My ski place got broken into last month. The perpetrators drilled through the insulated steel skin with a hole saw (presumably to flip the deadbolt), and then ended up just kicking the door in.
The took a computer (music system), two old stereo components, and a couple of drills (for their next hit, presumably).
Leaving me with a broken door jamb and a wish to increase the security of my doors. The current doors are the low end fake 6 panel doors.
What are my options in replacing them? I’ve thought a bit about:
1) Steel doors with steel/aluminum jambs (who makes ones that aren’t too commercial?)
2) Jamb reinforcements? (again, who makes good ones)
3) Something else?
Replies
First off, if possible make the door open out.
arent hinges at risk then?
Hinges are available that don't have removable pins, or that have a set screw to lock the pin in place.
Any decent door supplier should be able to sell you a decent looking steel door to replace what you had.
If you're going to replace the jamb, a welded buck is more secure then a knock down buck, but it is a little more work to set.
Tying the steel buck into the framing is plenty strong, but...
I had a client in manhattan who was broken into, and to further beef up the "system" I installed 1/2" ply to the inside framing and tucked it behind the casing of the buck. On top of that I rocked the ply which made the face of the rock flush with the flat metal casing of the buck. Then trimmed the door with wood molding and painted .
Looked great when finished and much stronger then usual.
High quality locks finished it off. Think commercial quality locks and deadbolts with long throws.
Someone else suggested having the door swing out, so it can't be kicked in. While this is true, the door jamb can now be pried away from the door more easily, "popping" the latch on the lock. Also your hinges are more vulnerable to attack because the barrel is now exposed on the exterior. If you do this be sure to use hinges with non removable pins, (nrp hinges)
Hope this helps...Buic
Better than the non-removable pins are the units with pegs between the two halves. (Probably better still would be a unit with both features, if you can find them.)Of course, they can always go through a window, and there's not much you can do to protect windows unless you go with jail bars -- not the sort of scenery you usually want for a ski shack.Anyway, there are a dozen ways to strengthen the door, and Buic describes a good way to improve the appearance.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I saw in a magazine many years ago where a guy made his own doors and, IIRC, he did something like filling between two steel skinned plywood faces with concrete--something about concrete making it harder to drill through. (Of course, that would make it extremely heavy!) I'll never remember where I saw it, but maybe someone else here remembers homemade doors filled with concrete.
My neighbors house was broken into last summer, he came by a product that the inventor claims cannot be kicked in. It is just a 1-1/2 wide strip of aluminum 80" long or so. This strip has probably 20 sets of holes running from the top to the bottom and is every bit of 3/16 thick.
It comes as a pair with 3" screws that you screw into the jambs on the dead bolt side, and on the hinge side. They say that if you install the keyed Kwikset max security dead bolt http://www.kwikset.com/Products/default.aspx/Details/rebranded/with one of those brass door reinforcers and replace the hinge screws with 3" screws that the door will not be kicked in w/o a lot of work. They tested it with some of the local SWAT cops and the cops had a heck of a time making entry with this system in place.
I was so impressed with the setup that I did the same thing that very week. The set was less than $100,plus deadbolt at $50 or so and the door rienforcer at $30 or so. This is cheap insurance to keep the bad guys out.
I am no good at posting pics, email me and I will send you pics of my setup.
[email protected]
I will also work on getting a number for these guys if you would like also.
3) Something else?
Yup. The stronger the door, the more the damage. Or... you make it easier to go through a wall or roof.
Electronics. You won't keep anybody out unless you want to have a "safe" (then it's a big maybe). Best you can hope for is to make a lot of noise and alert whomever might be responsible. Alarms do what they're designed to do.
I had two attempts, consecutive nights, on my shop. Steel door held, they were presumably too drunk to try a window. The way to discourage future attempts turned out to be an alarm and a driveway sensor. Plus letting the neighborhood know they were installed. Life is good since.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!