Windowed back door and safety
our ground-floor back kitchen has only one small window, so it gets very little light. i’d like to replace the big steel back door with a windowed door for more light but i’m concerned about safety. are there exterior doors with window panels that have bars over them or some other measure that would discourage,…
our ground-floor back kitchen has only one small window, so it gets very little light. i’d like to replace the big steel back door with a windowed door for more light but i’m concerned about safety. are there exterior doors with window panels that have bars over them or some other measure that would discourage, um, ‘uninvited’ entry?
You could also install the wood/glass door of your choice, inswing, and get from Lowe’s or the Depot an exterior steel bar door, outswing. You then get the benefit of having a storm or screen door with the security of the bars.
GLASS
Look into safety glass (also known as lami). That is similar to what a car winshield is made of – a sheet of plastic sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Even better an insulated glass unit composed of safety on both inside and out. This is more expensive but is the most secure option and prevents noise transfer best.
HARDWARE
A cremone bolt is a two point locking system for double doors that dosen’t have any hardware on the outside of the door. Baldwin makes one as well as Omnia.
Buy the door you want, and add decorative metalwork separately.
We have French doors to our backyard without any metalwork, but we do have a double-keyed lock so you can’t break the glass and turn the knob. We haven’t had any problems.