Making Your Home More Secure

If you are like most folks, your life centers on your home.

It is your shelter, your gathering place and where you keep important objects and possessions relevant to your family's everyday life. You don't want anything bad to happen to it, and you don't want strangers hanging around the place. But there are times, particularly during vacations and holidays, when you just have to leave your home alone. There is no way around it unless you have someone you can really trust who is willing to housesit for you. In this How-To we look at ways to make your home more secure when you're away, as well as when you are at home.

Think Like a Burglar

According to law enforcement officials, the following facts are true:

• Most break-ins occur in the daytime.
• Most break-ins are committed by teenagers.
• Vacant homes are inviting targets.
• Burglaries are often crimes of opportunity.

You don't have to be wealthy to get robbed. People who steal for the challenge, like the cat burglars in movies and literature, are few and far between. Since there are real penalties associated with crime, people who engage in it are usually concerned with how easily they can get by with what they plan to do. Your sole possession may be your television or stereo, but if it is easy to get to it, someone may decide to make it their own. Therefore, regardless of your economic standing, the best deterrent against crime at your home involves making access difficult for potential burglars.

Have you ever had a bad day at work?--One of those days that make you want to throw up your hands and go back home to bed? As a homeowner, that is the kind of day you want any potential burglars that come sniffing around your home to have. Your goal is to install measures that will get in their hair and nip at their heels. If someone wants to get in your house bad enough, he can get in--but, you don't have to make it easy for him. There are many things that can be done to take advantage of what police consider to be the three worst enemies of a criminal: light, noise and time. Why should a burglar work himself to death and risk being caught at a well-secured house when easier prey is right down the road? Especially when there are locks at every point of entry, an alarm is blaring and the exterior of the house is lit up like a World Series game!

Shed Light on the Situation

It's funny, but people engaged in illegal activities don't care much about receiving a lot of exposure while plying their trade. It might have something to do with the threat of the criminal justice system--or of an upset homeowner with a shotgun and an attitude. When planning your home security, capitalize on this fact by refusing to cooperate with potential criminals.

Although many burglaries take place during the day, the same rule still applies: burglars want to be inconspicuous. Most folks are at work during the day. As a bonus, the kids are at school and the neighborhood is quiet. If a burglar can look like a meter-reader, delivery person or professional mover, so much the better for his enterprise. Brazen daytime criminals may be harder to guard against, but there are a few important things you can do to help deter them from attempting to crack your house. (Later we'll discuss methods to thwart criminal efforts when they do try.)

• Organize or participate in a neighborhood watch program. These programs are effective. They work to make an unfavorable atmosphere for crime.
• Post signs--neighborhood watch signs let potential criminals know that neighbors watch out for neighbors in your community. Also, post signs stating that you have a monitored security system in your house. It doesn't matter whether you really have one or not; potential criminals will think twice before putting it to the test.
• Keep bushes close to the house neatly trimmed. Large unruly shrubbery provides a hiding place for criminals who are trying to gain access to your home.

There are several things you can do to make your home less vulnerable at night. Many people are home in the evening, so burglars must rely more on being hidden from view to do their dirty work. Remember, light is one of a criminal's three main enemies. Don't give them places to hide.

• Motion activated flood lights are an inexpensive way to shed light on unexpected visitors. Positioned near points of entry, they automatically expose the area any time someone (or some thing) comes near.
• Street lights cast a pale glow over a wide area. If you don't have one, your electric company may be willing to cooperate with you and your neighbors if you express sufficient interest.
• Make sure your bushes are neatly trimmed, and don't position outbuildings close to points of entry to your main house. Objects that cast large shadows or otherwise obscure areas near points of entry to your house are marks in the pro column for criminals evaluating your property.
• Be sure to have operational porch lights. Peepholes are important for allowing you to see who is at the door before opening it. Don't rely on the little chains which are often installed on doors to prevent them from opening more than a few inches--you might get a nasty surprise!

Be Home Whether You're Gone or Not

Although some burglars are brazen enough to break in and steal from a family watching TV in the next room, most burglaries take place when the homeowners are away. So, make the house seem like it is occupied even while you are gone.

If possible, it is always good to have a trusted neighbor visit your house to open and close drapes and turn lights on and off. Have a neighbor collect your mail and newspapers, too. If this isn't possible, call and have delivery stopped while you are away. If you are to be gone for an extended period of time, arrange to have the yard maintained while you are away. You want the place to look just as it would if you were home.

Turning your lights on and off is easy, even if you don't have someone to do it for you, since programmable timers are available which can be set to do the job. The simplest timers available can turn lights on and off at the same time each day. If your house is watched over the course of several days, these timers may not be totally convincing since their performance will be predictable. More sophisticated programmable timers can vary these times by day, and new digital timers offer variable and random programming for a much more realistic touch. If you are creative with these timers you can set them to create the illusion of someone moving through the house and switching lights on and off. Also attach radios and even televisions to the timers to more fully create the illusion that someone is at home.

Lock It Up

So far we have only discussed ways to deter someone from attempting to break into your house. Suppose they decide to try; what will happen then? In two-thirds of completed burglaries, the burglar entered the home through unlocked windows or doors. Could the home-owners have made it any more simple? Time is another enemy of criminals. Make sure that getting into your house is going to take a while. Hopefully, the burglar will give up and go to greener pastures.

Garages

Garages which are attached to houses are inviting to criminals. If a burglar can gain access to the garage, he can work unseen for long periods of time to get into the main house; plus, he can often use the homeowners own tools to do it!

• If you have windows in your garage, keep them covered. There is a lot about your garage you don't want potential criminals to know about. For example: Are there valuable tools inside, or tools that will help with the break-in? Is the car present? Is there access to the attic from inside the garage? Is there a ladder inside which could aid in reaching upper windows even if the door going into the main house is securely dead bolted? This person is after your hard-earned stuff. Keep him guessing.
• Keep garage doors locked at all times with a good quality padlock when you are away. It is a good idea, although not practical for home owners with automatic garage door openers, to do this all the time--even when you are at home.
• Garages (or carports!) with attic access provide a convenient way to get into the house through the ceiling. At the very least, keep the attic access securely locked. Seal it completely and provide access only from inside the secured area of the house if possible.
• If the door separating your garage from your main house is an ordinary interior door, replace it with a solid core exterior door with a deadbolt lock. And keep it locked! Having to unlock the door each time you arrive at the house is less inconvenient than being robbed.

Patio Doors

Patio doors are another weak link in the security chain. They suffer from the combined weaknesses of windows and doors.

• To prevent sliding glass doors from being lifted from their frames, install shims along the top frames. These fit in the tracks between the top of the door and frame and prevent the door from being raised high enough to be removed.
• Patio door locks are not particularly reliable. Install locking pins which go through the doors and frames.
• A thick wooden dowel or piece of angle iron placed along the bottom track of a sliding door will wedge it shut and prevent it from being opened even if someone breaks the lock. You can also drill through the door frames where they overlap and insert a hollow screw which will prevent the doors from moving.

Exterior Doors

• Wooden exterior doors should be of solid core construction. For the best protection, doors should be metal with metal frames. Metal frames are less susceptible to tampering than wooden frames.
• Glass panel doors should have either safety tempered or security screen glass if breaking the glass would allow someone to reach through the door to unlock it.
• Standard key-in-the-knob locks provide little security. All exterior doors should include deadbolt locks with at least a one-inch throw. Deadbolt locks are available with single or double cylinders. Double cylinder locks provide additional security because they require a key for operation from both outside and inside, preventing someone from being able to open the door by breaking a glass, reaching in and flipping the bolt. Keys should be readily available to people trying to get out of the house, however, in case of an emergency.
• Exterior doors should not be hinged to open outward. In this case, the door can be taken down by removing the hinge pins. Remount the door with the hinges inside. If this is not possible, install hinges with nonremovable pins.
• Don't hide your keys on or around the house, and never put your name on your key chain. An honest person might return your keys, but a dishonest person would have access to everything they were made for--and could find out where you live!

Windows

All windows should be locked or pinned. Commercial products are available to do the job, but even if you don't have the budget for commercial hardware, several simple and inexpensive solutions are available to greatly increase the security of your windows.

• Drill a 3/16" hole through the inside window frame and into, but not through, the outside frame. A pin, nail or bolt can be inserted into this hole, securely locking the window closed. Taking the extra time to thread a bolt into this hole will prevent someone from being able to open the window even if they break the glass to undo the stock window latch. The bolt could be easily backed out with a screwdriver when you need to open the window.
• Pay special attention to basement windows. Bushes or trees may hide these windows, providing a place for criminals to work without being seen. You may wish to reinforce the windows with security bars, wire mesh or Plexiglas.

Draw Attention to the Crime

Noise is another of the burglar's worst enemies, and you can generate a lot of it with the many alarm systems now available. From monitored and hard-wired systems, to battery powered local alarm components, there are many options available. Having an alarm system may certainly reduce the possibility of a burglar successfully robbing your home, and may increase the possibility that you or a neighbor will see something that may incriminate the bumbling burglar who was unfortunate enough to set it off. Alarms do not, however, reduce the need for adequate locks and other security measures.

Alarm Systems

Monitored alarm systems are the most effective, but also the most expensive. With these system, the monitoring company automatically calls your home when the alarm goes off. If there is no answer, or if the person who answers gives the wrong password, the police are dispatched to your house. Before investing in one of these systems, shop around and collect references from installers and monitoring companies.

Unmonitored alarms serve a single purpose--they are obnoxious and nerve-racking by design to draw attention to themselves and, by extension, to any criminal activities that may be taking place in their vicinity. They are deterrents only. If ignored, they will do nothing to prevent a burglary, and unmonitored alarms depend upon someone in the neighborhood to call the police. Many of these types of alarms are no longer expensive and can be purchased and installed easily by homeowners.

In Case the Burglar Succeeds

If your alarms and neighborhood watch work well, and if your local police respond quickly, your family stands a reasonable chance of losing little property in a burglary. Nothing ruins a burglar's day when she is trying to steal someone's property quite like seeing the flashing lights of police cars. Unfortunately, burglary victims seldom see their valuable property again once it has successfully been stolen. There are steps that should be taken by every homeowner, which will help when the time comes to settle with their insurance company.

• Maintain lists and photographs or videotapes of your possessions. This will make it easier for the insurance company to establish the value of the possessions, which have been stolen (or lost in a disaster).
• Keep these lists, photos and videotapes, as well as special items like small family heirlooms or small objects of high value, in a fireproof safe. These safes are readily available and are thorns in the sides of fleet-footed criminals.
• Mark your valuables with an engraver or ultra-violet marker. If any items are recovered, even if they are damaged, the fact that they are clearly marked as being yours may be useful evidence in the case against the person who violated your home.

Was this information helpful? Please let us know your do-it-yourself experiences. We'd love to hear from you!

These How-To's are provided as a service from Lowe's, the Original Home Improvement Warehouse of How-To Information for the World Wide Web. The information in Lowe's "How-To" clinics is intended to simplify jobs around the house. Tools, products, materials, techniques, building codes and local regulations change; therefore, Lowe's assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any project. The reader must always exercise reasonable caution, follow applicable codes and regulations, and is urged to consult with a professional if in doubt about any procedures.