I need some suggestions for securing a 1500′ vacant single-story house that is currently being remodeled. There are lots of tools and materials stored there and I know that it’s just sheer luck that it hasn’t been burglarized already. I keep the windows and doors locked when I’m away and there are two outside security lights. However, I’d like a little extra defense. I’ve thought about a security system — and electricity is available to power it — but I’m not sure which kind to invest in or whether those systems are even worth the investment.
Any thoughts?
New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
Replies
Not-so-friendly night watchman. Four legged variety. Housebroken, of course.
It worked for a guy I knew who paraded the dog around the house for a few days and let it be known it was there at night. The grapevine news took care of the rest.
A few years ago, some guy decided to rob a junkyard up in the New York area. The junkyard happended to be occupied by two vicious dobermans. However, the clever burglar brought along a dog of his own...a dog in heat. He simply dropped the dog over the fence and waited for the dobermans to get their priorites in order. Within a few minutes the junkyard was all his.
So much for "man's best friend".
:)New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
> However, the clever burglar brought along a dog of his own...a dog
> in heat.In Atlanta during the '70s, the technique used was to keep two guard dogs - one male and one female. The female tended to hole up while the male prowled around. Get in there and kill the male, and the female would lurk until you thought you were safe. Drop in a bitch in heat, and that female dobie would make short work of it.George Patterson
This is highly dependent on the neighborhood and the "class" of crooks you have. In some places you could leave the building unlocked and not have a problem, in others they'll steal the security lights.
Are there neighbors close enough to see most of the yard? Are there neighbors who would be likely to call the police if they saw something suspicious or heard an alarm go off?
Dan,
The house is actually on the same property where I currently reside, but I still live far enough away that I can't see or hear every activity that might occur there, especially during the night. I have good neighbors, but they also might not be alerted to a robbery if it happened during the middle of the night, and that seems to be when most robberies occur around here. Unfortunately, drugs are a BIG problem in this area and people will literally dig up a grave looking for something to steal.
MichaelNew knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
Ask the INS and Border Patrol arms of the US Gov.
They have a little security issue going on right now, at our southern border, I believe, and may have a few suggestions.
Seriously, some large and easy-to-read signage, maybe bilingual, alluding to site protection via security cameras, might be enough to deter most intruders, or most of the ones that can read.
> Seriously, some large and easy-to-read signage, maybe bilingual,
> alluding to site protection via security cameras, might be enough
> to deter most intruders, or most of the ones that can read.In several areas in which I've lived, signs simply notify all and sundry that there's something worth stealing in that house.George Patterson
If you are close by couldn't you have some sort of listening device? I'm thinking like a bay monitor on steriods. I've played around with motion sensors before. You just take the wires that are supposed to turn the lights on and wire them to something else. Maybe a loud speeker pointed toward where you are sleeping. Basic stuff but a little time consuming.
That's a neat idea, but I live about 150 yards away, so I'd have to wake up all the neighbors as well to make that work. In other words, a false alarm could end up causing more trouble than it prevents in that scenario. New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
There's got to be a way. You want to take advantage of the fact that you are 150 yards away. Most jobsites are much further. Also this is just temporary and for yourself so it doesn't have to look good or last a long time.
How about if you used a low voltage line? How much would that cost? Buy a reel of telephone line and set something up. You're a builder, figure it out and have fun.
Motion detector wired to a tape player.Record on the tape;
A large dog barking, after 5 seconds of barking add a mans voice shouting "Brutus, shut up and guard!"After 5 seconds of silence add the sound of a shotgun slide jacking a round.Wait 3 more seconds and record that mans voice loudly and calmly saying "You all better go on home now."SamT
One possibility to consider is investing in a secure storage cabinet. Could be one of those Jobox deals (can you rent those?) or you might check with the local waste hauler -- I mentioned awhile back some enclosed waste bins that were built like tanks and lockable (intended for hazardous waste), and I'd think they could be rented.
Try a motion sensing security light inside, aimed at what you want to protect.
Buy a cheap tape recorder and make a tape that says "The police have been called, leave now.", over and over.
Then wire the recorder into the lights, leave it set to play, and when the lights come on so does the tape.
If that doesn't work, record the sound of gunfire!...buic
Yeah, some motion-sensing lights are probably a good idea.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
View Image"What's an Arkansas flush?......It's a small revolver and any five cards."
If you can secure a good car battery in a concealed location, you could use extremely bright lights, which the dirtbags would really love, and some air horns. They can all run on 12Vdc, it's easy enough to recharge and if you go to Harbor Freight or someplace like that, they're cheap. Bright, flashing lights and obnoxiously loud noises are sure to get attention, at least for awhile. You could also look for a car alarm with a pager. Set it to silent and if/when it triggers, you can call the police after explaining why you installed everything in the first place.
Maybe taking a lot of the tools out at night isn't such a PITA, eh? The big, heavy ones could stay because they won't want to lug them around, especially if you make an obstacle course for them to go through before they could get the big stuff out.
We go through this all the time with affordable housing in the inner city. It is truley amazing what someone will go through to get in.
Get everything you can out of sight - tools, ladders, appliances especially. Nothing to see, nothing to take. Of course lock the windows, hang shades if you can. These houses usually have bulkheads, so the doors can be secured with a 2x held with steel brackets (interior casing is left off). The doors are secured and everyone leaves through the bulkhead.
Get a light with a timer, even an old lamp will do. This can help confuse people and works well with shades on the windows. Motion detectors work well also. What works best is an alarm system with a REALLY LOUD alarm. We've had permanent and temporary alarms set up. The temporary ones are kind of cool, they'll sound the alarm and automatically call any number you choose (your house or cell phone, for instance).
Good luck!
> The temporary ones are kind of cool, they'll sound the alarm and
> automatically call any number you choose (your house or cell
> phone, for instance).Yeah! That's the way to go.George Patterson
Driveway alarm.
Wireless. Motion activated.
If a standard driveway alarm is not strong enough, figure out something that is strong enough.
A laptop locked in a very secure location. With a wireless connection to your home. You can set up directional antennas to improve the signal accuracy and distance.
Or just have it call you at home via phone.
Use that same laptop to turn on a boombox, some bright lights, call the cops, etc...
Trigger the laptop using the aformentioned motion sensor wireless driveway alarm/s.
The only security I know that works, sort of, is sleeping there 24/7 and carry a shotgun/handgun. All the rest is just waiting for the right thief to come along with enough balls to defeat whatever you put in his/her way.
We had a huge, the biggest, job box locked with two different locks and external chain. After a three day weekend, no box at all was left behind. All we had to show for our efforts was the chain and broken lock. The box was full of tools, saws etc. etc. Must have weighed close to 1000 #s at least. Box was on wheels and that may have been the weak point. We figure he/they defeated the external lock and rolled it through the house, down two flights of stairs, and up a "steep" dirt road to a waiting truck of some sort with a winch /hoist hook arrangement to get that dude off the ground and into the truck. There weren't any tire marks left behind, not even a little thank you note...nothing! Box alone must have weighed close to 150 to 200 pounds. It had a compressor(twin tank), hoses, extension cords, chop saws (2), chop saw stand, other tools from four crewmen and several boxes of nails, some "all thread" and a whole bunch of square washers and nuts. The neighbor, who's house was maybe 60 to 70 feet away, didn't hear or see a thing.
Hey, now that I think about it, maybe he's the one who took it. Damn!
Insurance
and a lot of it...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Well if a feller is gonna spend his or her time worrying about it .
Ive lost some stuff lately but not enough for the deductable . Still pizzes me off .
Ive got stuff setting everywhere and cant insure it all but I quit worrying about it . Ill get hit big sometime so Ill try to enoy their tools till then. <G>
Tim
Well, I see responses all over the spectrum ... maybe I can put some order to them.
Theft / vandalism are 'risks.' Lets look at how you can cope with risk:
A) You can chose to avoid it ... by not having this project.
B) You can act to reduce your risk ... by taking actions that will either reduce the chance of a loss taking place, or to limit the extent of the loss, or limiting your financial cost if there is a loss.
Insurance will address the last; the others are up to you.
On the most basic level, you reduce risk by removing temptation. That is, provide no reason for someone to steal. You can remove everything every night, only have the materials you really need RIGHT THEN on site, and keeping everything out of sight. Covering at least the lower half of windows with plywood would be a good first step.
You can discourage theft by making them work ... if thieves wanted to work, they'd have real jobs. Making the place harder to enter, the valuables harder to remove, and, if stolen, harder to sell all play into this.
Be wary of idlers. Jobsite security is helped tremendously simply by hauling off trash on a regular basis. Not only does the trash revela much about the contents ... it presents the idle with temptation as they rummage about.
No lock, no alarm, is worth spit without an active response. Here, your role is properly limited to determining whether there is a need for a response ... for example, by having a camera tied into your home computer. Once you know the alarm is valid .... send in the professionals. Why try to do something yourself ... when you have already paid someone? Your 'goon squad' has a name : POLICE.
if thieves wanted to work, they'd have real jobs. <<<<
Sometimes they actually work harder at stealing than if they had a paying job.
"What's an Arkansas flush?......It's a small revolver and any five cards."
Rat Shack sells burglar alarm components. I would suggest that you pick up a cheap system and alarm the door on one room. Perhaps also put a motion detector in that room. Store all your tools in there when you lock up. Hook that up to a 200 dB siren and that's that.
i have a job box 2x4 x 2'high i can get most of my big tools in it. when i first set it i run a 1/2 lag bolt through the bottom into a joist. then i lay 3 bags of concrete in the bottom,it now weighs about 300 lbs,with tools maybe 600.doesn't hurt to stand a pc of sheetrock against it so it's a little hidden.
so far the system hasn't been tested but maybe tonight the night who knows.
i did talk about putting a electric fence charger inside and plug it in........ but i'd be the first one to forget.
look at how they will carry your stuff off and make it harder. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
maybe park a truck or car in front , have a chair with a tv going and some lights on, make it look like someones there, One buddy of mine leaves a radio going to a talk station, I just bought a motion sensor with a small alarm that has a beam of light , Anything crosses it it goes off and it runs on batteries,
catch a known thief and pike their head out front.......
word will get out and the thieves will steer clear of yur place......
strong box everything and alarm it...
in the long run...
don't leave anything to be stolen or even something you won't miss...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
catch a known thief and pike their head out front..<<<<<< i better not say but i knew a man that really did this but it was war and it did work
I know it works...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!