Hardening a home?

[cg21]

Just curious not all of us have millions of dollars to build castles with draw bridges....

(even though that would be awesome)


I am not talking about the 3M film on your windows and longer screws in the door hinges....




What are you guys going to do to your standard cookie cutter home IF staying in it is possible?(obviously most people in larger cities will not be staying including myself!)

 

[WETSU]

My home is nearly 100 years old, so its built like a brick s**t house. Heavy doors, plaster and lathe, etc. That helps.

I will not go into details on MY home's security but here are a few ideas for any house:

Exterior doors should have good deadbolts, (solid ones, not Walmart specials) and the door jambs should have retrofitted loooong strike plates and 3" screws. You can also reinforce the hinges AND you could discreetly build in a bracket to put up a wooden cross beam if needed.

Obviously, if the door has glass in it, the deadbolt should be keyed on the inside as well.

Basement windows should have bars.

Bushed trimmed away from house if possible.

Dark areas illuminated, by motion lights, and lights that are out of reach.

All windows, up and down, should be lockable. Bolts/cut off nails slid into holes work well too.

Sliding glass doors should have unbreakbale glass and a lock (plus dowel rod) .

Get an alarm system. Put up the alarm signs in your yard.

Install a camera system, with IR, facing inward and out .

Get a dog, 40+ plus. Put his water bowl outside. Put up beware of dog signs on your fence etc.

Get smoke and CO2 detectors, backed up and checked monthly.

Have a fire extinguisher on every floor, and make sure everyone know how to use it.

Okay, thats all basic stuff, lets ramp it up:

Have 100 + empty sandbags handy, and the sand/dirt to fill them (sandbox, garden etc)

Keep a couple rolls of razor wire around, and gloves and linemans pliers, shears

Build a safe room inside your house.

Buy gasmasks and extra filters.

Store 3 months or more of food, water and energy.

If you can get into your walls, (tear off drywall and redo) consider placing AR500 steel, sandbags or preformed reinforced concrete below and around your windows, hardening them as firing positions. Do the same for parts of your floor.

Retrofit your windows so you can quickly put up mesh over them, like people in hurricane country do with plywood.

 

[Dorky_D]

Hey WETSU, you mentioned retrofitting windows for mesh. How and what do you mean? Are you talking like a frame around windows and putting hardware cloth on there?

 

[roisigns]

A piece of wire cable with loops on each end makes a nice 4th layer of security on my exterior door. One loop goes over hinge pin and other is securely attached to wall opposite the hinge (at knob side of door). It is easily removed by a person inside the house. Cost: $10

Even if someone kicked the door in, it would still not swing open more than 4 inches. Hopefully, the perp would loose interest at this point.

A closet door can be positioned to provide a 5th layer when/if it is needed.

Barbed wire helps at vulnerable spots on perimeter of property. Padlocked gates to backyard. Security system signs proudly displayed at probable points of home entry.

 

[WETSU]

Dorky, you are only limited by your imagination. But yes, being able to quickly put up a framed section of chicken wire, hardware cloth, that sort of thing, to stop objects like CS/OC canisters or molotov cocktails from being lobbed into your house.

If nothing else, just have the peices precut and rolled up, maybe marked for which windows. Then along with those pieces, keep screws and washers, ready to screw in and fix each one over the window.

 

[Car Ramrod]

As many deterrents as possible. The longer it takes someone to get into your house, the less likely they will want to try or the sooner they will give up. Search for episodes of "It Takes a Thief". There are a lot of good points and ideas on that show.

If possible, as much exterior lighting as possible. If someone can be seen trying to get into your house, they have much less opportunity to try and get in.

I've been painting houses for over 12 years now, and nothing pisses me off more than people with hawthorn trees and thorn bushes. So, obviously, this would be a good thing to plant near the critical entry points of your house.

 

[Dorky_D]

I have seen some solar charged motion lights that would be good even in grid down. These are on my list.

Also, I am going to make a 2x4 with a bunch of screws through it to make a spiky window sill plate. I will screw it to the brick on one of my more secluded windows, so that it will make someone think twice about trying to crawl through there.

 

[WC Deer Hunter]

Thanks for some great ideas. Some of this stuff seems elementary but easily overlooked.

My home is nearly 100 years old, so its built like a brick s**t house. Heavy doors, plaster and lathe, etc. That helps.

I will not go into details on MY home's security but here are a few ideas for any house:

Exterior doors should have good deadbolts, (solid ones, not Walmart specials) and the door jambs should have retrofitted loooong strike plates and 3" screws. You can also reinforce the hinges AND you could discreetly build in a bracket to put up a wooden cross beam if needed.

Obviously, if the door has glass in it, the deadbolt should be keyed on the inside as well.

Basement windows should have bars.

Bushed trimmed away from house if possible.

Dark areas illuminated, by motion lights, and lights that are out of reach.

All windows, up and down, should be lockable. Bolts/cut off nails slid into holes work well too.

Sliding glass doors should have unbreakbale glass and a lock (plus dowel rod) .

Get an alarm system. Put up the alarm signs in your yard.

Install a camera system, with IR, facing inward and out .

Get a dog, 40+ plus. Put his water bowl outside. Put up beware of dog signs on your fence etc.

Get smoke and CO2 detectors, backed up and checked monthly.

Have a fire extinguisher on every floor, and make sure everyone know how to use it.

Okay, thats all basic stuff, lets ramp it up:

Have 100 + empty sandbags handy, and the sand/dirt to fill them (sandbox, garden etc)

Keep a couple rolls of razor wire around, and gloves and linemans pliers, shears

Build a safe room inside your house.

Buy gasmasks and extra filters.

Store 3 months or more of food, water and energy.

If you can get into your walls, (tear off drywall and redo) consider placing AR500 steel, sandbags or preformed reinforced concrete below and around your windows, hardening them as firing positions. Do the same for parts of your floor.

Retrofit your windows so you can quickly put up mesh over them, like people in hurricane country do with plywood.

 

[docapos]

hey WETSU quick question, what are your thoughts for keeping the gas masks on hand?

 

[WETSU]

docapos,

I have had gasmasks for the entire family since my daughters were toddlers. I still have the Israeli children's gasmasks.

I keep them stored, but handy, with extra filters. I also keep one in my Jeep.

But you gotta train with them, and practice getting to them and putting them on. They do not work well with facial hair, so thats something to think about.

WETSU

 

[ModernGunner]

In addition to the other excellent suggestions:

Around the exterior of the house under windows, etc. plant flowering, thorny plants. Like rose bushes, brambles, crown of thorns, bougainvillea, thorn acacias, flowering quince, pyracantha, chickasaw plum, paleleaf barberry.

Thorny trees include Jerusalem Thorn, Hawthorn, and Dwarf Poinciana.

Of course, all these can be planted around other areas of your property, as well.

They add some esoteric beauty to your home, making it look less like a 'fortress', are more visually appealing to the 'boss lady', and provide inducement to keep people from poking their nose in to your windows.

Security screen doors are also (relatively) inexpensive these days, and provide the ability to have the inner (storm) doors open to take advantage of nice, breezy days while still having a secure, locked door in place to prohibit easy entry in to your home while you're mind is focused elsewhere.

IF you have the capability and finances (depending on children present, etc.), there is the option of having, literally, a 'gun in every room'.

Probably MOST gun-owners keep a firearm in their bedroom, but how do you respond if some scumbag forcibly enters your home and you (your lady, etc.) are in the laundry room, or shower?

For areas that might be subject to humidity, stainless steel or other 'weather resistant' firearms are a good option (but still require periodic maintenance). I typically suggest something like a .357 revolver and a couple speedloaders, which require less concern about spring tension, etc.

Also, get rid of those 'el cheapo' (found even in expensive homes nowadays, sadly) hollow core interior doors. My determined CAT can get through some of those! Put REAL, solid wood doors on all interior doors. With REAL locks that lock from the inside the room, not those cheapie locks that wouldn't keep out said determined cat (who I SWEAR can pick a lock!)

For your Master Bedroom or other room YOU designate as your 'safe room' (mud room, gun safe room?), consider using a home exterior door with a peephole. Don't know about you, but many people normally leave their bedroom doors open, so it won't be any more 'intrusive' than what is currently being used. And LOTS of these doors nowadays are pretty nice looking. Consider a steel door with a hardened, steel frame.

If this room has windows, put in non-breaking glass and / or gratings or bars that can be secured but opened from inside the room, to facilitate escape, if necessary, but are 'hardened' from the outside. Add decorative blinds or curtains to keep peering eyes from seeing in from the outside, and / or 'mirrored' glass (the mirrored film is real cheap, but not as clear).

In said 'safe room', consider keeping (or having an additional) gun safe. Not your normal 'vault' in which you have your prized collection of 'assault' (LOL!) weapons and antiques, but a small one that's just big enough to store 1 shotgun, 1 rifle, a handgun or two, and just a box of ammo for each. This would be in addition to your handgun safe you might keep on the night stand (with an additional, fully loaded mag or two).

This safe room needs a telephone! A separate hard-line is a good idea. But, you can even buy a cell phone WITHOUT the normal monthly service, as 911 calls must be put through, anyway. Keep it charged and ready to utilize, maybe a spare battery for it. And ya don't need a 'smart phone' just one that makes PHONE calls. Those models are real cheap nowadays.

Stock this room with some simple and basic supplies, such as a basic first aid kit, a 6-pk of bottled water, etc. This is NOT your 'SHTF stash'. You're NOT (necessarily) staying in this room until the nuclear fallout subsides, LOL. Some hand-crank type lanterns / flashlights are inexpensive, provide usable lighting, and don't require keeping up on changing batteries.

However, this DOES give you and your family a room to retreat TO, if need be. And with these options, a 'bunker' to fight FROM until the cavalry arrives.

None of this requires much maintenance, including most of the flowering shrubs, and does NOT depend on power being available, 'cause under a serious attack, cutting the power WILL be thought of by the bad guys, so don't depend on it. Plan ahead that the power WILL be shut off, 'cause it's 'Assault 101'.

Hope this helps provide some additional thoughts.

 

[WC Deer Hunter]

Tried to rep you for this but I gotta spread it around. Great Post

In addition to the other excellent suggestions:

Around the exterior of the house under windows, etc. plant flowering, thorny plants. Like rose bushes, brambles, crown of thorns, bougainvillea, thorn acacias, flowering quince, pyracantha, chickasaw plum, paleleaf barberry.

Thorny trees include Jerusalem Thorn, Hawthorn, and Dwarf Poinciana.

Of course, all these can be planted around other areas of your property, as well.

They add some esoteric beauty to your home, making it look less like a 'fortress', are more visually appealing to the 'boss lady', and provide inducement to keep people from poking their nose in to your windows.

Security screen doors are also (relatively) inexpensive these days, and provide the ability to have the inner (storm) doors open to take advantage of nice, breezy days while still having a secure, locked door in place to prohibit easy entry in to your home while you're mind is focused else.

IF you have the capability and finances (depending on children present, etc.), there is the option of having, literally, a 'gun in every room'.

Probably MOST gun-owners keep a firearm in their bedroom, but how do you respond if someone scumbag forcibly enters your home and you (your lady, etc.) are in the laundry room, or shower?

For areas that might be subject to humidity, stainless steel or other 'weather resistant' firearms are a good option (but still require periodic maintenance). I typically suggest something like a .357 revolver and a couple speedloaders, which require less concern about spring tension, etc.

Also, get rid of those 'el cheapo' (found even in expensive homes nowadays, sadly) hollow core interior doors. My determined CAT can get through some of those! Put REAL', solid wood doors on all interior doors. With REAL locks on the inside of the room, not those cheapie locks that wouldn't keep out said determined cat (who I SWEAR can pick a lock!)

For your Master Bedroom or other room YOU designate as your 'safe room' (mud room, gun safe room?), consider using a home exterior door with a peephole. Don't know about you, but many people leave their bedroom doors open normally, so it won't be any more 'intrusive' than what is currently being used. And LOTS of these doors nowadays are pretty nice looking. Consider a steel door with a hardened, steel frame.

If this room has windows, put in non-breaking glass and / or gratings or bars that can be secured but opened from inside the room, to facilitate escape, if necessary, but are 'hardened' from the outside. Add decorative blinds or curtains to keep peering eyes from seeing in from the outside, and / or 'mirrored' glass (the mirrored film is really cheapie, but not as clear).

In said 'safe room', consider keeping (or having an additional) gun safe. Not your normal 'vault' you have your prized collection of 'assault' (LOL!) weapons and antiques, but a small one that's just big enough to store 1 shotgun, 1 rifle, a handgun or two, and just a box of ammo for each. This would be in addition to your handgun safe you might keep on the night stand (with an additional, fully loaded mag or two).

This safe room needs a telephone! A separate hard-line if a good idea. But, you can even buy a cell phone WITHOUT the normal monthly service, as 911 calls must be put through, anyway. Keep it charged and ready to utilize, maybe a spare battery for it. And ya don't need a 'smart phone' just one that makes PHONE calls. Those models are real cheap nowadays.

Stock this room with some simple and basic supplies, such as a basic first aid kit, a 6-pk of bottled water, etc. This is NOT your 'SHTF stash'. You're NOT (necessarily) staying in this room until the nuclear fallout subsides, LOL. Some hand-crank type lanterns / flashlights are inexpensive, providing lighting, and don't require keeping up on changing batteries.

However, this DOES give you and your family a room to retreat TO, if need be. And with these options, a 'bunker' to fight FROM until the cavalry arrives.

None of this requires much maintenance, including most of the flowering shrubs, and does NOT depend on power being available, 'cause under a serious attack, cutting the power WILL be thought of by the bad guys, so don't depend on it. Plan ahead that the power WILL be shut off, 'cause it's 'Assault 101'.

Hope this helps provide some additional thoughts.

 

[cg21]

lots of good tips thanks guys.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

What are you guys going to do to your standard cookie cutter home IF staying in it is possible?(

Polaris Steel Entry doors with Medeco deadbolts. Highly recommended.

If you are worried about burglaries, best thing is outdoor lighting. Never had a Residential Burglary with the lights on.

 

[pitbulld45]

I need to get some motion lights.

 

[colin56]

The most easiest way to survive from robbery and other incidents is the use of security door
for the shops or home. The strongness of these security doors depends upon material used in
it.



Shop Shutter

 

[84VETTE]

Well my current situation sucks, about to graduate form college, in the job market, once job is acquired then acreage and an old tractor with a front loader is next on the list. Once all of this is done I will be using said tractor to dig a clearance hole to drop in a 40' cargo container about 18' deep behind the house to serve as a hidden room/bunker for my supplies and armory. I plan I hiding the security door behind a swing out bookshelf in my basement. If any body remembers the vault doors that Kiesler's had in display back by that tank a few years ago then they know what I'm talking about when I mean "security door." The tractor wont be used just for this purpose, I love tractors and I plan on buying just enough property to justify mowing my yard with a bush hog and a finishing mower. I could keep going about my security ideas but I figure one of these days I will write a downloadable word file of my SHTF plans and post it in a new thread for all to critique.

 

[Car Ramrod]

Well my current situation sucks, about to graduate form college, in the job market, once job is acquired then acreage and an old tractor with a front loader is next on the list. Once all of this is done I will be using said tractor to dig a clearance hole to drop in a 40' cargo container about 18' deep behind the house to serve as a hidden room/bunker for my supplies and armory. I plan I hiding the security door behind a swing out bookshelf in my basement. If any body remembers the vault doors that Kiesler's had in display back by that tank a few years ago then they know what I'm talking about when I mean "security door." The tractor wont be used just for this purpose, I love tractors and I plan on buying just enough property to justify mowing my yard with a bush hog and a finishing mower. I could keep going about my security ideas but I figure one of these days I will write a downloadable word file of my SHTF plans and post it in a new thread for all to critique.

You might want to do some research on burying shipping containers before you drop the money on one. We have talked about it numerous times on here, and the cost savings of using a shipping container is quickly negated by the need for reinforcement and shoring it up. There are much better, and more cost effective, ways of building an underground room.

 

[CathyInBlue]

What Car Ramrod said.

But if you're intent on building using shipping containers, here's an idea I just had and worked up an info-graphic.

 

[Car Ramrod]

I have a pole barn that I am wanting to put a new entry door on to make it more secure for when we are not at the location. The current door has a window, which we are not a fan of. It is also a standard, foam core pole barn style door. We are looking to replace it with a steel door, preferably with a steel frame. Any suggestions on where to get a door like this?

We are looking to install the door, and then reinforce with deadbolts and angle iron around the interior perimeter.