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April 27, 2009
Informal Poll: Door for the Deck
I'd like to replace the door that opens on to my parlor-level back deck with a full glass door. Looking at my back-yard neighbors (I'm in central Park Slope), half have security doors off the deck and half do not. Do you think an iron security door is necessary?
Comments
no. carroll/5th
Posted by: cmu at April 27, 2009 11:15 AM
no...Stuyvesant bet Macon & Halsey.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at April 27, 2009 11:17 AM
How close are you to the nearest alley, if any, either on your street or the block behind you? If you are near an alley, I would say yes, if not, no.
Posted by: slopefarm at April 27, 2009 11:18 AM
No alleys-- it's solid walled back gardens at least three deep on all sides. Thanks for the feedback-- it's much appreciated.
Posted by: fawn at April 27, 2009 11:21 AM
We regularly remove iron gates and double hung windows and replace with wooden doors. The glass units we use are 1/4" laminated glass over 1/4" laminated glass. Breaking thru one would be like going thru two car windshields. Most glass doors are made with tempered glass, which is very strong, but it breaks into lots of little pieces- so that Mr. Badguy won't hurt himself.
Here is an example of before and after with the gates, notice how much more light gets in:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=1576762&id=53194651818&ref=mf
Posted by: southslope at April 27, 2009 11:26 AM
Is there any way someone can get into the back yard? Is there a low fence or building nearby? There are phone and cable guys up on my low roof throughout the year (I can tell because I find their cigarette butts and cable scraps). From my low roof it would be very easy to hope onto the rear additions of the three adjacent houses. I am very happy to have bars on my rear windows. Phone and cable guys might not pose a problem, but if they can easily get up there....
Posted by: bessie2 at April 27, 2009 12:15 PM
Thanks for passing on the photo-- is a door make of 1/4" laminated glass over 1/4" laminated glass easy to find? I don't recall seeing the option before but also have not been looking.
And the fences around my yead and their neighbors' are about 8-9' high and the buildings surrounding all 4-5 stories. Yes, someone could get in but it would not be particularly easy.
Posted by: fawn at April 27, 2009 1:22 PM
I had an exterior french divided lite door put in with "hurricane glass" which is laminated. Would slow down burglars but not as secure as bars.
Posted by: BHS at April 27, 2009 2:03 PM
The 1/4" lami over 1/4" lami is a custom made thermal unit and it doesn't come cheap either. But it is worth the peace of mind and it is quieter than a tempered glass unit as the plastic absorbs sound waves. It will require a 3/4" thickness or more if you can (at the space between the glazing increases it becomes more efficient).
A note on hardware:
Try to use cremone bolts or another type of multi-point lock. And if you can- try to avoid putting any hardware on the exterior side of the door. It's just one less place for someone to...
Posted by: southslope at April 27, 2009 10:03 PM
The one nice thing about an iron gate outside the glass door is that the gate can be closed and locked while the door is open letting lots of air in on a nice day.
Posted by: SenatorStreet at April 28, 2009 1:51 PM
No iron gate here, also center Slope. Have had this setup about six years.
Posted by: basementalist at April 28, 2009 2:44 PM
It is very difficult to have a full size out-swing door with a metal gate. A retractable screen will let air in and keep bugs out.
Posted by: southslope at April 28, 2009 3:23 PM
We have the same dilemma but for 2 glass doors that lead out to our roofdeck. The neighboring buildings don't have decks but they do have roof access. We've only caught people on the roof once (before the deck was installed) and they were just kids crossing over our roof to another building, but have been thinking about installing iron security doors with a deadbolt outside the glass doors. Besides keeping intruders out, we were hoping that the security doors would have screens so that we could keep them locked during the summer but leave the glass doors (which open into the apartment) open so that there's ventilation and bugs are kept out. Not sure how feasible this set up would be. Any suggestions? Any recs for iron workers in the area that might be able to consult on this?
Posted by: northslopeneighbor at April 28, 2009 4:08 PM
We had the same question and found something called a Coastal Stormwatch door from Anderson. I think it's similar to what the poster above is talking about. Will withstand hammers and crowbars etc. Wasn't cheap. But if they get into my house, it won't be through that door.
Posted by: MR at April 28, 2009 4:53 PM
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