The Tactical Home - Ideas for New Construction?

[alabasterjar]

Claymores and a M2 facing each direction....

Hmmm...did I mention the 4 kids? LOL Remember, I am on a budget!!! Now the M2 on the other hand....

 

[alabasterjar]

Looks like I've got some readin' to do! We are at least a year, probably a bit more before we will be building - this is exactly why I wanted to start getting ideas. Good design on the front end is easier & less expensive (in the long run) before the house goes up...Thanks to the responses so far...

 

[88GT]

Steel doors. Peep-holes ONLY if you intend to use the 'camera screen' type, so no one outside knows you're looking at them. Door monitoring cameras ONLY if they're installed so they can't be disabled. Otherwise, what's the point? And outer doors that open outward. Kicking in the door is one of the most (if not 'the' most) common type of break in.

Eh, easier to modify in other ways IMO. It's easier to break a window but the bad guys don't really ever think of that. I've replace 2 doors on the same house. And old house where the windows are only 2' above the floor. The second time they "kicked" in the door they actually stripped the steel siding away from the door. Again, it's easier to break a window.

I hate exterior doors that open out. And I don't want to design a house so bad guy-proof that I'm living in an inside-out version of a North Korean prison.

LOCKS - Forget Kwikset, Schlage, etc. Period. Go with something like Abloy, BiLock, or EVVA MCS, etc. (I recommend Abloy Protec2). Yes, they're more expensive. Yes, they're WORTH it.

Never had a door failure point at the lockset. It's always the door frame.

Something to consider regarding shatterproof glass and how you set up your doors/windows is that in the event of a fire or other danger inside the home, you will still need an escape route. Don't work so hard to protect people from coming in that you and your family can't get out when you need to.

This. There's prudence and there's prison. There's a point of diminishing returns relative to risk. Not sure half of the suggestions are effective when the big picture is evaluated. Of course, it's a personal choice. If it makes someone feel better, do it. I won't. Not worth the cost for the slight increase in risk reduction it gets me.

 

[alabasterjar]

There's prudence and there's prison. There's a point of diminishing returns relative to risk. Not sure half of the suggestions are effective when the big picture is evaluated. Of course, it's a personal choice. If it makes someone feel better, do it. I won't. Not worth the cost for the slight increase in risk reduction it gets me.

Agreed. My desire is to build a house that is secure without looking like it is any more secure than the average home.

Comfort vs. security...I don't think these are mutually exclusive, but this is the time to look at options & ideas to begin incorporating into the design. I'm not sure how to incorporate multiple quotes, but teddy12b was right that a tornado is a more likely threat to the home than armed invasion, but I want to make sure that I'm not overlooking fairly simple steps to make it more difficult for a tweaker looking for a quick B&E to support his habit...

 

[jamil]

Hmmm...did I mention the 4 kids? LOL Remember, I am on a budget!!! Now the M2 on the other hand....

I've had 4 homes built in my lifetime, and staying on budget is the hardest thing about building a house. It's easy to say yes to that $1000 feature because, in the grand scheme of things, it's not going to make or brake you. The problem comes when you say "yes" 10 or 20 times.

I wish I had thought more about security with my home. Beyond the security system, steel doors, storm doors, multi-lock casement windows, etc., we didn't put that much thought into a tactical home. I designed the home we're in now. I put a lot of thought into everyday life, the layout, convenience. I tried to make decisions to give us the best energy efficiency we could afford. I couldn't afford concrete exterior walls. I couldn't afford foam insulated attic. But I could afford 6" exterior walls, descent insulation, foam insulation in strategic locations, foaming/caulking everywhere air could get in. I had to make tradeoffs.

I think even on a budget, you can think it through and try to make decisions that give you the best security you can afford. Just make the tradeoffs according to your priorities and budget. I wish I had put more thought into what happens when there's an intruder. How and under which circumstances are they likely to break in? What would give my family a tactical advantage? What about egress? The solutions to those kinds of problems are more about layout, which doesn't affect the budget that much.

 

[Scott26]

What are your plans with regard to living without power if it happens. Basements are great but if it can have natural drainage you are much more independent from power. On a well?? Get as big abladder tank that you can. Will your septic need power for a pump or is it natural drainage?? I know you asked about tactical but going out to fire up the genny if you don't have to is a great thing. How about presiding g for a transfer switch. Lastly can you heat without electricity??

 

[Vigilant]

Layout is most important of any of them. For example, you have kids, too many homes have the master suite upstairs farthest from the stairs? That means, in a "bump in the night" event, you have to clear all of your children's rooms first on the way to the stairs, why not put the master first, so when things go bump, you can defend from the master, and fall back to the kids rooms, placing you in the protector position!

 

[rgrimm01]

Take the opportunity to have the basement bumped out for a safe room (which can be a gun vault until you need it to be a safe room - which is hopefully never). If you are going to be on a well, and the well site makes it feasible, bring the water entry point into the house through the safe room...

An often overlooked opportunity for this saferoom in a basement is the area under the porch. The bump out is there and with concrete above and all four walls.

... Steel doors. And outer doors that open outward. Kicking in the door is one of the most (if not 'the' most) common type of break in...

Doors that swing out? Seems too easy to pop the pins?

To be totally impenetrable seems to be out of financial reach for most of us. Given time, I dare say a determined individual can gain access to any residence (ever see "The Purge"?). I just want them to be required to work at it long enough to give me enough notice to be able to react. I do not want to be watching a movie and notice someone standing in the next room or awakened from a sleep with someone at the foot of my bed...

 

[ModernGunner]

Eh, easier to modify in other ways IMO. It's easier to break a window but the bad guys don't really ever think of that. I've replace 2 doors on the same house. And old house where the windows are only 2' above the floor. The second time they "kicked" in the door they actually stripped the steel siding away from the door. Again, it's easier to break a window.

I hate exterior doors that open out. And I don't want to design a house so bad guy-proof that I'm living in an inside-out version of a North Korean prison.

That's WHY ya use steel framed / reinforced doors. 'Proper' ones don't look like "an inside-out version of a North Korean prison", LOL. And outward opening doors have two advantages: 1) They're harder for BG's to break in (and as noted, most break-ins occur in this manner) and, 2) In an emergency / 'panic' situation, they're easier to exit. BOTH advantages while maintaining a 'normal' aesthetic.

Window: Hence the reason for shatter-resistant glass. Properly installed, resist breakage / intrusion from the outside, offer no interference in exiting from the inside in an emergency.

Never had a door failure point at the lockset. It's always the door frame.

Seen plenty. And lock bumping is VERY common nowadays and has the 'advantage' to the BG of not leaving 'tell-tale' signs. Might wanna watch someone defeat a 'security' Quickset in (approx.) 20 seconds with little noise before one passes judgment. The locks recommended address both issues mentioned in the quote (lockset, door frame). The locks (doorknob and/or deadbolt) have a 'standard' look, except the key slot looks 'weird', not something many people are going to gripe about, LOL.

There's prudence and there's prison. There's a point of diminishing returns relative to risk. Not sure half of the suggestions are effective when the big picture is evaluated. Of course, it's a personal choice. If it makes someone feel better, do it. I won't. Not worth the cost for the slight increase in risk reduction it gets me.

Of course. And there's also "It'll never happen to ME" 'syndrome'. Or, did someone mention their home has already been broken into (once, or twice).

Depends on how 'valuable' one views their home and 'contents', especially when home, LOL. And most assuredly, it's a significant increase in risk reduction, LOL. SOME scumbags get into the house just to 'have fun and tear things up'. Of course, that's typically only when the homeowners are gone more than a few hours, or on vacation. I'm afraid the 'light timer' going on and off doesn't fool too many scumbags any more (can't imagine why!).

Effective? Absolutely. All of the suggestions are worth it when "the big picture is evaluated". None of the suggestions really change the 'look' of the home, aren't cost-prohibitive, maintain safety escape routes, yet increase security by a high factor. Most assuredly less than a bag full of jewelry, cash & coins; sentimental items stolen or irreparably damaged; or a cadre of firearms.

It's much more 'amazing' when someone spends, say $2000 - $3000+ for a safe, which only secures items once the BG's are already inside. It would seem a better idea to 'harden' the exterior without "looking like a prison", help keep intruders out to begin with, and have a less costly safe. At least the 'hardening' items add value to the home and may reduce insurance premiums, LOL.

But, as noted, to each their own. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Had to do over again...

We built our home in '98. I designed it and built most of it. The one thing I should have done and didn't even think of it is under the porch. We have a walk out basement with poured concrete walls except for the side that's open, it's stick built. My neighbor put a wine cellar under his porch and that's when I thought of it - the panic room/safe room should have been under the porch! Our porch runs the length of our 50' house. Had to build the foundation for it already, wouldn't have been that much more cost or labor to dig it out like the basement and pour those walls as well. Then instead of a stick built joist type deck/porch, pour it concrete as well - free space! And that space is reinforced concrete all around including ceiling and floor. No one thinks of the space under the porch as usable and if it's finished right inside the house (hidden door) no one would think of looking for the panic room/safe room there either. That room can contain a UPS system, closed circuit monitoring of the rest of the property, any thing you like...as fancy or as simple as you like.

When we build again, that's where my panic/safe room is going.

 

[Dead Duck]

Now here's a basement -

Zombie apocalypse? Saranac, NY Missile Silo Home can withstand zombies, nuclear attacks and more | syracuse.com



I actually looked into these until I realized that I couldn't maintain the lifestyle that my wife was accustomed too in the first place.

 

[jamil]

Now here's a basement -

Zombie apocalypse? Saranac, NY Missile Silo Home can withstand zombies, nuclear attacks and more | syracuse.com



I actually looked into these until I realized that I couldn't maintain the lifestyle that my wife was accustomed too in the first place.

But it's...for the children.

 

[Dead Duck]

But it's...for the children.

It was hard enough to feed the kids while paying for all my wife's shoes.

 

[jamil]

It was hard enough to feed the kids while paying for all my wife's shoes.

Eh, with mine it's postmodern art. Well, and shoes. And nicknacky crap to fill shelf space.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

OP:

Keep in mind / budget for a genset...tri-fuel...

Also keep in mind: If you plan on this being your "forever" house - design it with wheel-chair / walker / scooter accessibility in mind. Things like wider interior door ways will be a God-send should someone end up wheel-chair bound. You won't have to modify doors should that happen. Also - for a multi-level home: May want to consider having an option of at least one bedroom on the main floor. Or at least a room that can be a bedroom. Again - for the same purpose as above.

Or have a "slightly wider" staircase installed so that (Again, in the future should the need be there) you can install one of those power lift dealios.

As far as the basement bumpouts / safe rooms: I have two sets of inlaws who have done exactly that. Both of them have a safe room outside the general footprint of the house - both of them under the front porch. As of right now, though, neither of them have safety/security doors on them.

-J-

 

[88GT]

That's WHY ya use steel framed / reinforced doors. 'Proper' ones don't look like "an inside-out version of a North Korean prison", LOL. And outward opening doors have two advantages: 1) They're harder for BG's to break in (and as noted, most break-ins occur in this manner) and, 2) In an emergency / 'panic' situation, they're easier to exit. BOTH advantages while maintaining a 'normal' aesthetic.

Window: Hence the reason for shatter-resistant glass. Properly installed, resist breakage / intrusion from the outside, offer no interference in exiting from the inside in an emergency.

No, thanks. On outward-opening door precludes the option for a screened security door.

Seen plenty. And lock bumping is VERY common nowadays and has the 'advantage' to the BG of not leaving 'tell-tale' signs. Might wanna watch someone defeat a 'security' Quickset in (approx.) 20 seconds with little noise before one passes judgment. The locks recommended address both issues mentioned in the quote (lockset, door frame). The locks (doorknob and/or deadbolt) have a 'standard' look, except the key slot looks 'weird', not something many people are going to gripe about, LOL.

Passes judgment on what? I didn't say it couldn't be done. Simply said the majority of breaches occur from door-frame failure due to kick-in.

Of course. And there's also "It'll never happen to ME" 'syndrome'. Or, did someone mention their home has already been broken into (once, or twice).

thankfully, neither of those characterizations are applicable to me.

Depends on how 'valuable' one views their home and 'contents', especially when home, LOL. And most assuredly, it's a significant increase in risk reduction, LOL. SOME scumbags get into the house just to 'have fun and tear things up'. Of course, that's typically only when the homeowners are gone more than a few hours, or on vacation. I'm afraid the 'light timer' going on and off doesn't fool too many scumbags any more (can't imagine why!).

I doubt it.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

Another consideration to think about is not having your garage doors open to the road. I know you stated building on 10 acres or so, but if your house is going to be in view of the road you might think of having doors that open to the side. Not displaying all your toys/tools to the world is a simple way to protect your home. IMO...

I agree with the above poster about steel framed doors. A definite design choice for security.

 

[Bigtanker]

The new place must have a beard. Preferably on the front door.

 

[Spike_351]

Place your bedroom in a spot that must be reached before your childrens, place your fatal funnel in front of your room, the intruder must make it through the funnel, then through you before ever reaching your children. Just my opinion

 

[Indy317]

My wife and I just closed on some property to build a home, either starting right away or waiting a year to save additional funds. We will likely go ahead and start right away. We are also looking at a Craftsman style ranch with a three car garage and likely on a full basement. As far as security extras, I'm looking at requesting wrought iron security doors, a basic camera for the front porch (I might install this myself) that may or may not record data, and an alarm system. The current layout provides for windows into the master walk-in closet, and so I might have security bars or film put on that particular window just because it will lead into the master bath and then into our bedroom. I will likely have them install the doors from the master bath to swing out (one into the bedroom, the other into the walk-in closet). I will use security bars to add an extra layer of security when we are sleeping. Higher windows are also a plus, I have those in my home now and it would be a lot harder to get through one of my bedroom windows than it would be at my parents house.

In terms of just covering emergencies, we will also have a natural gas fired generator for back-up power. Won't do much in some sort of national/regional shortage or incident, but if they can keep the gas lines pressurized, I will have power. Want a back-up because we will be on a grinder pit sewer connection and for running the well, fridge, a few other outlets, and the sump pumps. Also getting a free standing wood stove as well. Don't care about fancy looking wood floors, bathrooms, crown molding, etc., would rather have practical stuff.

Never had a door failure point at the lockset. It's always the door frame.

The frame is the weak point, which is why one should buy the devices to strengthen the frame. It isn't hard to install and I would just tell the builder when I need to bring it and either do it myself or hand it to the guy doing the framing and have him do it. The better lock sets are for the bump lock, lock picking types. The bulk of burglaries are forced entry or someone normally leaves a window or door unlocked, so I don't know if I would even worry about higher end lock sets. However, I would suggest security doors that swing outward. It would pretty much be impossible for someone to make forced entry one of my entry doors due to how heavy and thick the iron is. Since the frame is also metal and the door isn't in contact with the inside door, they pretty much would have to take hours getting the security door out of the way before the main entry door. It would require tools of some sort as most people wouldn't have the brute strength it takes to just kick in and outside swinging security door.