Reinforcing an entry way.

[Michael Janich]

Great discussion, guys. Thank you for participating.

I agree that making a door break-in-PROOF is a tall task. If someone wants in badly enough, they'll get in. However, you need to remember that reinforcing the door has two other important functions that pay big dividends:

1) It makes your house much less attractive as a target.

2) It buys you the time to get to the safe room or to exit through another door. If your upgrade means the difference between one kick and four or five, you still win.

One other thing I forgot to mention, when I was a kid, I lived half a block outside the Chicago city limits. Although we were technically in the suburbs, the neighborhood still sucked and we had a lot of spillover crime from the South Side. Since all the houses had detached garages well away from the main structure, some enterprising criminals decided to start burglarizing garages to steal tools and, in some cases, cars. Their method of entry was simple and quick--chop through the side door of the garage with an axe.

After a few of these crimes in our neighborhood, my Dad and I spent a morning re-working our garage door. We pulled the door (traditional solid wood frame, but with insert panels) and glued a piece of 1/4-inch Masonite (hardboard) over the entire face of it. This was further secured with carriage bolts (so no screw heads were exposed on the face). We re-hung it to accomodate the greater thickness, replacing the hinges with more and better quality ones. We reinforced the door frame structure (anchoring it to the brick construction of the garage), upgraded the lock and strike plate, and put angle iron bars over the windows (also shot into the brick). All that, plus pinning the track for the overhead door, paid off. Both our neighbors had their garages broken into within a few weeks of our efforts. The bad guys skipped us.

BTW, the beauty of the Masonite "skin" is that it is inexpensive and it has the wonderful quality of making things like axes bounce aggressively back at the wielder. I'm not sure where my Dad picked up that trick, but it's a good one.

Stay safe,

Mike

[Fatman]

Take a good look at your sliding glass doors. The purpose -made bars are good, as are the add on pins you attach to the door frame and push into holes you drill in the track tops and bottoms.  But guess what? Most sliding glass doors are vulnerable to a relatively quiet entry through the non-sliding side. That side of the door can usually be removed from the outside by simply removing some screws. Most  people  just assume that side is secure unless smashed.

[TAB]

using deck screws is not a good idea, they are very weak when it comes to shearing forces.  Granted just about anything is better then the 1" or so screws provided with most lock sets.

[ericire12]

using deck screws is not a good idea, they are very weak when it comes to shearing forces.  Granted just about anything is better then the 1" or so screws provided with most lock sets.

What do you suggest?

Take a good look at your sliding glass doors. The purpose -made bars are good, as are the add on pins you attach to the door frame and push into holes you drill in the track tops and bottoms.  But guess what? Most sliding glass doors are vulnerable to a relatively quiet entry through the non-sliding side. That side of the door can usually be removed from the outside by simply removing some screws. Most  people  just assume that side is secure unless smashed.

I just noticed that on my sliding door. Any suggestions?

[PoorSoulInJersey]

one other thing to keep in mind:
As the quality of construction drops to keep prices low, sometimes it's easier to go through a wall than a door.

Some new homes in low-cost developments use a vinyl siding, gypsum sheathing, insulation, and drywall for exterior wall assembly. A good knife or a hammer would get you through the wall, possibly without setting off an alarm (if the home even has one). It's not exactly stealth entry, but someone could get in that way.

Skipping plywood sheathing and/or brick facades can make a big difference in the overall security of a home.

[Sponsor]

[TAB]

What do you suggest?

Screws that are designed to take a shearing force rather then just hold.   They will have the same head size and shape, but the shaft will be alot thicker.   The bad part about screws is they have very hard, so much so that they break very easily. 

I just noticed that on my sliding door. Any suggestions?

go buy 2 steel hinge pins.   Drill holes thru your door and half way thru the fixed door.  install the pins.   The doors have to be lifted to be moved

[SF1911]

Does anybody have some tips for french doors?

[m25operator]

French doors, I think you see your own problem, pretty, but weak, it won't stop 200 lbs of anyone halfway determined. I am assuming your doors have like 9 windows each in them, if they don't have glass, then Michael Janich idea about a sheath on the inside or better on the outside could help, plus putting some substantial reinforcement on one door that you don't expect to open very often, making it for all intents, not usable without some effort.

Now I'm going to describe what was taught to me in a security class, which first taught us how to break in to structures, It is called a Government door, and I do not know if it is true, but parts of it make a lot of sense, and no,  I have not built one.

1) solid wood core door or steel door.

2) longest dead bolt available.

3) metal plate around the dead bolt on the outside and inside to prevent pliers and hammers from busting or twisting it out.

4) drill through the door jam an 1 1/4" hole, to the next stud adjacent to the door lock receptacle, install an iron pipe, with a 1" ID. This is what the dead bolt will engage. If your handy, reinforce the door jam, with an additional 2x4 for added support on the lock side and the hinge side.

5) You'll need a long spade bit to do this, drill long holes, at least a foot, perpendicular to the door about 2" above and below the dead bolt, 1/2" holes, and the install 3/8 rebar cut to length in those holes. This will be a loose fit and will clang a bit when shutting the door. The advantage here, is if someone uses a saw, it will hit the rebar, and the rebar will spin, and not give the saw any purchase.

6) remove the center screws from all 3 of the hinges, both sides, drill out the holes in the hinges to 1/4" and then install 1/4" lag bolts on the door side, extending 2" out from the door, and then cut the head of the bolt off, and when you shut the door, you don't have skinny little screws holding the hinges, you have 1/4" steel studs in 3 places.

According to my teacher, this door will defeat the 6 minute rule, the maximum amount of time, someone will give to breaking into a structure in plain sight.

Don't forget garage doors, once inside the attached garage, the bad guy is hidden and can take all the time He wants. Maybe even use your tools to do it.

I also learned lock manipulation at this class, that is usually my 1st choice, tools fit in a small pouch, and usually successful in under a minute, my day job makes this a good skill, I highly recommend learning it.

That's it and would like your feedback. Especially TAB, as he is in the business.

A good DEA friend of mine, said when he worked New York that people would install 2 New York locks, 1 high and 1 low, at that point it was easier to go through the wall. The New York lock is badass, as long as your inside, does not help when your gone.

[TAB]

If they are made in the last 15 years or so they will be tempered glass(federal law)  Which is good as they are very strong against things like base balls, but also bad as a spring loaded center punch will make them explode.  It has to do to the way the glass is prestressed.( the outer skin is holding presure in, a knick in that and  all the stored engery is released.)  Generally all double doors have a "live" door and a fixed door.  for the most part what you want to do is add stronger hard ware at the top and bottum of the fixed door that gos into a solid structural member.  Simlar to what you have now, only stronger.


1st link on youtube on tempered glass


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gDqiFRDPB4