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February 26, 2007
Window bars in ground floor apt?
I just bought a beautiful ground-floor condo in a good area of brooklyn. The place does not have security bars on the windows, so I'd been planning to put in some nice, custom-designed, decorative ones, but now I'm worried that they might harm the re-sale value of the place.
The apartment is right at ground level, and the windows start at about 4 ft above the floor/ground and extend to about 13 or 14 ft off the ground (ceilings in apartment are high). It would be nice to leave at least part of the windows exposed since they are so large.
Any thoughts? Should I 1) not install bars, 2) install bars 1/2 way up the window to deter burglary/prevent potential burglars from being able to crawl in an open window, or 3) install bars over the entire length of the windows?
Would bars over 10-ft tall windows turn you off of an apartment? Or would you be more turned off by the security risks of not having them at all? Would a middle ground be best? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Comments
You could look into those motion sensing systems for windows. I think they sell them at lowes and home depot. They seem fairly inexpensive and its like a security system for a window, once its armed it will detect motion and sound some sort of alarm. Good Luck.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 26, 2007 10:37 AM
I wouldn't think you can alter anything on the exterior of the building, when it's a condo. You own the interior walls only. Plus bars can be ripped off the building, if someone really wanted in. Get an alarm system. We got Protection One after it was recommended the most here on Forum. We got the wireless system which is unobtrusive enough.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 26, 2007 10:55 AM
Get insurance and get an alarm system.
Window bars make you feel like you're living in a cage.
Especially if you're facing the street, I wouldn't worry as long as you lock your windows when you go out.
Most break-ins seem to happen in the back of buildings where fewer people can the theif breaking in.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 26, 2007 11:32 AM
I'm female and am more worried about someone breaking in while I am home than while I'm not.
I'm thinking I might put bars over the bottom part of the windows (where they can be opened), AND get a wireless alarm system for them. That way the bars would extent to about 8 ft above the floor/ground, but would leave the top 5 feet or so of the window unobstructed.
The building is historic, and the upper floor have parisian-style decorative iron grills over the bottom portion of their windows. So, I would have an ironsmith make bars to match, so maintain the visual integrity of the building(and yes, I have already discussed the possibility of installing bars with the condo board).
The reason I'd want the bars in addition the alarm is that I don't like the idea of being worried that someone could crawl in the window if it were open. Doing both seems like it could be a way to preserve the beauty of the windows and the building's facade, while still providing a measure of extra security. Overkill?
Posted by: Anonymous at February 26, 2007 12:10 PM
if the condo allows it, get a big dog. best and cheapest protection around. plus you get exercise!
Posted by: benno at February 26, 2007 1:53 PM
Don't worry about resale value. As long as you get nice matching bars built, the next buyer can remove them if they really feel like risking it all to have a bar-free window.
Talk to your installer and explain that you want the bars to be removable by the next owner and to cause as little damage to the stone/brick work as possible.
As for the height, I would go for all the way up. That way you can open the top of the window and your cat/dog/baby can't get out through the open window. Also, since you are on the ground floor, you'll be shocked at how much of a passing conversation you are going to hear when the lower part of the window is open. You'll be happy to open just the top and miss the latest gossip.
Posted by: victor at February 26, 2007 2:33 PM
Our neighbors in our condo had an attempted break-in even though they have a large dog - thank heavens they did! After that, the condo decided to put window bars on the two front apartments. Both of them also chose to get alarm systems. I would want bars if I were living in a front ground-level apartment.
Posted by: bri at February 26, 2007 2:54 PM
Thanks for the feedback, everyone...it's been very helpful.
The comment about preserving the ability to open the windows fromn the top is interesting...I hadn't thought about the noise issue in that context. The thing is, the tops of the windows are 13 feet up from the floor...we'd literally have to climb a large ladder to open them. Would we realistically be likely to do that?
I do think I would feel safest with bars that extended the full height of the windows, but am having a hard time imagining what that would look like. These are very large windows...about 3.5 by 10 feet...and there are 6 of them in the living room. It might start looking pretty cage-like with all those bars.
We got a good deal on this place and it is perfect in many ways, but I am struggling with how best to deal with the security issues.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 26, 2007 3:23 PM
You say the building is historic - if it's situated in a historic district, it may be the case that new window bars would need to conform to the building's tax photo (if there were bars in place back in the 1940's; if not, probably fine to match the bars on the windows above). My townhouse's stoop railing and bars on the ground floor window, and iron fence in front, were all included in the description of the house in the Landmarks Designation Report, meaning you can't change it w/out getting in trouble, if they catch you.
Posted by: Archiefina at February 26, 2007 9:10 PM
The building dates from the 1920s and is visually striking, but it is not in a historic district. I'm almost certain it is not landmarked, because none of the sales materials from the 2004 conversion mention it being an official landmark. Does anyone know how I can find this out for sure? Could I just call the ofice of the landmarks commission? I couldn't seem to find the info on their website.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 27, 2007 8:45 AM
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