Ground floor security

Hi Everyone! I’m going to be moving into a ground floor unit and I’m looking for the best ways to add some extra security. The windows are not barred and I don’t think that’s an option. There is also a terrace in the back which is fenced in. Of the options that I’ve seen batted around here: perimeter lighting, wireless alarm system, 3M window “film”/laminate, what do folks recommend as the best option(s)?  Is it useless to even consider something like window film?

jad2k

in Security 13 years and 10 months ago

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dirkepitt | 13 years and 10 months ago

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Security is peace of mind. I sell furniture-quality custom windows, have a son living in the Hts, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend security bars on ground floor applications. Its very retro; safe. Esthetics? Not there!

Guest User | 13 years and 10 months ago

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Will the building owner pay for a wireless alarm? You can even have the windows vented, which means they can be open 8 inches or so and the alarm still goes off if someone raises one. Besides having the doors and windows alarmed, you could also have a motion sensor or two. The former owner of my building had a basic alarm put in as when he was renovating he was between Brooklyn and Florida. When my husband and I bought the place we had the alarm reconfigured for our unit (it’s a 3-family house). While we have bars on the garden level, we don’t on the parlor floor and having the alarm makes me feel a lot safer.

BHS | 13 years and 10 months ago

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Yes, you want to add to the time, irritation, and risk it takes for someone to break in. Creating Fort Knox is not possible. Lighting is supposed to be the best defense, especially for a secluded spot like the back deck. If the windows are wood, the best security is angled holes drilled so that you can put nails through the meeting of the top and bottom sash. These are removable (the nails, not the holes).  If the windows are not wood, you can cut wooden dowels to fit on the inside above the lower sash to prevent it from being opened, but that assumes the burgler would not be able to lower the top sash (if they can the dowels are useless). Having the windows covered with curtains/blinds and having lights on inside on timers makes it much less inviting for a break-in. Make sure you use enough lights inside to actually look like someone’s home rather than the single floor lamp a lot of people use. Also, if you live somewhere that would be easy to break into, consider putting all real valuables in a bank safe deposit box. Be very careful how you secure your window AC unit during the summer. Re prickly bushes, bushes also create a cover for burglers trying to break in.

Goatcrapp | 13 years and 10 months ago

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a dog and a shotgun 🙂 window film is useless.  kick it hard enough and it’ll coveniently remove itself from the frame, in one piece, so the would be burglar doesn’t even have to worry about scratches lol.   If you have VERY good windows in a metal sleeve, maybe…  but the frame is usually the weekpoint with film. You can get your own child safety bars that install on the inside of the window frame… re: terrace – are there adjoining terraces? tall prickly shrubs are a great deterrent. re: lighting – that’s a foregone conclusion..   motion sensor flood light fixtures are cheap. alarms are useless, unless it’s one that pages you, or calls the police.   Those window guard personal alarms at best will annoy an intruder only as long as it takes to locate and smash it. at the end of the day – if someone wants in, they get in.  NONE of these things is absolute security, and a team of 2-3 people intent on hurting you will breach any window, door, or perimter, unless you’ve specifically designed a structure with breach loads that would take the beating.  I’ve kicked in several doors, surprisingly easily, responding to 2 elderly relatives emergencies, where they couldn’t get to the door to let me in) – i’m not a walking tank, just a normal guy.   The types of security being mentioned will deter casual crimes of opportunity, only.  Someone who has targeted your home or person, not so much. That’s why i suggested a dog, and if you’re so inclined, a firearm, with the license and training to use it.

brokelin | 13 years and 10 months ago

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the only thing that will effectively keep people out are bars.  they can be installed on any window, so not sure why you say they are not an option. would not live on ground floor without them.