The Fortress 2: Passive Measures

Part 2 of an ongoing project.

Part one covered deterrence. While it’s certainly not the “end all, be all” discussion of home security and defense, it’s a step up from nothing.

Now we’re moving into the next layer of “cheap” home security upgrades.

Okay, deterrence didn’t work. For whatever reason, your house has been targeted and now people who shouldn’t be inside, want to be inside.

We need a few things here.

1- an alert mechanism to know they’re coming

2- denial of entry and further deterrence

Now your security is going to start overlapping. You have motion sensor lights that have illuminated. That was your deterrence, but now it’s acting as your alert, and an alert to your neighbors. If you’re awake and happen to notice that your lights have come on, you’re probably inclined to check it out.

If not, there are other devices and methods available.

I have these. which send an alert to the receiver when they detect motion. They’re solar powered as well (however, the receiver is AA battery powered…but you can recharge AA batteries in the sun with your solar lights if you have the AA ones…)

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Although… these window alarms are cheap and come in packs.

The mechanism is magnet operated, which means when the magnet is separated from the alarm body, it will sound the alarm. You can use this to rig up a trip wire, and attach it across a driveway, porch, or to a gate, so when it’s tripped, and tension is placed on the wire, it will pull the magnet from the alarm body, and the alarm will go off. You can make them waterproof by wrapping it in a sandwich bag, and use a stronger magnet than the one it comes with. Furthermore, you can superglue the on/off button so it can’t be shut off until a magnet is reattached to the alarm. You could also attach small fishing treble-hooks to the wire, so it catches and snags on the trespassers clothing, which leaves them running with a blaring alarm stuck to their clothes (laws may vary on this one). I spray painted mine for camouflage as I attach them to trees, and it did not affect the performance of it.

(Not my picture)

Gravel.

Gravel can be expensive especially if you do an an entire driveway, but an economical solution is to use it as bedding material for plants under and around windows. It’s loud. My friend had gravel in his yard and I could hear people coming down the driveway before they got to the house. You’ll definitely hear someone crunching around your window, and chances are, they will too, and decide not to bother.

Speaking of windows and gravel. A gravel bed around windows, topped with an extremely thorny plant like bougainvillea or roses would serve two purposes and deter numerous people.

Which leads to the next topic.

Thorny plants.

Thorny plants have been a natural barbed wire for ages. Villages in Africa still make acacia walls to keep lions out. No matter where in the world you are, there’s bound to be a thorny plant that can be landscaped to your advantage.

Since everyone’s region, country and laws regarding allowable plants (some are highly invasive) are different, I’ll leave it to the reader to do their own research, but plants in every climate have been defending themselves since forever, so everyone should be able to find thorny plants. Like I said, laws differ between countries, but if you’re in a communist hell hole, it might sound better that the burglar got torn up in your Holly, than in your 6 feet of razor wire.

Little known fact. The biggest obstacle to the Normandy invasion were the hedgerows. They even stopped tanks in their tracks. It took a soldier from New Jersey to create and weld up hedgerow cutters on their tanks to get through them.

Roman hedgerow design, and what stalled the ally invasion.

A possible design for the security conscious.

A tall fence that’s used as a trellis for a thorny plant. On the inside of the fence, create a buffer space, where more thorny plants can be grown. Then a trellis for veggies (bonus for growing thorny fruits like blackberry). Like these, but the fences themselves covered with thorny plants. This way, if anyone manages to scale the fence, they have to clear the thorns on the other side…be creative.

These are most definitely intimidating, and also serve as a deterrent as well.

You can also run a solar powered electric fence wire across the top of your fence…”to keep the cats out of the thorn bushes”.

Of course gardening takes time, but it’s not terribly expensive if you know what you’re doing.

Let’s move to the house itself.

Windows… Windows are a weak spot as are glass doors. While nothing is perfect, security film is better than nothing.

You can find it on Amazon.

Check this video out. I have another brand, not the 3M. Keep in mind, it doesn’t prevent someone who’s determined from getting in, it merely slows them down.

Add one of those window alarms we discussed above, and the old wooden rod in the window track to keep it from being opened, and we’ve got some pretty decent window security. Even add a locking latch like so, if you’re so inclined.

Now let’s move onto doors. Doors are a joke. If you haven’t done anything to upgrade your door security, they’re completely useless. I can get through a door easier and faster than a window, every day.

Here’s a cheap and simple security upgrade you should do ASAP.

Here’s the product.

He also shows this product. Which is good, and it works, but there are other alternatives.

Here’s a video of a man who claims it stopped a burglary and you can see why it worked.

There’s other options, but I like this one for a few reasons.

1-If you have a kid who’s just gotten tall enough and smart enough to escape, you can place one of these higher on the door where he or she can’t reach it.

2- It’s easier to use. I’ve got some injuries, so some days, I’m just not too into bending over to undo a latch or a plate on the floor.

Either way, here’s some other options.

The cheapest option, is if you have a door that opens across from some sort of a wall, or solid structure, just cut a 2x4 and lay it on the ground. My front door is like that. If you come in, you have to turn left to walk to the living room. The 2x4 trick works there. I don’t use my front door anyways, so it’s not an issue. Here’s an example, the red line representing a 2x4.

Let me state this emphatically. DO.NOT.RELY.ON.YOUR.LOCKS.ALONE.

I’m not sure about the rest of the world, but in America, take a look at your house key. You’ll probably see some numbers stamped on that key. Go down to lowes and Home Depot, and you’ll see boxes of door locks for sale. Buy the locks that match the key number. It’s that simple. They usually only have a handful of different lock cores.

If it’s a new construction neighborhood. Lol, forget about it. I guarantee the contractors bought a bunch of keyed alike lock sets at the big box store. I can go down there and do the same and I’ve probably got every key to that neighborhood.

This is literally what I did to get my garage door to match my house keys.

And why did I have to change my garage door? Because I lost the key to it, and drilled right through the lock tumbler. That’s right, a battery powered drill and a metal drill bit, and I’m through the lock in about 15 seconds.

This guy takes his time and drills a pilot hole, which isn’t necessary, but you see how easy it is.

And that’s with a drill. I’ve been taught how to pick locks. Once you learn how to use a bump key, or a lock picking rake with any proficiency, it’s faster than using a key. And it’s not movie spy stuff. Picking a lock is insanely easy. The initial lesson was about 30 minutes, then they set me on a mock-up door with about a dozen locks and deadbolts, and I had to undo them all in a few minutes, using a homemade tool. Making lock picking tools is insanely easy, they had me make one out of a paper clip and a metal wire from a windshield wiper. You can make one from an electric toothbrush, or a thin hacksaw blade… A day on YouTube and some practice, and you can probably blow through most locks you’ll come across in the world. I can get through any common padlock or combination lock with a soda can. If the criminals can Hotwire cars, trust me, they know how to pick locks.

So make sure to use an additional door stopper.

Well, that’s it for part 2. Hope it offers some insight and additional ideas.