ᐅ Secure windows and front door for a property in an exposed location
Created on: 18 Jan 2016 10:19
S
sirhc
Hello everyone,
Our plot is located at the edge:
- Last plot at the end of a one-way street
- To the east, a small wooded area
- To the south, directly adjacent to the plot, a railway track, with an industrial area beyond it
Therefore, I am currently focusing on the topic of security.
We were offered "standard" windows. I don’t have detailed knowledge yet, but I can share some key points: PVC, profile depth 70mm (2.8 inches), 5 chambers, Veka profile reinforced to 2mm (0.08 inches), triple glazing (called Veka Topline).
- For an additional cost: profile depth 82mm (3.2 inches), 6 chambers, 3 sealing levels (called Softline).
- For an additional cost: RC1 (4 security locking points).
- For an additional cost: RC2N (6 to 12 security locking points, anti-pry protection, drill protection, lockable handle).
- For an additional cost: magnetic contact for monitoring.
- For an additional cost: insulated aluminum blinds (electric operated).
The offered aluminum front door includes multipoint locking, aluminum panel, and warping-resistant sash.
At this point, I am mainly concerned with the windows. We would choose as follows:
Windows with 82mm (3.2 inches) profile depth without magnetic contacts and with aluminum blinds.
Questions:
1) Do electric blinds automatically provide lift protection?
2) RC2N means the glass is the weak point. Due to the adjacent railway track and the edge location, I consider the glass quite vulnerable as an attack target since breaking it wouldn’t be seen or heard when a train passes by. Therefore, I would prefer glass that is more difficult to break. Full RC2 would provide such glass but would have disadvantages in energy performance (U-value?), correct? How about RC2N combined with an impact-resistant protective film?
Thank you very much for your help.
Our plot is located at the edge:
- Last plot at the end of a one-way street
- To the east, a small wooded area
- To the south, directly adjacent to the plot, a railway track, with an industrial area beyond it
Therefore, I am currently focusing on the topic of security.
We were offered "standard" windows. I don’t have detailed knowledge yet, but I can share some key points: PVC, profile depth 70mm (2.8 inches), 5 chambers, Veka profile reinforced to 2mm (0.08 inches), triple glazing (called Veka Topline).
- For an additional cost: profile depth 82mm (3.2 inches), 6 chambers, 3 sealing levels (called Softline).
- For an additional cost: RC1 (4 security locking points).
- For an additional cost: RC2N (6 to 12 security locking points, anti-pry protection, drill protection, lockable handle).
- For an additional cost: magnetic contact for monitoring.
- For an additional cost: insulated aluminum blinds (electric operated).
The offered aluminum front door includes multipoint locking, aluminum panel, and warping-resistant sash.
At this point, I am mainly concerned with the windows. We would choose as follows:
Windows with 82mm (3.2 inches) profile depth without magnetic contacts and with aluminum blinds.
Questions:
1) Do electric blinds automatically provide lift protection?
2) RC2N means the glass is the weak point. Due to the adjacent railway track and the edge location, I consider the glass quite vulnerable as an attack target since breaking it wouldn’t be seen or heard when a train passes by. Therefore, I would prefer glass that is more difficult to break. Full RC2 would provide such glass but would have disadvantages in energy performance (U-value?), correct? How about RC2N combined with an impact-resistant protective film?
Thank you very much for your help.
Well, if you want the protection, that’s probably how it has to be.
We are planning to install a ventilation system anyway. However, I don’t fully understand the argument that it then becomes mandatory. When you’re not at home (working, traveling – whatever), the windows should be kept closed anyway. Proper ventilation is also not done by tilting the window open but by fully opening it, which logically only happens when someone is home. When I’m away, I would lock up anyway, and as long as I’m inside the house, I don’t need to fumble with the key before and after every time I open a window.
For the living area on the ground floor, we will even have the window units (except for the sliding door, of course) fixed in place, meaning they cannot be opened. We find this more attractive, it’s cheaper, provides better sound insulation (according to the supplier), and offers better burglar protection (according to the police, because these types of elements are usually avoided).
I can imagine, though, that over time discipline – and thus protection – might decline. It is, of course, very convenient to just leave everything locked and let the ventilation system do the rest. That is also partly why we want some elements to be fixed in place.
We are planning to install a ventilation system anyway. However, I don’t fully understand the argument that it then becomes mandatory. When you’re not at home (working, traveling – whatever), the windows should be kept closed anyway. Proper ventilation is also not done by tilting the window open but by fully opening it, which logically only happens when someone is home. When I’m away, I would lock up anyway, and as long as I’m inside the house, I don’t need to fumble with the key before and after every time I open a window.
For the living area on the ground floor, we will even have the window units (except for the sliding door, of course) fixed in place, meaning they cannot be opened. We find this more attractive, it’s cheaper, provides better sound insulation (according to the supplier), and offers better burglar protection (according to the police, because these types of elements are usually avoided).
I can imagine, though, that over time discipline – and thus protection – might decline. It is, of course, very convenient to just leave everything locked and let the ventilation system do the rest. That is also partly why we want some elements to be fixed in place.
Of course, I didn’t mean the tilt position.
Ventilation would then be like this:
Get the key ring, find the right key, unlock, open the window, go to the next window, find the key… close the window, find the key, lock up, and so on.
That would annoy me over time, so outside of vacations the windows would probably always be left unlocked.
Ventilation would then be like this:
Get the key ring, find the right key, unlock, open the window, go to the next window, find the key… close the window, find the key, lock up, and so on.
That would annoy me over time, so outside of vacations the windows would probably always be left unlocked.
P
Peanuts749 Feb 2016 12:12I also can’t imagine anyone actually doing it that way. Maybe with a master key that fits all the windows, but even that seems like too much for me. Fixed windows, well. If something burns in the kitchen, it can take quite a while before the air clears out again…
@Musketier
Yes, that might be the case. I also hope the ventilation system will handle most of it. Otherwise, we’ll see how disciplined it will be – at least I would like to have the option to properly close up.
@Peanuts74
Fixed windows in the living room; in the cooking area, of course, you can ventilate through the window. And there’s always the sliding door in the living room, plus a range hood in the kitchen, naturally. You can of course cook so heavily that the place almost burns down, in which case it might be better to avoid windows altogether – or maybe just avoid cooking yourself. 😀
Yes, that might be the case. I also hope the ventilation system will handle most of it. Otherwise, we’ll see how disciplined it will be – at least I would like to have the option to properly close up.
@Peanuts74
Fixed windows in the living room; in the cooking area, of course, you can ventilate through the window. And there’s always the sliding door in the living room, plus a range hood in the kitchen, naturally. You can of course cook so heavily that the place almost burns down, in which case it might be better to avoid windows altogether – or maybe just avoid cooking yourself. 😀
P
Peanuts749 Feb 2016 12:29Fortunately, I haven’t burned down the place yet, even though I’ve been cooking with gas since I was about 10 years old. Depending on what you’re cooking, you can still smell it despite having an exhaust hood. I don’t want to make a big fuss, but sometimes I do wonder where some people live that they feel they need a fortress. I know there are more gangs and break-ins nowadays, but I still think some things are exaggerated.
It’s normal for there to be some cooking smells. That comes with an open floor plan. After all, the dining area is in the living room, and there’s no separate dining table in the kitchen.
In our case, it’s a dead-end street, the last plot, with forest on one side, and railway tracks and an industrial area behind us. The side and backyard are practically not visible to any other neighbors. So I want to take some precautions. Specifically, that means RC2 security level, which also includes lockable window handles, and I don’t think RC2 is over the top.
People often say you should get advice from the police. They say they only recommend less than RC2 “where no burglaries are expected.” Where would that be?
In our case, it’s a dead-end street, the last plot, with forest on one side, and railway tracks and an industrial area behind us. The side and backyard are practically not visible to any other neighbors. So I want to take some precautions. Specifically, that means RC2 security level, which also includes lockable window handles, and I don’t think RC2 is over the top.
People often say you should get advice from the police. They say they only recommend less than RC2 “where no burglaries are expected.” Where would that be?
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