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KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 11 Jul 2019 21:59
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I’ve always wondered how a graffiti artist would react if someone walked up to them and sprayed paint on their shirt.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 20 Aug 2019 09:04 - Edited by: KinAlberta
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I just ordered some of these New Life deadbolt defenders.

https://newlifeparts.ca/collections/door-defender

Apparently thieves with cordless drills can easily drill out cylinders or they can drill a hole right above the deadbolt and defeat it that way too. Of course they can also simply smash it in with an small sledge hammer!

I still have to find some decent deadbolts for the doors I’ve installed. See the CR article links below.



My project:
Prior to my plan to put metal cladding on my old outbuildings (boathouse, sheds, garage) I’m switching out the old failing or damaged stock or plywood doors that had crappy locks in handles or padlocks and hasps with commercial steel doors and deadbolts.

In the past thieves just kicked in the door or hammered a hole through the middle of the hollow core garage package stock door, or pried or cut off hasps and padlocks on the board and plywood shed and boathouse doors.

So I’ve picked up 36”x80” and 42”x96” grey steel slightly damaged or surplus doors at Habitat for Humanity for $40-$50 bucks each. These are like the standard grey steel man-doors you see on all the warehouses and back entries to commercial buildings. This is cheaper than the cost of a sheet of plywood!

So far, I’ve put up 5 of these steel doors. They are bigger than the original doors so I mount them on the face of these old plywood sided buildings. Removing the old door and thin frame from the old garage (std garage package) gave me a good sized opening allowing for good doorknob clearance. There’s no way now that the surface mounted doors can be kicked in due to a 1” or so of overlap.

On the garage I ripped out the old ma-door and frame and on a shed just took off the old plywood doors and strap hinges etc. and then surface mounted the larger 36”+ steel doors to the face of the building (using commercial ball bearing butt hinges screwed to the edges of 2X6s, 2x12s). The commercial hinges also came from HFH and the special little stainless steel screws to mount the hinges to the doors came from a bolt supply shop.

Since the steel doors are thicker than the 1 1/2” boards I add a 1/2” plywood spacer between the wall and the 2X6. I then lean the door and 2X6, 2x12 against the wall, level the door and screw the 2x6,12... flat to the wall face and add 2x’s to the other side and top.

Flashing and roll cladding/tin make it all disappear and prevent water from getting in the tops of these doors which are open at the top and bottom. This will all get covered up by the final wall cladding. The doors come ready for handles and deadbolts.

Again, these deadbolt defender things should do a good job of protecting the deadbolts. The challenge is getting good deadbolts.

https://newlifeparts.ca/collections/door-defender






Best Door Lock Buying Guide - Consumer Reports


“...
What We Found

Very few locks we rate score particularly well, and on the other end of the chart, a handful prove far more susceptible than most. Below are a few key takeaways.

Drills Easily Open Most Locks

With all except one lock, which is classified as high-security, even an ordinary cordless drill can disable the cylinders in 2 minutes or less. Our drill test ...



Parts Are Often Inadequate

All locks come with a strike plate that attatches to the door jamb. But as we’ve reported in the past, far too many of those included short screws that catch only the jamb and not the framing of the house. The kick-in resistance of most locks improves dramatically when we replace a stock strike plate with 3-inch screws and a box strike, which you can buy online for as little as $5. "We think manufacturers should include...”

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/door-locks/buying-guide






One remaining weak link will be the exposed hinge pins. There’s several easy ways to deal with this.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 20 Aug 2019 15:11
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Really secure doors just result in broken windows in my experience. Thieves are thieves and will get in if they want. I prefer less damage to repair when they do

hattie
Member
# Posted: 20 Aug 2019 21:02
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Quoting: KinAlberta
I’ve always wondered how a graffiti artist would react if someone walked up to them and sprayed paint on their shirt.


We recently received a two page letter of apology from the youth who did the graffitti on the sign. It was quite heart-felt and sincere. The girl did some research on the area and felt really bad about what she did. She admitted she had done this before and it seems she will be changing her ways. It made me really happy to hear that perhaps one person has realized their thoughtless actions can be quite hurtful.

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 21 Aug 2019 07:42
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Quoting: FishHog
Really secure doors just result in broken windows in my experience. Thieves are thieves and will get in if they want. I prefer less damage to repair when they do


A dead bolt with a key on the inside can really be a bother once they break in and have to go in and out over broken glass.

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 23 Sep 2019 09:53
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I'm wondering if a sign like this would make potential thieves think twice...
71088933_13715759630.jpg
71088933_13715759630.jpg


Just
Member
# Posted: 23 Sep 2019 16:13
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I had one they took it...along with a boat a tv a set of tools and two beaver pelts .

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 23 Sep 2019 20:01
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Ouch! I guess we are fortunate that the area we live in has an HOA (yes that in itself can be a PITA but it is pretty loosely run) and our dues go to having a caretaker up here all winter. Looks like this year the road may only be plowed within 9 miles of the cabin as well.... some years within a mile. We also have a big iron gate at the fs road a mile from the cabin. So the combination of deep snow, gate and especially the caretaker nobody worries too bad up here. Oh and we are also miles from anh major city...

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 24 Sep 2019 21:00
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Okotoks rancher Edouard Maurice sued by trespasser shot on his property

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/okotoks-rancher-edouard-maurice-sued-by-trespasser-shot-on -his-property-1.4608161

SE Ohio
Member
# Posted: 25 Sep 2019 09:01 - Edited by: SE Ohio
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Quoting: Brettny
A dead bolt with a key on the inside can really be a bother once they break in and have to go in and out over broken glass.


Also quite a bother if you need to get out in a hurry, e.g. fire. Better not lock up when you are there, else leave key in.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 25 Sep 2019 10:17
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Quoting: SE Ohio
Also quite a bother if you need to get out in a hurry, e.g. fire. Better no lock up when you are there, else leave key in.


One could add a 2nd dead bolt, manually operated on the inside for when occupied.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 27 Sep 2019 08:40 - Edited by: KinAlberta
Reply 


And a second deadbolt would dramatically improve the the resistance to just being kicked in.

So if the windows are the next weakness, what solutions are available?

Personally I really dislike most ornamental grills and meshes unless they look like muntin bars (glazing bars).

In the city we have a clear plastic security coating on a couple doors. Both coatings are now decades old and still clear and in near perfect shape.
I once considered getting ornamental window boxes made that could do double-duty as security.



Best Window Security:

Lexan?
Shutters?
Bars, Grills, Mesh?
Wires?
Visible alarm breakage sensors (real or fake)?
Visible camera(s) (real or fake)?
Fake muntin bars?
Window boxes?
Window coatings?
Tempered or plate glass?
Prickly bushes?
Some combination of the above?

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 1 Jun 2020 21:08 - Edited by: KinAlberta
Reply 


Came across this. The video is fun to watch just for the retro feel of an an old Public service announcement. Much of the content is informative.



Door Security Hardware/ Door Bar - LineBacker Security Systems

https://thelinebacker.net/

hattie
Member
# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 00:30
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We had a couple of strange instances. One morning I discovered that a child sized picnic table we own and have stored on top of our playset had been moved to the lawn. It is too heavy for a child to lift. I told my husband I thought it was someone checking to see if it would be moved so they would know if we are home. We operate a small motel and have been closed since COVID-19. I moved the picnic table back onto the playset. The next day, a van drove very slowly to the front of our motel, turned around and left. I think they were checking to see if the picnic table had been put back.

A week or so later we were awake quite late at night watching tv. Someone came onto our porch (which is also the porch to our motel) and was moving the chairs that are in front of the window. I told my dog to start barking and when she did, they left.

I feel that people are casing places that are fairly remote to see if anyone is around. I don't usually lock our doors but they are ALWAYS locked now.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 07:35
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That's a bit scary hattie. Might be worth notifying the police to see if they can keep a bit of a closer eye on things. Be safe out there

hattie
Member
# Posted: 2 Jun 2020 15:45
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Thanks for the suggestion FishHog. Unfortunately, where we live, the RCMP don't visit the area until after something happens. I have heard that there are similar instances in the next small town over from ours. I guess with this pandemic, people are hurting for money and doing things they shouldn't be. Luckily our dog can sound ferocious when I tell her to "get 'em".

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 3 Jun 2020 12:15 - Edited by: KinAlberta
Reply 


I still think part of the trick is to create uncertainty in the minds of wannabe thieves. That’s after doing something to try to get them to pass by your place altogether via alarm system and/or beware of dog signage, visible motion sensor lighting, etc)

The signage unfortunately often lets them know exactly what security you have (dog, security system, etc) so they can then always work around it or defeat it. So other steps need to be taken to make a potential thief feel uneasy about what they will encounter.

Or, worst case catch them after the fact.

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 3 Jun 2020 12:31
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Came across this site below. I’ll have to watch for old used trail cams at garage sales.



Used Trailcampro Dummy Camera - Trailcampro.com

Excerpt:

“Sold Out

These cameras DO NOT work. They are old, used, inoperable cameras that are designed to be used as a "dummy camera" for surveillance.

Put the camera in a somewhat obvious position, with a security trail camerawatching the dummy camera from a hard to see spot. Catch thieves in the act.”



https://www.trailcampro.com/products/trailcampro-dummy-camera

hattie
Member
# Posted: 3 Jun 2020 12:33 - Edited by: hattie
Reply 


My parents used to own a home that backed onto a park. Right after they moved in, their garage was broken into. Dad was pretty upset. They also owned a very well-trained german shepherd. Dad put up a beware of dog sign on the gate that lead from their yard to the park and he let the dog out a lot so she would be visible. They never had a problem after that. It would have taken a true moron to try to get past her. She was such a good dog.

When she was a puppy they had her trained in protection. They let it lapse but a few years later took her back to the place because they wanted to see how she was doing. She loved car rides and was excited to go but when they got there she didn't really want to get out of the car. They guy suited up in the big, padded outfit and Dad dragged her out of the car. He told her to get him so she ran over, ripped the sleeve right off the outfit and took it back to the car where she jumped back into the back seat. The guy asked how much they wanted for her and Dad said she's not for sale. He couldn't believe how fast she was and how she ripped the sleeve right off the outfit.

jhp
Member
# Posted: 3 Jun 2020 18:51
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Quoting: KinAlberta
Came across this site below. I’ll have to watch for old used trail cams at garage sales.


I saw these at WalMart on sale for like $19 once so I watched a couple of YouTube videos on them. I bought a couple for just this reason - the obvious "here is a camera in plain sight" bait camera and I'm not gonna lie, they are worth the $30 regular price.

The pics aren't great or anything but they do work and are cheap enough to let them be stolen, while better hidden cameras are snapping away pics.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tasco-8MP-Tan-Game-Camera-Low-Glow/55614224

KinAlberta
Member
# Posted: 11 Aug 2020 22:26 - Edited by: KinAlberta
Reply 


Quoting: DLMcBeath
What did you do about the hinges? On an out-swing door the hinges are on the out side making it easy to pull them out and open the door.


You can buy hinge security pins via Amazon. Or you may be able to just screw something to the inside face of the door that will keep it in place should the hinge pins be pulled.

Expanding on what I said in a post above last year, So far I’ve picked up 5 frameless commercial steel warehouse doors at Habitat for Humanity for our sheds. (Most were cheaper than a sheet of 3/4” plywood.) They use commercial butt hinges, special screws and wider commercial-suitable handles and deadbolts, and some of those commercial butt hinges have screws inside to prevent the pin from being pulled out.

I just cut pieces of angle iron (actually thin aluminum from Home Depot) and inserted them vertically above and between the hinges that would prevent the pins from being pulled.


https://www.hingeoutlet.com/products/security-hinge-pins-make-any-hinge-a-security-hi nge


http://boltbuddy.com/hingescrew.htm

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-4-in-Antique-Brass-Square-Corner-Security-Door-H inges-Value-Pack-3-Pack-13674/203330604

I also installed the deadbolts below the handles so they are harder to strike with a hammer.

New Life Products has sturdy deadbolt protectors on amazon. Its just one type of shield for deadbolts. They just install over the deadbolt.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/418FviErB3L._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg


https://www.homedepot.com/b/Doors-Windows-Exterior-Doors-Commercial-Doors/36-x-80/N-5 yc1vZc57dZ1z0rbl2

nickwhittle
Member
# Posted: 8 Nov 2020 19:30
Reply 


Thieves always find a way, I knew a few guys that could get through almost everything...

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