Heh, that would be fun. We're running into a snag as the door is only 28" wide and nearly nothing comes in that size. It's going to get expensive if I have to carve off portions of the garage to fit a larger door.
Securing a garage?
- Thread starter hawkbox
- Start date
- Status
Heh, that would be fun. We're running into a snag as the door is only 28" wide and nearly nothing comes in that size. It's going to get expensive if I have to carve off portions of the garage to fit a larger door.
I think the normal approach there is to carve off parts of a door so it fits...
Cut down a wood door to fit.
Then back it with plate steel.
Cut down a wood door to fit.
Then back it with plate steel.
Never thought of that. I'll have to do a bit of research to find a door that will work for that.
We have a garage door opener, and the door is "securely" locked to anyone who doesn't know the entry code.
Bonus: The control pad includes printed instructions on how to reset the code in case you forget it. So you can unlock the door. And get into the garage. Without the original code.
Mine has the same thing, but part of the instructions include pressing a hard-to-reach button on the drive unit. So you would already have to have access to the garage in order to reset the code. Double-check yours, I'd be shocked if they really set it up the way you described.
The link got mangled in the post. It's probabaly something similar to this product: Door Jamb Armor. I think I got this kit, which covers the jamb/strikplate, hinges, and knob/deadbolt.
You can spend a crap load of money on security, but small touches like that can raise the bar enough to deter most people. A couple failed kicks and most would take off rather than get caught.
Heh, interesting! I'm bookmarking that for later consideration.
-mhac³
That's part of what I want, but with the current door dimensions it's hard to find anything approaching a solid door. Going right through it with a kick kind of negates having good frame reinforcement.
How handy are you? If you just need a door and don't care too much about the aesthetics (panels or stylistic designs) you could easily make a simple solid core door using a few of sheets of 1/2" and 3/4" plywood glued together. Not sure how it would compare to a regular exterior steel door, but trying to kick through 1 3/4" of good plywood isn't likely going to easy either. And if you wanted extra strength you could do as Syonyk mentioned and glue a sheet of steel to the it as reinforcement. Now you'll need to be sure to paint/seal the door and keep it that way to prevent it from rotting due to the outside exposure which you won't have with a regular steel clad door. But at least with this you'll be able to make it fit your door opening exactly. And as long as you use long screws to secure the hardware to the door and into the framing around the door it should be pretty darn secure.
I am not sure what your man door lock cylinder is like but these are what we have here
https://www.abloy.com/en/abloy/abloycom ... -hardened/
On every door. 'unbumpable' cylinders. So sure, with maybe massive skill you could pick one but the typical punter won't have that skill so would have to commit to kicking/breaking down doors or smashing windows. Make it ugly for them on the cylinder front is certainly a deterrent. We went with the double key one on the main door as well as it has smaller panes of glass that could be broken which would allow reacing in to turn the cylinder. Probably cough cough frowned upon by the fire department or some building department but whatever. If you smash the small front door window pane expecting to reach in and turn the lock...there is nothing to turn and you are still locked out. The other doors all have large glass forcing a burglar to commit to a much louder and obvious process.
I like that reinforcement lock idea as well (would love to get that here but we have steel frames so I doubt they fit and I can't chisel out space).
https://www.abloy.com/en/abloy/abloycom ... -hardened/
On every door. 'unbumpable' cylinders. So sure, with maybe massive skill you could pick one but the typical punter won't have that skill so would have to commit to kicking/breaking down doors or smashing windows. Make it ugly for them on the cylinder front is certainly a deterrent. We went with the double key one on the main door as well as it has smaller panes of glass that could be broken which would allow reacing in to turn the cylinder. Probably cough cough frowned upon by the fire department or some building department but whatever. If you smash the small front door window pane expecting to reach in and turn the lock...there is nothing to turn and you are still locked out. The other doors all have large glass forcing a burglar to commit to a much louder and obvious process.
I like that reinforcement lock idea as well (would love to get that here but we have steel frames so I doubt they fit and I can't chisel out space).
I never actually though of that. I should do more reading on it. Need to figure out how to attach hinges and drill out the lock holes in plywood but it's probably doable.
A couple hole saws of the right(ish) size and a chisel for the pocket...
If you're going to build something out of plywood, be sure you water proof the edges well. I'm a fan of TiteBond III for that, before I go about sealing/painting the main surface.
But call around. You should be able to find a door that fits somewhere, or just cut one down. I'd do that long before I built one.
If you're going to build something out of plywood, be sure you water proof the edges well. I'm a fan of TiteBond III for that, before I go about sealing/painting the main surface.
But call around. You should be able to find a door that fits somewhere, or just cut one down. I'd do that long before I built one.
Can you put a security screen in front of the door?
Making it take one more step to get through will make it much less attractive a target in the first place.
Our garage hasn't been locked, like, ever, but nobody even tries to open the door because of the security screen.
Making it take one more step to get through will make it much less attractive a target in the first place.
Our garage hasn't been locked, like, ever, but nobody even tries to open the door because of the security screen.
Well, kind of. Usually it's a solid frame that's secured to the house (like bars on your windows would be) that has a heavy-duty mesh or other bars to prevent being cut through like a regular bug door.
They can come in a lot of different styles and patterns.
http://www.firstimpressionsecuritydoors ... een-doors/
http://www.tashmans.com/screens-glass-l ... ity-doors/
1/2" and 3/4" plywood is what floors are made of, so no, kicking is not going to be easy - breaking through the wall would be easier.
I wonder how accurate the Windows 10 find your device reporting is, cause my laptop checked in at 2:52AM the night it was stolen from a house a 10 minute walk away. My wife wants to let the police handle it while I'm more inclined to walk up and play dumb and see who panics. :devious:
I also had no idea you could lock a screen door.
Even flimsy bug doors come with locks. Pathetic locks, because they're only really there to keep people from just opening them as opposed to really preventing someone determined from getting through.
But, yeah, security screens are totally a thing, and likely far more common in warmer areas where you want to be able to have your door hanging open but still want your house to be some level of secure.
That's probably why I never see them here. Asking around getting the door frame adjusted to be sized properly is going to be >$1000 for the work alone, so it might be better to just get a 32" solid door and cut it to size with help. It's for a garage so it's hardly the end of the world if it isn't pretty.
Well, that's a normal bug screen over wrought iron bars, which is what's really locking.
I also had no idea you could lock a screen door.
Well, that's a normal bug screen over wrought iron bars, which is what's really locking.
I also had no idea you could lock a screen door.
It's thicker screen material. This clip shows someone banging on it. NSFW language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki801ccg9Yo
Think there needs to be a distinction made between a screen/storm/bug door and a security door.
A screen/storm/bug door is usually pretty flimsy or made mostly from glass and while having a lock is likely not the best both in its ability to hold the door shut from a good strong pull or to be bypassed. It's really just there to add some more protection for the exterior door (and can help with insulation), for decorative purposes, and/or to allow some air flow and light while keeping the bugs out.
For the security door it will (or should else it's not really a security door) be made from a heavy material and will have the ability to mount a deadbolt lock to it. And of course just like an exterior door the security door should be mounted to ensure that it's well secured to the house. So good screws that go well into the frame of the door/house so that it can't just be easily pulled away.
So with both a steel/solid wood exterior door and a security door a thief is going to have to get through 2 deadbolts and 2 stout doors to get in which would likely mean most thieves would move on to an easier mark. And since the outer door will swing out they can't just try and kick it down since they'd just be kicking it into the frame around the door which is unlikely going to give that way.
A screen/storm/bug door is usually pretty flimsy or made mostly from glass and while having a lock is likely not the best both in its ability to hold the door shut from a good strong pull or to be bypassed. It's really just there to add some more protection for the exterior door (and can help with insulation), for decorative purposes, and/or to allow some air flow and light while keeping the bugs out.
For the security door it will (or should else it's not really a security door) be made from a heavy material and will have the ability to mount a deadbolt lock to it. And of course just like an exterior door the security door should be mounted to ensure that it's well secured to the house. So good screws that go well into the frame of the door/house so that it can't just be easily pulled away.
So with both a steel/solid wood exterior door and a security door a thief is going to have to get through 2 deadbolts and 2 stout doors to get in which would likely mean most thieves would move on to an easier mark. And since the outer door will swing out they can't just try and kick it down since they'd just be kicking it into the frame around the door which is unlikely going to give that way.
Is the device still showing up at that location? My first reaction to this post is that neighbor's router is not using any sort of security though now I kind of wonder why a thief would return to the neighborhood in search of an internet connection.
In fairness, at that point I'd just go through the siding, insulation, and sheetrock. Much easier to kick through than a strong double door.
As I mentioned, ours hasn't been locked since early in our residency years ago, but nobody bothers because they see the screen and just move right on.
1) people don't think of using non-standard entry options
2) other people would notice a hole in the side of the building and report that pretty much immediately, while a closed door can go unnoticed for some time.
At the point where going through the wall would even be a consideration, they're long past the point of moving on to the next target.
That's why you should then ensure that the inside part of your exterior walls are filled with wasp nests. So if some poor bastard decides to go through the wall they'll stop doing that pretty quickly.
The garage siding is 1x12 rough cut lumber so nobody is kicking through that. Ok well, if they kick through it they've earned it.
We bought a house and moved in just about a year ago.
I'm pretty much done insulating, drywalling, taping, mudding, and painting out in the garage.
The 30" wide x 80" high pedestrian door to the side yard bothers me; the door's not particularly sturdy, the lock doesn't inspire much confidence, and the shimming from the door sills to the framing is half-hearted at best.
I'm reasonably handy, and have the usual assortment of hand and power tools.
How hard is it, really, to hang a pre-hung steel door to replace a wood door?
Is this door a reasonably good choice? I'm guessing I'll want a lock and deadbolt set, keyed to the main house key.
I'm pretty much done insulating, drywalling, taping, mudding, and painting out in the garage.
The 30" wide x 80" high pedestrian door to the side yard bothers me; the door's not particularly sturdy, the lock doesn't inspire much confidence, and the shimming from the door sills to the framing is half-hearted at best.
I'm reasonably handy, and have the usual assortment of hand and power tools.
How hard is it, really, to hang a pre-hung steel door to replace a wood door?
Is this door a reasonably good choice? I'm guessing I'll want a lock and deadbolt set, keyed to the main house key.
Hanging a door is relatively simple. We had to remove and re-hang our front door when we moved in because it was the only way to get the frige into the house.
The important thing is to make sure you've got the right measurements, followed by the right hardware.
The important thing is to make sure you've got the right measurements, followed by the right hardware.
Don't forget some of the above mentioned things, strike plate, jam/hinge protectors, things like that. From what I've read a strike plate especially makes it extremely difficult to just kick a door in. Although if it's also going to be your primary entrance then you might need to not have it active most of the time since it'd make it impossible for you to get in that way.
There is also this:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/StrikeMaste ... /202076114
Then you don't have to replace the door.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/StrikeMaste ... /202076114
Then you don't have to replace the door.
I had another look at the current pedestrian door from the garage to the outside of the house.
There's no deadbolt lock on it.
The strike plate is held in place with drywall screws.
There's a large, broken pet door installed in the bottom.
There are 3 nails and 1 shim on the whole hinge side of the door jamb connecting it to the framing.
Jesus, somebody did a really sloppy job installing a substandard product.
Any other thoughts?
Oh, forgot to mention the nice, big glass window in the door with some 1/8" Masonite screwed over it for "security".
There's no deadbolt lock on it.
The strike plate is held in place with drywall screws.
There's a large, broken pet door installed in the bottom.
There are 3 nails and 1 shim on the whole hinge side of the door jamb connecting it to the framing.
Jesus, somebody did a really sloppy job installing a substandard product.
Any other thoughts?
Oh, forgot to mention the nice, big glass window in the door with some 1/8" Masonite screwed over it for "security".
Wow. That's only slightly less fail than the car door on our garage.
If I were confronted with that, I'd give up on the door and just mount a security screen and be done with it.
Then again, instead of fixing all of what's wrong with our garage, our plan is to raze it to the foundation and just start over. :/
The security door idea did occur to me, but it probably wouldn't fly with the HOA.
I ended up buying a 6-panel steel door from Home Depot, a knob and deadbolt set, shims, screws, and installed it myself.
I'm pretty happy with how well it came out for a first door installation. In retrospect, it should have been 0.5" further towards the exterior of the house, but it's plumb, level and square, and opens and locks just fine.
I ended up buying a 6-panel steel door from Home Depot, a knob and deadbolt set, shims, screws, and installed it myself.
I'm pretty happy with how well it came out for a first door installation. In retrospect, it should have been 0.5" further towards the exterior of the house, but it's plumb, level and square, and opens and locks just fine.
Before:
Old door and door jamb demolished, ready for new door. I got lucky and bought the exact same door my neighbor has on his garage.
Shimmed and screwed. I started in with some DAP expanding foam to fill the gaps around the door, but ran out. It'll need some finishing inside and out, but it's much sturdier than the old door, and should keep the weather out better, too.
Old door and door jamb demolished, ready for new door. I got lucky and bought the exact same door my neighbor has on his garage.
Shimmed and screwed. I started in with some DAP expanding foam to fill the gaps around the door, but ran out. It'll need some finishing inside and out, but it's much sturdier than the old door, and should keep the weather out better, too.
I do like the little barrel bolt lock the old one had. And perfectly positioned so that someone could reach through the pet door and unlock it. And with everything else about that door I'm wondering if they positioned it there intentionally so that you could do that to unlock the door.
I decided to upgrade the stock strike plates for the lock and dead bolt with this security strike plate.
A bit of mortising with a chisel, and this sucker is secured into the framing with six 3" hardened screws. It seems very solid, it's six bucks, and was not hard to install.
A bit of mortising with a chisel, and this sucker is secured into the framing with six 3" hardened screws. It seems very solid, it's six bucks, and was not hard to install.
- Status