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Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde
I agree with Eric very much - but you can also end up living in a Fort Knox - and who would like that?
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Jen you are absolutely right, having lived in a few security challanged cities I have learned a few ways to make your residence very secure without looking like you are living in a concentration camp.
The weak link in most residences are the doors and windows. Doors usually open inward, this allows for a screen door to be installed on the outside of the door which opens outward. It is very easy to force / kick in an inward opening door, in addition many doors have a window inserted into the door or have a window right next to the door. There are many videos online showing police and criminals breaking into houses by forcing the door open as there is only a small leak latch holding the door shut, the other way is by simply breaking the window in or next to the door.
Windows are the other weak link, it is extremely easy to break the glass, reach in and unlatch the lock and climb in.
Window bars and security screen doors can almost eliminate this threat, only the most determined criminal would have the tools with them to over come this type of security. Window bars should be installed INSIDE the house, this keeps you place from looking like a prison from the outside and it is much harder for a determined criminal to cut through inside bars as they have to break the window glass and work in a much smaller space, also the bars should be painted white or a color that matches your inside wall color.
Criminals, there are basically two types, the opportunist who can easily detered with just a slight amount of effort and the determined criminal who either thinks you are well off or even knows that you have something of great value and is willing to take a risk in order to rob you. If someone is dead set on gaining entry and they have enough time, tools, privacy intelligence etc it is very hard to eliminate all avenues of entry.
Below are some images from my house. My front door has a glass insert, anyone can break this glass, reach in and unlock the door in seconds, they do not need any tools, a rock will do.
There are three types of screen doors, the average ones were your dog can walk through the screen and the frame will fold up if you close it to hard. Then there is a security screen door with iron bars, this is quite good and not to expensive. The next step up is the high security screen door, two to three times as expensive, mine has a steel inner fame with is screwed to the house and does not allow the door to open inward no matter how much force is applied. The stainless steel mesh which keeps bugs out is virtually impossible to cut, rip etc even with tools such as a crowbar, the door frame is aircraft aluminum, hard and light. You can keep your front door open and get fresh air without worrying about someone breaking in.