I’m building a weekend home in the Blue Ridge mtns of Virginia. The area somewhat remote, but not so remote as to be unreachable, so I’m concerned about break-ins and possible vandalism. I’m thinking about installing roll-up shutters on the ground floor windows to discourage any casual violence to the house. When I was a kid, I lived in Switzerland for a year, and every window of every house had these things, but I never see them over here. Anyone had any good/bad experience with them? Any brands to recommend/stay away from? The kind I’m familiar with are operated by a swing-out pole on the inside. The pole had a couple joints in it so it could be rotated quickly, like an old-school auger. Seemed to work well and quickly. The electric ones seem like too much of a nightmare to deal with.
Anyone suggest any alternatives to accomplish the same result–discouraging break-ins in a remote area?
Replies
http://www.rollupshutter.com/
Just one of several hits I got on quick search.
Dave
Sorry, I should have clarified that I did search and I found a number of companies making roll-up shutters. The ones that looked most appealing, if the web is a guide, is an offering called Homesafe from QMI. What I was wondering was whether anyone had any practical experience in installing/using these. There are a lot of mechanical elements, and my offhand guess is that there are good ones and bad ones. I'm hoping to find out which ones are good ones... and steer clear of bad ones...
They are pretty much all the same. They use the same components, same aluminum extrusions, hardware, etc. Here in south Florida there are dozens of companies that make and sell roll-ups. They aren't cheap and they're pretty ugly tacked on the side of your house. There is no brain surgery involved in their installation but they aren't considered do-it-yourself items.
I'm in the Blue Ridge in NC, but live in FL. I was thinking along the same lines, but I've found the best bet is to be a good neighbor, donate to the local church (Mountain Valley Baptist) in my case, and a good gate or chain. Plus donate to the Rescue squad and let the word around you carry a gun (CWP) and will kill and bury any crank head that steals from you.
No problem so far.
My mother-in-law's house had them installed for security purposes. She lived with them down all of the time. Man, that house was dark and
depressing.
Anyway, the quality was fine, but the yellowjackets and wasps LOVED them.
Hers had the crank on the inside of the house, so holes were drilled through the brick veneer, exterior walls, and sheetrock. Consequently, there was quite a bit of repair work done when we took them down later.
"Kinky for Gov. of Texas"
I too remember those roll-ups from living overseas as a kid. But ours were built into the wall so they looked to be part of the house. And ours had a strap on trhe inside kinda like pulling up mini-blinds. There was some slack in the slats, so if you pulled the strap a little, all the joints opened about 1/8" and let in quite a bit of light.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I worked on a house that had the aluminum roll up shutters like others have mentioned but without the crank, you just flipped a switch on the inside of the house for each window and they'd move up or down.
Didnt really care for the look of them and really wonder if they were all the safe, I'd bet I could rip one off the window fairly easy, especially if your in a secluded place!
Doug
just pull the track cover and remove several screws and the whole she-bang hits the deck...
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!!!
Thats what I mean, not a whole lot for security. A mean dog would do more.
Doug
actually, in our roller shutters, the tracks are screwed up first, then the curtain is rolled down inside them, so u can't get at em...
of course there are ways to destroy the whole unit, but these are pretty secure short of putting steel bars in your windows lol...
okay...
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!!!
Thanks for all the input. Guess I'll review the options with an eye to how well they integrate (or don't) with the exterior. I'm not subscribing to the illusion I'm building Fort Knox here, just trying to discourage casual opportunistic types. Heck, I'll bet nearly every truck out in that neck of the woods has a chainsaw in it... If someone really wants in, doesn't really matter what you do with your windows when going through the side of the house takes all of 10 minutes.Thanks again to all who responded.
i'm in bermuda, and roller shutters are commonplace here...hurricane protection as well as security...our company sells and installs them, and i've helped install a few myself...if you're willing to spend the money, they are probably the best security you can buy...there are cheaper ones with pvc slats, and the more expensive aluminum ones...our company sells only aluminum ones, they are definitely the stronger of the two...i can't remember the company that makes them, but i can find out tomorrow...
as far as maintenance, it's usually dependant on a proper installation...whoever u get to install them, make sure they do their homework...install just as the manual says...i've seen some yahoos do it their own way, and we've come behind them to find out why the thing doesn't work properly/smoothly...
of course the electric option is for convenience, but for the number of times anyone uses them...either for bad storms/leaving on trips, it's not worth paying for the electrician to come do his thing...and its just another potential problem...
for anyone not scared off by the price, they are the best bet for security..
other kinds we use here are a folding 'accordian' storm panel (folds horizontally like an accordian)...they are cheaper, but far less convenient to use...and even tho they are removable, they require top and bottom brackets to be fastened to the house permanently, which doesn't look good...
one other option that we have just recently brought in but have yet to use are polycarbonate storm panels...they are far less expensive, are rated to withstand severe impacts, and a lot simpler to install..but you have to put them up and take them down, which many people don't like...
anyways, my fingers are sore lol...hope this helps...by the way, i noticed your name is desilva...there are tons of desilvas in bermuda...any connections?