass would not break. Must say I was quite impressed with how tough the toughened glass was. I then lifted his patio door out of its runners to get him in but that's not my point.

[battered]

You are right, it's harder than most people think to put a brick through a toughened glass window. They bounce very well. Go at the corner though with a sharp blow and it's toast.

[condor]

LDN said:

Some great tips here and some food for thought from everyone. I guess for me, it's less about being able to stop a tank getting in; and more just to stop your average have a go criminal from finding themselves an easy target.

There is another alternative which is to have someone check on your property each week and be a keyholder for the burglar alarm. Depending on where you live, it will probably cost £10/week with extra if they're called out to a burgar alarm going off.

[ThunderGuts]

LDN said:

Some great tips here and some food for thought from everyone. I guess for me, it's less about being able to stop a tank getting in; and more just to stop your average have a go criminal from finding themselves an easy target.

At an old employer, we had a safe, well i suppose a vault as it was a room, which was 'tank proof'

[greygoose]

condor said:

LDN said:

Some great tips here and some food for thought from everyone. I guess for me, it's less about being able to stop a tank getting in; and more just to stop your average have a go criminal from finding themselves an easy target.

There is another alternative which is to have someone check on your property each week and be a keyholder for the burglar alarm. Depending on where you live, it will probably cost £10/week with extra if they're called out to a burgar alarm going off.

My dad goes to Spain for weeks on end and just gets his neighbour to collect the post and water the plants, it probably helps that his tv etc is 20 years old so not really tempting to the average burglar.

[elanfan]

Foliage said:

elanfan said:

eliot said:

Foliage said:

http://iglintels.com/lintels/standard-lintels/exte...

for a new build,

retro fit, no idea, id speak to a specialist company see what they can do.

Very clever.

Clever agreed, even quite aesthetically pleasing too. Would it stand up to a 4lb sledgehammer for more than 10 seconds I doubt it.

Erm, its the same as a standard roller shutter, but mounted in the cavity, id imagine it would be stronger as the runners and roller are inside the cavity so any force applied would be against the blockwork not just the bolts fixing it.

The usual way that ive seen for getting through roller shutters is to either get a jack under or cut them with a grinder.

Erm.. Looking at that specific shutter it looks like thin plastic to me - similar to that on an office tambour unit. Perhaps I should have said 4lb lump hammer as that's what I meant. Fairly easily concealed over a 14lb sledgehammer

[Orchid1]

My neighbour on the ground floor of a converted townhouse goes away for weeks on end to her house in Crete and i'm always amazed at her laissez faire attitude to security. No lights on timer, curtains and blinds left wide open but worst of all her living room sash window just gets left unlocked so anyone can walk up to it and open it from the outside. Someone did this once and stole a few things, she was most upset about her booze being nicked.

[bristolracer]

As an Aerial installer working on rooftops, I can tell you the weak point in most peoples house is the roof.
Yes you need a ladder, they are not exactly hard to find lying about unlocked in peoples gardens, up on the roof pull off some tiles, kick through the felt and you are in.
Yes its a lot of bother, you would then have to break out again if carrying large items of loot, but if someone wants a way in it is very easy.

[RichB]

elanfan said:

... I should have said 4lb lump hammer as that's what I meant. Fairly easily concealed over a 14lb sledgehammer

But presumably having some shock sensors added to the alarm system will ensure that goes off the instant someone takes a lump hammer to the glass or window frame?

[elanfan]

RichB said:

elanfan said:

... I should have said 4lb lump hammer as that's what I meant. Fairly easily concealed over a 14lb sledgehammer

But presumably having some shock sensors added to the alarm system will ensure that goes off the instant someone takes a lump hammer to the glass or window frame?

They have their place usually where you can't use decent movement detectors but they bring lots of fugly wiring with them so not ideal if aesthetics are important. Yes the alarm would operate before entry but so might a detector covering the window. They need a fair bump to operate too so unlikely to go off if someone were to cut the glass rather than break it.

[RichB]

elanfan said:

RichB said:

elanfan said:

... I should have said 4lb lump hammer as that's what I meant. Fairly easily concealed over a 14lb sledgehammer

But presumably having some shock sensors added to the alarm system will ensure that goes off the instant someone takes a lump hammer to the glass or window frame?

They have their place usually where you can't use decent movement detectors but they bring lots of fugly wiring with them so not ideal if aesthetics are important. Yes the alarm would operate before entry but so might a detector covering the window. They need a fair bump to operate too so unlikely to go off if someone were to cut the glass rather than break it.

True about the glass cutter so what's the best way to protect glass windows?

[elanfan]

RichB said:

elanfan said:

RichB said:

elanfan said:

... I should have said 4lb lump hammer as that's what I meant. Fairly easily concealed over a 14lb sledgehammer

But presumably having some shock sensors added to the alarm system will ensure that goes off the instant someone takes a lump hammer to the glass or window frame?

They have their place usually where you can't use decent movement detectors but they bring lots of fugly wiring with them so not ideal if aesthetics are important. Yes the alarm would operate before entry but so might a detector covering the window. They need a fair bump to operate too so unlikely to go off if someone were to cut the glass rather than break it.

True about the glass cutter so what's the best way to protect glass windows?

It's always a compromise, at the end of the day you have to live there and not many folk want to live in a prison with roller shutters or internal collapsible metal grilles. You can't make a house impregnable - it's impossible. To summarise install an appropriate level of physical security commensurate with your location then back it up with remote monitored alarm to guarantee a quick response.

[red_slr]

We had all our glass at the rear changed for laminated.
It was not "cheap" but a lot cheaper than shutters and no different in the looks department.