ᐅ What type of burglary protection do you have? And what is the estimated cost?
Created on: 30 Oct 2016 13:14
M
Mizit
This topic might not be exactly right here since we are not building new but buying, but it also relates to planning and idea development.
We are buying a house from 1995. The front door has a multi-point lock, and the basement has a fireproof security door, which probably can’t be opened quickly when locked. That’s all.
Due to a personal incident related to burglary, I am currently somewhat more sensitive to this issue. I am often alone with the children, and the house is in a remote location, with open fields behind us. Although the area is mostly rural and, according to the owner, there have been no incidents in the village so far, I don’t want to rely on that. In short: we want to allocate part of our budget to security investments.
We will schedule an appointment with the local police to get advice.
Regarding the front door: a multi-point lock sounds good – is that enough initially?
Next to the front door there is a glass panel, double-glazed, without a window handle. This could probably be broken quickly, but because of the muntins, it is probably not possible to enter the house quickly this way. We are considering installing a glass break film on the inside. Possibly combined with an acoustic alarm if someone tries to strike the glass?
The main issue is definitely the numerous windows, especially at the back of the house. None of these are visible from the street. As mentioned, the windows are double-glazed from 1995. There are no mushroom head locks installed. We couldn’t find a clear cost estimate for retrofitting such mushroom head locks. Can you share any insights? Possibly that alone would be so expensive that it might be more worthwhile to replace the windows? However, I think that would likely exceed our budget given the number of windows…
While researching mushroom locks, we came across these EM3 locks, which cost about 60 euros each. Do you have any experience with these, and can they be a practical alternative to mushroom head locks?
Regarding alarm systems, there are all kinds available. Mechanical security should probably take priority over acoustic alarms, right? Personally, although my husband sees it differently, I don’t really believe these alarm systems are that effective. Anyone planning a professional break-in, possibly after some reconnaissance, will know in such a rural location that the police won’t arrive in two minutes and neighbors probably won’t be outside immediately either. And what good would it do us if the alarm goes off while we’re sleeping? Acoustic alarms certainly aren’t bad, but depending on the price, I question whether the cost-benefit ratio is reasonable. Probably it would need to be that various alarms are also visible in a way that hopefully has a deterrent effect? Motion detectors, cameras, or even a connection to a security service?
How have you approached this topic?
We are buying a house from 1995. The front door has a multi-point lock, and the basement has a fireproof security door, which probably can’t be opened quickly when locked. That’s all.
Due to a personal incident related to burglary, I am currently somewhat more sensitive to this issue. I am often alone with the children, and the house is in a remote location, with open fields behind us. Although the area is mostly rural and, according to the owner, there have been no incidents in the village so far, I don’t want to rely on that. In short: we want to allocate part of our budget to security investments.
We will schedule an appointment with the local police to get advice.
Regarding the front door: a multi-point lock sounds good – is that enough initially?
Next to the front door there is a glass panel, double-glazed, without a window handle. This could probably be broken quickly, but because of the muntins, it is probably not possible to enter the house quickly this way. We are considering installing a glass break film on the inside. Possibly combined with an acoustic alarm if someone tries to strike the glass?
The main issue is definitely the numerous windows, especially at the back of the house. None of these are visible from the street. As mentioned, the windows are double-glazed from 1995. There are no mushroom head locks installed. We couldn’t find a clear cost estimate for retrofitting such mushroom head locks. Can you share any insights? Possibly that alone would be so expensive that it might be more worthwhile to replace the windows? However, I think that would likely exceed our budget given the number of windows…
While researching mushroom locks, we came across these EM3 locks, which cost about 60 euros each. Do you have any experience with these, and can they be a practical alternative to mushroom head locks?
Regarding alarm systems, there are all kinds available. Mechanical security should probably take priority over acoustic alarms, right? Personally, although my husband sees it differently, I don’t really believe these alarm systems are that effective. Anyone planning a professional break-in, possibly after some reconnaissance, will know in such a rural location that the police won’t arrive in two minutes and neighbors probably won’t be outside immediately either. And what good would it do us if the alarm goes off while we’re sleeping? Acoustic alarms certainly aren’t bad, but depending on the price, I question whether the cost-benefit ratio is reasonable. Probably it would need to be that various alarms are also visible in a way that hopefully has a deterrent effect? Motion detectors, cameras, or even a connection to a security service?
How have you approached this topic?
Nafetsm schrieb:
I’m just wondering why so few people here have cameras. They’re really cheap by comparison and should work well as a deterrent, right!? I don’t think burglars are put off by them. Many gangs are just passing through anyway, and no one can identify them from the footage. Some even think that if cameras are installed, it means there’s something worth stealing.
Mechanical protection is more important.
The average damage caused by a break-in amounts to €3,300. The likelihood varies depending on the region, so statistically, one becomes a victim of a break-in every 50 to 200 years.
Break-in damages are covered by household contents insurance, which can be obtained for just a few euros.
As mentioned in other threads, we are preparing network cabling at 2–3 locations to possibly connect cameras in the future. However, we will not spend four-figure sums to reduce the risk outlined above, especially since opinions vary widely on what exactly would be helpful. We would only consider mushroom locks if comparable quotes are available. But if so, then only on the ground floor.
Break-in damages are covered by household contents insurance, which can be obtained for just a few euros.
As mentioned in other threads, we are preparing network cabling at 2–3 locations to possibly connect cameras in the future. However, we will not spend four-figure sums to reduce the risk outlined above, especially since opinions vary widely on what exactly would be helpful. We would only consider mushroom locks if comparable quotes are available. But if so, then only on the ground floor.
We will equip all windows on the ground floor and one window in the basement (light well) with RC2 hardware and lockable window handles. The RC2 hardware costs an additional 30€ and the lockable window handle an additional 15€. The glass itself is standard triple glazing.
Our window supplier offers four security levels, which naturally vary in price:
• Security Level 1: Security window with hardware according to RC 1
• Security Level 2: Security window with hardware according to RC 2
• Security Level 3: Security window according to RC 2 N - with certificate
• Security Level 4: Security window according to RC 2 - with certificate
Our window supplier offers four security levels, which naturally vary in price:
• Security Level 1: Security window with hardware according to RC 1
• Security Level 2: Security window with hardware according to RC 2
• Security Level 3: Security window according to RC 2 N - with certificate
• Security Level 4: Security window according to RC 2 - with certificate
Grym schrieb:
The material damage is usually minor, we can agree on that.
The psychological impact—that someone has broken into your home, that anyone could enter at any time, day or night—is often much, much worse after a break-in has occurred. . .I know two cases personally where a break-in happened. One was a single-family house (patio door) and the other was an apartment in a multi-family building (balcony/balcony door). Both times there was a lot of mess (one day of cleaning up), no damage inside the home, and very little stolen property—in the single-family house, just some jewelry.
Yes, the break-in is a big deal for a while. But life goes on. No one sits at home scared, thinking the bad person will come back or is interested in their underwear. After 2-3 months, the issue is usually resolved.
So I see it quite practically. It’s not pleasant, you don’t want to experience it, but it’s far from being an apocalypse. Spending four- or five-figure sums on this? In my opinion, that’s completely exaggerated and not appropriate. There’s a lot of fear-mongering and lobbying involved in this topic.
I also believe the mindset “everything out there is evil and must be defended against” has a far greater psychological impact than maybe experiencing a break-in once in a lifetime. The damage is already done before anything even happens. I find that much more concerning.
Especially since there’s no proven effectiveness. One person says a visible alarm light helps; another says it suggests there’s something worth stealing. Then cameras are supposed to help, and that’s met with arguments about roaming gangs from abroad, for whom the face doesn’t matter and where solving the crime with such methods is unlikely anyway.
The fact is, if someone wants to get in, they will. We’re not building castles with moats and drawbridges here. Living in a golden cage isn’t much fun either.
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