Front door security

[edofbristol]

Hi all

My grandparents house has very poor security and they have asked me to have a look at their front door, there have veen a few break ins in the area lately.

They have a 1950s (I think) house, the front door is solid wood inside a small porch. Either side of the door are too very beautiful leaded glass panels, about 1000mm tall by 500mm wide. It would be easy for someone to break through these and open the door.

I had a quote for an outer front door (outside the porch), it is curved frame, the best quote came out at £2000 which they don't have so isn't really an option.

My questions...
Is there any solution to make the leaded light windows secure?
Which lock do you recommend for the front door?
Any other tips?

Many thanks in advance.

Cheers

 

[HERTS P&D]

For the windows try the link below:

http://www.saundersonsecurity.co.uk/acatalog/Xpanda_Saftiwindow_Size_3_Code_B_WB3.html

For the front door make sure it has a Latch lock 1/3 from the top and a mortice lock 1/3 from the bottom.

You can fit a London bar down the lock side of the door frame and a Birmingham bar down the hinge side.

Also fit a 500watt flood light on the front of the porch with the light on for at least 5minutes.

Andy

 

[edofbristol]

Will do with the door.

Thanks for that looks like an option for the windows. I was wondering is there anything that would allow them to keep the look of it all like some polycarbonate, or would this not be strong enough?

 

[HERTS P&D]

Try and post a picture of the door, so that we can see if it is good enough.

To protect the windows you would have to have some sort of metal grill, plastic is no good.

Make sure the mortice lock is a 5 lever and that your grandparents ALWAYS use it when they go out and go to bed. Making sure that they don't leave the key in the lock when they go to bed.
As someone might be able to reach the keys through the letter box or in an emergency you can't open the door with your set of keys from the outside.

Andy

 

[masona]

My questions...
Is there any solution to make the leaded light windows secure?

Done this many times, re-adjust the leadlight came frame smaller to put it inside the double glazed unit

This is my front door stained leadlight I've made, although hard to see, the fanlight and the door are leadlight inside the double glazed which is very hard to break being toughened glass & leadlight came being soldered together

Untitled

• masona
• 17 Aug 2011
• 2

Break my heart when people chuck out stained leadlight windows specially when it's many hours making it

 

[JohnD]

It sounds like the big problem is that they have lock on the front door that could be opened by reaching through broken glass (or, with a simple home-made tool, by reaching through the letterbox). This is typical for people who use a yale-type nightlatch.

You can get better nightlatches where the inside knob can be deadlocked using the key. However people tend not to bother locking them. All BS nightlatches now have this facility.

The 5-lever BS deadlock is a better and stronger solution, and fairly easy to fit. You can get one for £25 or so and fit it using a drill and chisels. Or get a pro joiner to fit one neatly. Note that the latest BS lock requires a 25mm bolt throw (an inch) so you can easily identify these in the shop.

Best practice is to have a BS mortice deadlock, and a BS nightlatch, on the front door. For ease of exit e.g, in a fire, have the key on a hook close to the door, but where it cannot be seen e.g. by looking through the letterbox, or by a caller standing at the open front door (keys can be snatched, or hooked using a pole, wire or fishing rod). It is no use locking the door and leaving the key in the keyhole (there are ways of grabbing or turning them from outside).

The back door should have a mortice lock, plus a mortice rack bolt top and bottom (these are very easy to fit just using a drill), and the key can be removed to prevent anyone reaching it through broken glass.


Generally, plastic doors are weaker and more flexible than wooden doors, also far more expensive.

Windows, especially those on the ground floor, or near a porch or extension roof, or a climbable drainpipe etc, should have metal window locks with removable keys. You can fit a cup-hook to each window frame for the window key, positioned where it cannot be seen through the window. Ease of use is very important to getting people to use security measures.

 

[^woody^]

Unless a flat, very few break-ins are via the front door.

You can use security film on the glass so that it is unobtrusive, and held together if broken - making it difficult and time consuming to get through

As for the rest of the porch and door, post a picture if possible

It's no good fitting strong locks into weak doors and frames