Art and antiques make great investments, but starting a collection also brings certain responsibilities. Specifically, how do you keep them safe? This is a common dilemma for investors in tangible investments.
On the one hand, tangible assets are a compelling way to opt out of the volatility of an unstable global financial system. But short of the possibly questionable strategy of renting a safe deposit box at a bank, you can’t rely on the existing financial system to provide security for your tangible assets. You must secure them yourself.
This is where the concept known as layered home security becomes important. Layered home security is a philosophy for protecting your primary residence – whether it is a house, townhome, or condo – and everything inside. The simplest way to envision layered home security is like an onion.
An onion has many layers. Peel off the first layer, and another layer is right below it. It takes a lot of time and effort to peel back all the layers to get to the center of an onion. Likewise, layered home security doesn’t rely on any one, monolithic security measure to make your home difficult to break into, but instead relies on many smaller, interlocking security protocols.
There are three main “layers” to your home’s security. The first is your yard or exterior space – anything from the property line to the physical walls of your house itself. This area is more about deterrence than about physically stopping a potential burglar.
Burglars like to stay hidden whenever possible. So a well manicured lawn, without large shrubs near windows or doors prevents a thief from easily concealing himself. Exterior flood lights or motion-sensing lights that bathe entrances and first floor windows in light are also beneficial.
A prominently displayed “beware of dog” or “protected by XYZ security company” sign is also a great deterrent. You don’t even have to own a dog or have a security system hooked up for these signs to be effective. Finally, being on good terms with your neighbors is like having a few extra sets of eyes monitoring your house for strange activity.
The second layer is the shell of your house itself. Unlike your outdoor space, this layer doesn’t focuses on deterrence, but delay. Criminals usually enter residences the same way you or I do. They go through a door, or barring that, a first floor or basement window. In fact, about 40% of all burglaries are “unlawful entry” meaning the thief gained entry via an unlocked door or window. So the most important rule of layered home security is simple; keep your doors and windows locked at all times, even in “safe” neighborhoods.
Of course, that means that over half of all burglaries consist of “forcible entry” or “attempted forcible entry” – in other words, brute force. These types of attacks can be blunted by physically reinforcing doors and windows. Security film, a thin plastic sheet applied to glass, is a fairly inexpensive way to retrofit existing windows or glass doors. Security film is specially engineered to greatly improve the shatter resistance of glass. It provides resistance to both forcible entry and extreme weather events like wind storms, hail or hurricane damage. If you live in a high risk neighborhood, placing security bars over your windows may be an attractive option.
Doors also benefit significantly from being reinforced. Many exterior doors can be easily kicked in by a burglar in just a few seconds. This is especially the case when an exterior door has hollow core construction. Replacing a hollow core door with a solid wood door (preferably hardwood) or a steel security door is a mandatory concept in layered home defense.
The door jamb and frame are additional weak points on most exterior doors. In most instances, a door’s locking mechanism, often a dead bolt, is only secured to the wood frame by short screws about one inch long. Luckily, many home improvement stores carry high security door jamb reinforcement kits for only $40 or $50. And a simple, flat steel bar can be added to an existing wooden door frame easily and economically, significantly strengthening it.
The third and final zone in the layered home security concept is the inside of a house. A burglar alarm is a common addition to this security layer. Another popular option is a large breed of dog which can effectively harass a burglar, provided it has the right temperament. Pepper spray, mace or a stun gun can also provide an option of last resort in case of a home invasion. Although not for everyone, a handgun, shotgun or other firearm in the hands of a well-trained individual can be a powerful defensive tool.
There is also the possibility of augmenting a specific interior room with additional security features. This space would function as a redoubt if you are confronted with a home invasion. It might be something as simple as a bedroom with a solid (non hollow core) door and a reinforced lock, or as complex as a special-built, high security panic room.
In any case, if you store valuables like bullion, jewelry or antiques in your house, a home burglary safe is a good idea. A burglary safe serves as the hardened center of your layered home security plan. Safes come in a variety of different sizes and shapes, including mammoth gun safes, discrete wall safes, high security floor safes and traditional free-standing chest safes. Some safes even provide protection against fire as well. No matter your situation, there is sure to be a home burglary safe that fits your needs.
However, you must keep in mind that a safe must be properly installed and anchored in order to be effective. A home burglary safe that is not bolted down is a just handy carrying case for a criminal, even if it weighs several hundred pounds. And don’t be fooled by cheap, but impressive looking import safes commonly found in big box stores. They are cheap for a reason and only provide the illusion of security.
Layered home security is the best way to protect your house against a burglary or home invasion. Using a multitude of small, interlocking, cost-effective measures allows anyone to substantially increase the security of his house. If you own expensive tangible investments of any type, layered home security is a wise precaution.
