Hardening a home?

[Slawburger]

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.

Check with architectural salvage places. I found an extra wide, massively solid door with a steel cap on the edge complete with a steel frame that I set in concrete. The door and frame came out of a hospital that was being remodeled.

 

[Car Ramrod]

Check with architectural salvage places. I found an extra wide, massively solid door with a steel cap on the edge complete with a steel frame that I set in concrete. The door and frame came out of a hospital that was being remodeled.

I ended up picking one up from a friend who has a garage door business. I'll report back with my impressions once I get it installed.

 

[zippy23]

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.

^you forgot to add your address and what you would like to trade for a place to stay!!!

 

[yaquindn]

one quick idea, I ripped a 2x4 in half then screwed 3 1/2 inch screws into it ,then attached it to the top of of my privacy fence. you can't climb over it because if the screws, not even the birds land on my fence

 

[Trigger Time]

one quick idea, I ripped a 2x4 in half then screwed 3 1/2 inch screws into it ,then attached it to the top of of my privacy fence. you can't climb over it because if the screws, not even the birds land on my fence

Just be careful mounting that before a shtf situation because I **** you not if a burglar jumps your fence And gets hurt he will sue you and probly win. Welcome to getting screwed .

Good idea for bad times though

 

[WETSU]

^you forgot to add your address and what you would like to trade for a place to stay!!!

Virgins and whiskey.

 

[Magneto]

Someone had posted a link to a product on another thread here (and of course I cannot find it) that was used to brace doors. You screwed it in the door frame and it made your doors much harder to get through. It showed a large police man trying to kick in a door with one and he had no luck. I remember it was about $75 but if it worked as advertised it would be well worth it.

 

[fangz]

Someone had posted a link to a product on another thread here (and of course I cannot find it) that was used to brace doors. You screwed it in the door frame and it made your doors much harder to get through. It showed a large police man trying to kick in a door with one and he had no luck. I remember it was about $75 but if it worked as advertised it would be well worth it.

It's called "door jamb armor", but most home improvement places won't know it by that name. Just browse around the security section and you will find something.

 

[Apokalypsi]

Someone had posted a link to a product on another thread here (and of course I cannot find it) that was used to brace doors. You screwed it in the door frame and it made your doors much harder to get through. It showed a large police man trying to kick in a door with one and he had no luck. I remember it was about $75 but if it worked as advertised it would be well worth it.

Are you talking about the Door Devil?

 

[Magneto]

Are you talking about the Door Devil?

That isn't the one I was talking about but that is really close. Looks like almost the same thing.

 

[draftsman]

Magneto, Menards carries the Door Armour jamb reinforcement products

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Keep in mind that while hardening your home is great for "normal" times (and don't forget preps for tornadoes and floods) if a mob wants into your house and can't gain entry, the next thing they will do is burn it down. So don't neglect emergency egress plans.

 

[spectre327]

Or in said case build a house with steel frames and fire resistant exterior. Lock down the windows with steel shutters and kevlar drapes. Windows should be made of UV resistant Lexan, etc.

Build a fortress. It''s not really hard....just expeensssssiiiivveeeeeeeeeee

 

[RipkinC]

Any tips for a apartment that one rents for less than 2 years.

 

[Trigger Time]

Any tips for a apartment that one rents for less than 2 years.

Leave ASAP

Make sure all your windows are locked and insert metal or wood rods as a temporary backup.

Get a bar at lowes that fits under your door handle and extends to the floor at an angle to secure it from being kicked in.

Cover your peep hole to prevent people from using devices to reverse see in.

Keep smoke alarm batteries fresh and buy a carbon monoxide detector

Buy a fire extinguisher or two

Have a practiced escape plan and meeting spot in case of emergency

Know where the hardened interior room is incase of tornado or if on a 2nd floor find a neighbor to chill with on the first floor during tornado weather.

If going on vacation stop mail and newspaper service so people don't know your gone.

 

[wrnyhuise]

Any tips for a apartment that one rents for less than 2 years.

Most apt complex's will not allow you to do anything to the property. They make alarms that hang on door handles that might at least give you some warning to grab your gun though. I feel your pain on this a bit. We just bought our first place but it is a mobile home so not much fortifying can be done there lol

 

[.356luger]

Just a thought i had here couldnt you take a piece of 3/16" plate steel router 3/16" out of the interior side of the door way on the dead bolt side counter sink some 3" screws into the jam itself effectively spreading the impact over 36" of wood and steel? hardening the door while keeping the aesthetics and spending around 20$?

 

[11-B]

Any tips for a apartment that one rents for less than 2 years.

get a house