Boarding windows for security

[Yomik]

In regards to cheap garage security. I have 2x4s across the windows. It doesnt matter what it looks like but i want some added security.


Do you think 2x4s across the windows offers any security? More so than just boarding the windows with plywood the traditional way?

Until i can find some metal grills or extra pipe to bar the windows i figued wood was better than nothing. What do you think?

 

[The Cobbler]

a now deceased locksmith friend used to say, "if they want in bad enough, and have enough time, they'll get in"
anything that slows someone down is a help... just to what degree.

 

[didit]

A cheap, very audible alarm trigger with flood light activation will do more to keep thieves from entering through a window. It wouldn't hurt to sink some rebar into the window frame as well.

 

[cvairwerks]

Let’s....how can I increase the potential for this to be a deathtrap in case of a fire......Hmmmm, yeah board up the windows so they can’t be used as an exit...

 

[Steve in UT]

Let’s....how can I increase the potential for this to be a deathtrap in case of a fire......Hmmmm, yeah board up the windows so they can’t be used as an exit...

You don't have to be so cynical. Not all garages have windows. I wonder if there are statistics on how many guys have burnt to death while working in their garage because there was no window to jump out? I would think that if most of us were in the garage and a fire broke out, we would probably do our best to put it out, instead of jumping out the window. Now if you sleep in the garage I guess that might be a different story. Anyone here sleep in the garage on a regular basis, and not just when fighting with the wife? If so better make sure you have a window that doesn't have boards or bars on it. Now dang, I've dun got all cynical myself.

 

[cvairwerks]

Old ingrained habits die hard Steve. The fire department I was on, relied on the history of our general area that from the time of discovery of a fire to full envelopement was under 2 minutes and generally 8 minutes from discovery to collapse.

When I move heavy stuff with forklifts, cranes and the like, we always plan the moves with escape routes for everyone around the equipment as it is lifted or moved.

When we operate doors on our aircraft that have the potential for catching an observer, we clear the area and open escape paths.

Picking up the dead that got that way due to inattention or doing something dumb is not fun. I nearly decapitated a coworker a few years ago because he did something extremely stupid while we were cycling doors. Only by the grace of God, I didn’t hit the close switch when he suddenly decided he needed to look into the area covered by the door and didn’t say anything over the radio. I was just starting to push the key when I lost sight of his legs under the aircraft.

So, yeah I take the worst case scenario for the limited data first, and will adjust based on any additional data provided later.

All good anyway, and not offended at all

 

[Steve in UT]

I had an inkling that you might have been a fireman. My best friend is about to retire from the department. He too can be a stickler for the details. Its definitely good to see things from every angle and perspective. Yours is obviously worth considering and appreciated!

 

[cvairwerks]

I generally was the tanker operator on our little VFD until I screwed up and broke my foot and ankle at work one year. After about 8 months I only got about a 90% recovery of motion and strength in the joints and couldn’t climb on and off everywhere on the tanker safely and expeditiously. That made me much slower than someone with fuller range of motion and full strength. Bummed me out, as I enjoyed being a help to those in crisis.

 

[58Yeoman]

I have two small sliders in my 24x40, one at each end. The moveable one comes out easily, and I think I can fit through it. One has a work bench, the other a metal chest of drawers to climb on to get out. This obit is from last month.

https://tinyurl.com/8xnp6chy

 

[jjgrappler]

We just had a guy about a month ago die in a garage fire. Bike he was working on caught fire and he got trapped.

You don't have to be so cynical. Not all garages have windows. I wonder if there are statistics on how many guys have burnt to death while working in their garage because there was no window to jump out? I would think that if most of us were in the garage and a fire broke out, we would probably do our best to put it out, instead of jumping out the window. Now if you sleep in the garage I guess that might be a different story. Anyone here sleep in the garage on a regular basis, and not just when fighting with the wife? If so better make sure you have a window that doesn't have boards or bars on it. Now dang, I've dun got all cynical myself.

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[joey1320]

Make the surrounding area less likely to be inviting.

Use extra bright motion sensor lights in all corners and entrances. Either buy real ones or at least fake cameras and put them right by the lights. Install loud window/door alarms, even the cheapo ones work.

Try not to "show off" your garage by working with the doors opened showing your neighbors or would be thieves what you have that they may want more.

 

[rlitman]

We just had a guy about a month ago die in a garage fire. Bike he was working on caught fire and he got trapped.

Years ago I lost a neighbor to this. He had just brought home a new to him classic Jaguar, and while working under the car on his first day owning it, a leaking fuel hose started a fire.

As for security, the way I see it, you've got a few things to focus on.

1) Make it obvious that entry will be slowed by something. Wheel locks for example may only slow down a thief by seconds, but that may be enough to make them look elsewhere.

2) Figure out a way to ensure that entry will be noticed. If you're somewhere where breaking glass will not be heard, then an alarm is your only option.

3) Have insurance that covers you when the above measures fail.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

Garage? Fire? Trapped? No escape window?
Watch me make one![emoji38]

Security would be a mean dog or simple alarm system until you make bars for windows. The 2x4s should be placed outside on ground below windows, nails sticking up out of them.

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[driftpin]

Garage? Fire? Trapped? No escape window?
Watch me make one![emoji38]

Security would be a mean dog or simple alarm system until you make bars for windows. The 2x4s should be placed outside on ground below windows, nails sticking up out of them.

Punji stakes are against the law in Florida. So-are booby-traps, though there is the case of Prentice Rasheed who electrocuted a thief coming through the roof, who avoided being convicted of the death. The business had been burglarized many times, and he rigged-up an electrified trap which killed the thief. https://apnews.com/article/b383f5df6f08bd14d3ff988724a15d39

I attended an in-service workshop for dealing with methamphetamine labs. It was sponsored by Homeland Security for the State of Florida Fire Marshal's office, offered to fire dept's. in the state. Part of the presentation was awareness of booby traps at such operations.

I second the use of lighting and motion detectors. Make it hard to breach, and hopefully they will head to an easier target. If you have anything larger than a single-car garage, you should have at-least two means of egress. A visit to your local fire plans examiner's office can probably gain you some insight as to what's required for your occupancy. A site plan and floor plan for the property & building in-question will help them to answer you.

https://www.police1.com/police-trai...areness-for-law-enforcement-aGVZpHrE3JqPxkbl/

 

[fsae0607]

Plant some roses or any other thorny plants below your garage window. I have a rosebush planter underneath mine. Natural "barbed wire"!

 

[didit]

I know that firemen are trained on what to do if they encounter re-bar on a window. The best deterrence that can be used against a opportunist thief is to make it not look so easy, so they will look for an easier score. If they see re-bar on the inside of the window, chances are they will move on.
I have seen re-bar either incorporated into wooden frames or built as stand alone units that are hinged on the inside of windows with a simple latch on the other side, for easy opening from inside but out of sight and easy reach for a thief, most of which most are rank amateurs always looking for the low hanging fruit.
I use to work at an auto plant that had heavy bar cages built on every window facing the street. They were easy to open from the inside but looked very formidable to anyone looking for an easy entrance.
An escape plan is a must in most shops and home garages or anywhere for that matter.
Common sense should be used in any garage configuration keeping it secure but also safe.
When it comes right down to it, if they want in bad enough they will get in. There is a video I watched that showed guys roll up in a pickup with a grappling hook type end on a chain they jammed under the garage door and pulled the whole door off in seconds. The ultimate "smash & grab".

 

[nadogail]

Your best protection is a nosy neighbor who is aware of what is normal for your location.

 

[rlitman]

Plant some roses or any other thorny plants below your garage window. I have a rosebush planter underneath mine. Natural "barbed wire"!

I have a lot of roses. Most of their thorns aren't all that bad. I do have one climber that's pretty evil, but it's my pyrocantha that downright scares me. They're not technically thorns, though I think that's why it's "thorns" are much stronger than rose thorns. It's like a tree covered in sharpened roofing nails, and yeah, anyone trying to climb in my kitchen window is going to leave a ****** train behind.

 

[Yomik]

I think the 2x4s are no better than just boarding it up with plywood the traditional way. A sawzall will go through the studs just as fast as the sheet.

I guess i can firm up the windows somehow, perhaps with some metal sheet, but if they already have a saw, it would be easier to zip thru the siding and make a hole in the wall between two framing studs.

 

[dcg9381]

Your best protection is a nosy neighbor who is aware of what is normal for your location.

Disagree. The best protection is a free-roam German Shepherd... I'll take motion-based lighting, obvious security cameras, and an attentive neighbor next.

Part of this is location. We don't board windows here, but I get it in downtown Chicago. Doors really aren't that secure in most cases, windows are messy...

 

[tarmy]

I use metal roll up security covers. Not cheap...but neither are my tools.

 

[Kaizen]

I put 2x2 sliders at about ten feet. Provides light and only a 1 foot opening.
For op get some metal lathe and angle steel. Make frame around it. Hinges on one side and a two foot piece of steel that is out of arms reach or has a box. Use simple mechanism but no actual lock on the arm.
Have the locking mechanism simple enough to use blindfolded.



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[dcg9381]

I use metal roll up security covers. Not cheap...but neither are my tools.

Wow.. hurricane shutters on the inside!

 

[quickfarms]

There is a story around here about a bunch of guys that were backing through shop doors, the old style of shop door around here only had two rollers on the bottom, with a flatbed truck and then stealing the tools. As business owners started to reinforce there doors the thieves had to back up faster until one day they backed into a forklift parked behind the door sideways and there bed crushed the cab pinning the two thieves

 

[R6 Racer]

Outa site outa mind. It's an old saying but quite true! If know one knows whats inside there's a lot less temptation & its probably your cheapest option.

Make the windows non see threw in some fashion. Curtains, heavy tint, shutters, whatever you can find that works for you. As someone said earlier, don't "show off your garage by working with the doors opened showing your neighbors or would be thieves what you have"
I have have lots of big windows. There great when there is a nice breeze in the summer and for the natural light. Downside to them is that security thing, & the wall space they cost.
I use HD security shutters on the inside that are painted black on the outside. There insulated & able to hold some weight. I get heat savings in the winter, an upgraded level of physical security & I still have wall space. I have to use the space for smaller, lighter things, and some garage art, but it's still wall space.

Steve

 

[tarmy]

Wow.. hurricane shutters on the inside!

We do earthquakes

 

[sjvicker]

What about the 3m film that makes it harder to shatter the glass? At the very least it would slow someone down

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