What have You Done to Make Your Home a Hard Target?

[MT1]

I am constantly working on the next project to make my home more secure. In the past few years I have refinished my basement and numerous rooms throughout the house. In each project I have included upgrades to improve safety and security for my family. In the planning process I have taken an "all hazards" approach meaning I am not just trying to address a single concern such as crime or weather related threats.

Some of the completed upgrades include:

1. Emergency lighting - I have installed some of the indoor flood lights you see in the stairwells of public buildings. The lights kick on as soon as the power fails. The batteries only last a few hours but it provides lighting long enough to find flashlights, firearm, cell phone, etc and get out of the house if needed.

2. Outdoor flood lighting - 360 degree coverage triggered by motion. All lights are mounted on the 2nd floor roof line to prevent tampering from the ground (unless they are shot out).

3. Fire Extinguishers - I keep two on each floor and one in the garage. I prefer the 10 lbs all purpose models sold at Costco.

4. Lanterns/flashlights - A few years back we had a series of power failures during summer storms. I have always kept flashlights in all rooms but during these storms realized the value of battery operated lanterns. My daughter was young enough that she would get scared of the shadows cast by flashlights. Getting her to understand she still needs to do things like take a bath and eat dinner were much easier with a lantern that lights up the entire room. I've lost count but I probably have a dozen and there are times when we've needed all of them.

5. Safe room - I don't have something that would make anyone jealous. Just a designated space with a heavier door, phone, water/food, lantern, air mattress, firearms.... and lots of ammo.

6. Polycarbonate Windows - I installed these as an alternative to glass when finishing my basement. They are opaque for privacy and can’t be broken without use of power tools.

7. Phones - Wireless phones are in every room of the house. In the event of a phone outage none of us are more than an arm’s reach from our cell phone.

8. Food/water - I have a decent supply but this is an area I continue to invest in. Now that I have worked out some storage solutions I plan to begin stocking some of the Wise products.

9. Firearms/ammo - Staged throughout. My wife is always amazed at the most obscure locations I can hide a firearm. A $20 magnet from Midway will hold just about anything to the underside of an 8 foot dining room table and I can assure you no one ever looks under there!

10. Alarm system - Keep in mind there are two basic systems, local and centrally monitored. A local system is the type that is audible only. They are meant to scare the intruder and alert residents/neighbors. A centrally monitored system is what ADT and other "security companies" offer. There are pros and cons to every system out there so I just recommend doing your research, knowing what you want, and understanding the capabilities. Look for a company that has a UL certified CMS, uses cell back up technology, and the capability to shift monitoring to a backup site if the central station loses power.

11. Door locks - Once my daughter was old enough to play outside without direct supervision I started thinking of ways to ensure she had rapid access to the house without leaving doors unlocked. After a bit of research I purchased lock sets with key pads. I never have to worry about lost keys, someone entering an unlocked door while I am working in the yard, or if I locked the door when I left the house.

12. Doors - I have replaced our contractor grade entry doors with heavier grade doors. In the process I took out the ornamental side light windows and reinforced the door frames. These can be expensive but manageable if done one at a time. To justify the cost to my wife I explained that the doors are the FIRST line of defense. The average adult or any kid with a makeshift ram (sledge hammer, log, cinderblock) will come right through the average home's front door.

13. Shrubbery - I keep mine trimmed so that I can see under, behind, and around minimizing the chance that someone can hide behind it or leave something such as burglary tools. I have gradually replaced many of the shrubs below windows with "thorny" bushes such as barberry, holly, and rose.

Other topics I am working on for the future include exterior surveillance cameras with DVR recorder, whole house generator and additional landscape lighting.

No single thing I have done will prevent a threat to my home and family. My goal is simply to make my home less appealing to the average criminal. I want him to know the additional lighting will increase the chance of observation and the heavier doors require more than a kick. I want him to see the motion sensors and glass break detectors when he looks in a window. If he does decide to make entry my measures are only going to slow him down and possibly provide us with a few extra seconds to react if we are home.

So what have you done to make your home a harder target? Gun turrets on the roof? Moats with crocodiles? Large hungry dogs?

Overall, my upgrades probably add little value to our house. However, if we ever sell I think they would be a realistic and appealing "extra" that may set our home apart from similar houses in the neighborhood. A good real estate agent better be willing and able to drill into the security concerns of any mom with kids who may be home alone.

[Manxdriver]

Hardening? Pretty much just lighting, good locks, and "evidence" of a large k9 on-site. Something else to think about, sometimes the best defense is a good offense, or a deflection of the attacker. I deflect my attackers by flying a US Flag, making sure that a passer-by can tell a Veteran lives here, and keeping my lawn and property well-taken care of.
Try going for a walk around your neighborhood. With a quick glance, I can tell you, with at least 75% accuracy, where the Republican/Conservatives live and where the bed-wetting liberal idiots live. By keeping my property WELL-KEPT, my neighbor, the bed-wetter, stands out as a soft target. So does the schoolteacher across the street.

Which house do you want to rob? The one where the occupants seem to love their country, served their country , and care about their neighborhood, or the one next door where the fat, lazy, government teat-sucking idiot with no gun lives? You can make your home a hard-target just by pointing out that the house next door is a soft target.

[MT1]

Hardening? Pretty much just lighting, good locks, and "evidence" of a large k9 on-site. Something else to think about, sometimes the best defense is a good offense, or a deflection of the attacker. I deflect my attackers by flying a US Flag, making sure that a passer-by can tell a Veteran lives here, and keeping my lawn and property well-taken care of.
Try going for a walk around your neighborhood. With a quick glance, I can tell you, with at least 75% accuracy, where the Republican/Conservatives live and where the bed-wetting liberal idiots live. By keeping my property WELL-KEPT, my neighbor, the bed-wetter, stands out as a soft target. So does the schoolteacher across the street.

Which house do you want to rob? The one where the occupants seem to love their country, served their country , and care about their neighborhood, or the one next door where the fat, lazy, government teat-sucking idiot with no gun lives? You can make your home a hard-target just by pointing out that the house next door is a soft target.

Maybe "hardening" wasn't the best term to use. Obviously you understand it as will most with a military background as it is a common phrase. For those that I confused, hardening isn't turning your house into a bunker. It is making it a more challenging target.

I think you described one of my neighbors perfectly. She is the poster child of the lazy liberal. She is a die hard democrat, never mows her lawn, and has a pair of annoying yappy ankle biting dogs. At the same time I love her for all these qualities. Her sloppy yard may be perceived to be reflection of sloppy safety/security practices.

I don't walk my neighborhood as often as I would like, a few times a month but not often. What I do is run in the mornings. Within 45 to 60 minutes, 4 times per week, I will have covered 5 miles before 6AM. This includes my neighborhood and several surrounding developments. I can tell you who habitually leaves their garage door open, who drinks the most Yuengling based on the recyclables, the fact that Mrs "Smith" looks just as hot at 5AM while walking the dog in her robe, who leaves for work at 5AM, who doesn't event get out of bed till 6:30, whose teen son hosts the parties when the parents are out of town, and which daughter does the walk of shame after each party.

[PAMedic=F|A=]

Maybe "hardening" wasn't the best term to use. Obviously you understand it as will most with a military background as it is a common phrase. For those that I confused, hardening isn't turning your house into a bunker. It is making it a more challenging target.

I think you described one of my neighbors perfectly. She is the poster child of the lazy liberal. She is a die hard democrat, never mows her lawn, and has a pair of annoying yappy ankle biting dogs. At the same time I love her for all these qualities. Her sloppy yard may be perceived to be reflection of sloppy safety/security practices.

I don't walk my neighborhood as often as I would like, a few times a month but not often. What I do is run in the mornings. Within 45 to 60 minutes, 4 times per week, I will have covered 5 miles before 6AM. This includes my neighborhood and several surrounding developments. I can tell you who habitually leaves their garage door open, who drinks the most Yuengling based on the recyclables, the fact that Mrs "Smith" looks just as hot at 5AM while walking the dog in her robe, who leaves for work at 5AM, who doesn't event get out of bed till 6:30, whose teen son hosts the parties when the parents are out of town, and which daughter does the walk of shame after each party.

Which prepper boards are you on?

[SauerGrapes]

Bear traps around the yard. Anti personnel mines. Razor wire and a moat. Or maybe just my wife sitting on the front porch with some lemonade. That'll scare the crap out of them.

[MT1]

Which prepper boards are you on?

None of them. You?

[glocke12]

I keep a cardboard cutout of my naked self on my front yard...

This deters both friend and foe alike...

[Rosco the Iroc]

I have mine mounted on a giant wheel. It's not moving fast but a moving target is harder to hit.

[JAKIII]

Two dogs who bark loudly if anyone even walks down the street.

[IronButt]

Two dogs who bark loudly if anyone even walks down the street.

Shit! I have two labs that think everybody's their new best friend. They'd help a burglar carry stuff out.