Securing Your Garage

[jerk_chicken]

I was wondering what methods you guys use to secure your garages from break ins. I will eventually have a garage that's part of the house, and depending on ordinances and insurance, I'll also have a lift in there. Furthermore, tools and other valuables will be in there. My idea is to not only secure it from the outside, but secure it from the house.

So what ideas do you guys have for securing your stuff?

 

[alor14582]

metal doors and frames i would think just a thought

 

[skeletonizer]

Just curious, how common are home invasions in Germany?

I lock my shop with the knob lock only. I figure that if they really want in they will get in no matter what. If I could only have one of the two following outcomes; A: stolen stuff. or B: a totally f*c*ed up door and door frame and stolen stuff. I am going with just the stolen stuff.

I would suggest either a simple lock to keep honest people honest or a full steel door and frame with multiple dead bolts and a monitored alarm.

Anything in between is a waste IMO. Either way I would also suggest contacting your homeowners insurance company and making sure you have enough coverage to replace the entire contents of your shop be it from fire or theft.

 

[goodfellow]

When I go on vacation, I lock the garage door to the rails with a heavy duty Master lock. The house has a security system, and the doors are double deadbolts. But, those features just present a minor challenge to a good thief.

The best security is a dog. It doesn't have to be a guard dog, as any old mutt will do. Dogs are territorial and once they establish their territory in and around your house they will defend it by barking and raising all hell when they hear something out of the ordinary.

In my old "hood" many neighbor's houses were burglarized, but the houses with dogs were generally spared. I have two dogs and they make a lot of noise when there are strangers about -- that is a good thing.

 

[krusty the clown]

a reputation that you are heavily armed and easily pissed will work............

 

[Uncle Buck]

a reputation that you are heavily armed and easily pissed will work............

Something tells me it would be a real hoot to have you as a neighbor Krusty! (Something also tells me I don't think I would like having you as a pissed off neighbor too!)

 

[matt_i]

My favorite concept is a system that dumps a can of pepper spray into the shop when activated.

You have to think about some other issues too: power outages, the doors being "weak links" and could be compromised, and also a thief may make his own door where there was none before.

All have technical solutions which I don't want to give my ideas away on Gotta save a few surprises for the bad guys

Along other lines, hand and corded or cordless power tools are fairly easy game, so think about how to secure those (at least make them more difficult to get). Stationary machinery would take considerably more time and effort and probably not be worth it.

Finally think about how to disable your wheeled vehicles...there are some things you can purposefully setup that require "troubleshooting" which is something a thief doesn't have time to do.

I also like the ideas posted in other threads about keeping as many people out of the shop as possible.

Motion lights are interesting too...have to keep them from being disabled by a BB gun or a rock.

 

[autoist]

Ooops, forgot the sign...no photo tonight but it says:

"Pit Bull Will Attack.
Owner Spends the Night Inside
Once Every 3 Nights
And Will Shoot First
And Ask Questions
After Magazine Is Empty

Wanna Take A Chance?"

....plus, everybody around knows I'm a crazy Vietnam vet who keeps his .45 ACP handy!

Will take a photo if anybody wants to see it.

 

[mikester]

Mossberg 590 and a fast mean dog that dont bark. Kidding !!! Ive got my garage hooked up to the alarm in my house. Windows and doors and motion spots on all sides. A couple of guys were ripping off stuff out of cars a number of years ago and my buddy happened to be using the can in the middle of the night and heard the neighbors car door close. He snuck out of his side door and waited for the guys to come into his yard. He popped off a round from his 12 guage over their heads when they were walking up to his truck. I bet he scared the **** out of them. The cops came, caught them in their truck with a bunch of stolen stuff. I bet they crapped in their drawers.

 

[crashbumper]

Finally think about how to disable your wheeled vehicles...there are some things you can purposefully setup that require "troubleshooting" which is something a thief doesn't have time to do.

I saw this post on Autospeed a while back; building a system using simple magnets to activate a relay which allows you to start the car.

I am going to make one for my car; but as of right now it has no suspension therefore no mobility.

http://autospeed.com/A_107975/cms/article.html


Otherwise, I have seen neat and cheap computer based DVR security systems, usually built on Open-source software and running on a few hundred bucks worth of hardware.

 

[FunfDreisig]

IMHO the weakest link in most garages is NOT the doors or windows -- it's the roof. A battery operated reciprocating saw is usually all that is needed to get in. In the daytime all they need is an empty roof ventilator box to disguise both the resulting hole and their intent, assuming the neighbors see them and/or care

So I'd spend more effort on keeping thieves from taking valuable stuff out, than keeping thieves out

Funf Dreisg

 

[jerk_chicken]

Just curious, how common are home invasions in Germany?

This is not for Germany.

Additionally, no matter where one is in Germany, they don't go anywhere without locking the house or the car doors, something that was foreign to me. They also don't make it easy to obtain crime stats and the papers don't report on this kind of stuff. One basically takes the insurance company's word for it when they estimate. They get kind of shocked because no one has asked for the actual stats before. Germans tend to accept what they are told as fact.

 

[Thumper]

Where I live all my neighbors are retired and we look out for one another when they are not home. Good neighbors are a plus!

 

[jerk_chicken]

One thing that's being addressed is if the owner is at home, what they would do, but as a recent thread displayed, there's also issues when the owner is away.

Steel door, but what about reinforcing the frame?

The garage door makes me think that it could be a bit of a weak point. What do you think? I wouldn't put my future gun safe in the garage, but an option is to wall around it inside the garage, and then have access from inside the house.

 

[The Alchemist]

It was hit upon, but not fully appreciated. The best preventative measure is good neighbors that look out for each other.

There was a show on tv called "To catch a theif" which essentially was two guys who were helping people with the security of their house by having the homeowner agree to be robbed. The homeowner didn't know when or how it was going to happen, so they were supposed to be 'on gaurd'.

It was amazing to see how many times they broke into peoples homes and the neighbors saw them and did nothing. The specifically targeted houses that were hidden from view because they didn't want to be seen.

The fact is, if someone really wants to break into your house, there isn't too much you can do to stop them without you living sheltered. Everytime you leave your house, you run the risk of it being broken into. So don't make it easy for the theifs. Make them think twice and contemplate going to the next house instead of yours.

 

[rcleaver]

I just put a sticker on the window from an alarm company. The lazy mofos just go find another easier target.

My neighbor across the street didn't believe it would work so he didn't do it. So one hight the crooks literally dragged his Mercedes out of his garage and onto a truck bed.

 

[HIRISC]

a reputation that you are heavily armed and easily pissed will work............

Couldn't agree more

 

[sam 8]

I took lots of burglary reports in 25 years.
I learned a few things.
Burglars in general are lazy people.
Burglars tend to have a specific reason for hitting a house. They usually know through a friend of a friend of the guy who mows your lawn, what is in the place they are after.
Most would prefer to hit a house where the homeonwer isn't home.
They'll waltz up and knock on the door and if someone answers they'll say some BS about being lost, etc.
If not, they make entry through the softest spot they can.
They go through unlocked doors, open windows, etc.
They kick locked doors, break a window, etc.
I never saw a residential 459 where the roof was sawn through. Not saying it never happens, but this a a commercial technique used to access common attic space in multi-business strip malls.
Alarms help, I guess. Of the thousands of alarm calls I went on less than 10 were legit.
All others were operator error or a glich in the system. Ringer alarms not hooked to the cop shop will make the bad guy run, which is what you want. Dialer alarms take at least 3-5 minutes before the cops get the call. Add prioritized response time to your alarm call and well, it just ain't worth it, IMHO.
Good locks, drawn curtains, motion lights, all good stuff.
I live out in the country, but still take some precautions
At my place, I have a large gun safe. I am not worried about anything that is in it.
At my place, I have solar powered motion sensor lights on the shop doors. You need a ladder to get to them, there is not one laying around.
At my place, the shop curtains are drawn. If a potential burglar climbs over the fence down at the automatic gate and walks the 106 yards up the hill and tries to look in the window he will only see the 1/2 inch solid steel bars I have in place over the two windows low enough to look in.
My sons understand I am picky about who they can bring over. Operational Security, so to speak.
My place always has at least one car parked on the driveway.
Walk around your place and make sure you are not giving the crooks any of your tools to use. A barking dog s a good thing. Crooks do not like attention drawn to themselves.
Limit your exposure. Gates, good doors, deadbolts, etc. all make your place less attractive.
FWIW...

 

[94yj]

My favorite concept is a system that dumps a can of pepper spray into the shop when activated.

i do like this idea please tell us how to set it up if not can you send me a pm with info as i will be moving out in the country very soon and the local leo take 20 mins and no neighbors in site for 1/2 mile please let me know thanks

 

[94yj]

would love to see the photo i could use it on my new country home and shop

Ooops, forgot the sign...no photo tonight but it says:

"Pit Bull Will Attack.
Owner Spends the Night Inside
Once Every 3 Nights
And Will Shoot First
And Ask Questions
After Magazine Is Empty

Wanna Take A Chance?"

....plus, everybody around knows I'm a crazy Vietnam vet who keeps his .45 ACP handy!

Will take a photo if anybody wants to see it.

 

[Gunslinger]

Where I live all my neighbors are retired and we look out for one another when they are not home. Good neighbors are a plus!

Exactly...the best security system there is. We are all close and we watch out for each other. We know if something is not right in the neighborhood and would take the appropriate action if something was. At any point during the day or night, someone is home in the neighborhood.

No matter what you do, for the most part, if a thief wants in, he'll get in.

 

[rocketman]

Actually, booby trap type security systems are illegal in most places. You can actually be sued by a burglar if they are injured by a "system" made to cause physical harm. BS for sure, but true nonetheless.

 

[94yj]

Actually, booby trap type security systems are illegal in most places. You can actually be sued by a burglar if they are injured by a "system" made to cause physical harm. BS for sure, but true nonetheless.

texas has done away with a bunch of those laws one new one is called the castle law. where if the person is injured or killed on said property they have no rights which also goes back to an old saying dead men tell no tales

 

[brad d]

mine is wired into the house security system, I might also get some CC video.. Cosco has a little kit that looks not too bad

 

[Skyline]

I took lots of burglary reports in 25 years.
I learned a few things.......
FWIW...

Really good advice. Thanks.

 

[Skyline]

What about automatic garage door openers? Is there any way to make the secure from code scanners?

 

[dlc]

What about automatic garage door openers? Is there any way to make the secure from code scanners?

Most all openers since the late 80s have thousands of rotating codes which change each time the door is opened which renders a code scanner virtually useless.

 

[383astro]

What about automatic garage door openers? Is there any way to make the secure from code scanners?

I have always wondered this myself, keeps my remote unplugged from the motor

 

[matt_i]

My favorite concept is a system that dumps a can of pepper spray into the shop when activated.

i do like this idea please tell us how to set it up if not can you send me a pm with info as i will be moving out in the country very soon and the local leo take 20 mins and no neighbors in site for 1/2 mile please let me know thanks

Hi, a can of pepper spray is nothing more conceptually than an aerosol can where you must depress the top of it.

This leaves a couple of actuator possibilities...electric or air-operated.

There are a couple of possibilites of when to actuate it...when you send power TO the actuator, or when you TAKE power from the actuator. This is important as you have to be prepared for a power outage, and you don't want a power outage to fill the shop with pepper spray either.

Air is handy but it's going to be something requiring pressure 24x7x365 and so you must pay close attention to leaks as that's going to make the compressor cycle a lot over time and compressed air is not cheap. Also presumably you need some capacitance of air to carry thru a power outage too.

I've said this before on another forum but an alarm system is nothing more than a PLC in concept. It has inputs (sensors, bypass switch, etc) and it has outputs (actuators) and it takes in the input states, and determine via an orderly set of rules (or "logic") when the output(s) should be energized. So if you are familiar with PLCs you can essentially homebrew an alarm system IMHO.

 

[jtillery]

There really isn't much you can do to really secure a garage. I rented a 40x80 storage unit to run an eBay business out of for a couple of years. The only access was 2 garage doors, so I figured it was secure, until someone just ran the door down with their truck and took $35k worth of inventory.

I am setting up the security for my new shop. All the windows are glass block, both doors have deadbolts, monitored alarm motion sensors and cell backup, 8 security cameras with DVR, etc. All of the stuff will help, but the best security I have, is my insurance policy.

 

[rsanter]

a friend of mine installs alarms. his father has an office that he installed an alarm in and to protect the skylights he installed eyelets in the opening and used thin piano wire which was hooked to the alarm so if the wire broke the alarm went off. well woundnt you know it, someone got on the roof and broke the skylight in order to drop in and they were going steal the computers and carry them out the dront door figuring the alarm wont ring untill they open the door and they will be long gone so who cares.
guy dropped down and got hurt by the wires and the alarm went off.
the police gace him **** about how he did the wires and that it illegal to do something like that to hurt someone. my friend said they are not tu hurt someone but they are supposed to set the alarm off when someone cuts or breaks them...which they did and he showed them how they were wired into the alarms electrical.
police said OK, no problem

bob

 

[autoist]

would love to see the photo i could use it on my new country home and shop

I'm up at the farm in Tennessee right now, will post a photo when I get back.

 

[Richard Givan]

I don't know how to quote multiple times, so I will state here what Rocketman said:
Re: Securing Your Garage
"Actually, booby trap type security systems are illegal in most places. You can actually be sued by a burglar if they are injured by a "system" made to cause physical harm. BS for sure, but true nonetheless."

And Rocketman is entirely correct. The law does not allow for booby traps. The problem is that someone innocent may enter the place and suffer for it. Think firefighters responding to smoke coming from your garage, or your next-of-kin entering after you are splattered in a roadway accident.

While you may not agree, the law also feels that human life, even a thief's, is worth more than property. One precedent is Katco v. Briney in which a young man broke into an unoccupied farmhouse looking for something to steal. The owner had gotten tired of these sorts of events and rigged a shotgun to fire whenever the door was opened. The admitted burglar took a high hard one to his thigh and lost his leg. He did gain the owner's farm after suing him for his injuries (and in case you are thinking that's a fruit and nut California case, this one happened in Iowa).

texas has done away with a bunch of those laws one new one is called the castle law. where if the person is injured or killed on said property they have no rights which also goes back to an old saying dead men tell no tales

While the Castle Laws are a popular phenomenom springing up across the country, they only apply to cases of home invaders who threaten the homeowner. So if you ain't there when they come in, there's no joy to be had from them.

 

[Deltarat]

I have no windows,dead bolts and security system with large outside siren and strobe light.

 

[bb1970]

I have a pole barn in the country. I've got metal doors. Great locks on them. Lights all around. But if someone wants in they will find a way. I've wondered how hard it would be for someone to hack a hole in an exterior wall and come in that way. The metal isn't that thick.

 

[matt_i]

I have a pole barn in the country. I've got metal doors. Great locks on them. Lights all around. But if someone wants in they will find a way. I've wondered how hard it would be for someone to hack a hole in an exterior wall and come in that way. The metal isn't that thick.

There is an "engineering solution" to that issue. Think about how breaking continuity in a circuit also applies to that one....

 

[ket-tek]

I've wondered how hard it would be for someone to hack a hole in an exterior wall and come in that way. The metal isn't that thick.

Even easier in a residential home that was sheathed with just celotex like I see done in my area alot.. A razor blade could cut right through the vinyl siding, celotex, and sheetrock pretty quickly and quietly.. Kinda scary..

Sheath your homes with osb or plywood.

 

[autoist]

would love to see the photo i could use it on my new country home and shop

went from farm to New Orleans for a car show...got home y'day.

Sorry for the mess...we're doing some serious construction around the shop....Lemme see if I can post photos:

 

[e-tek]

went from farm to New Orleans for a car show...got home y'day.

Sorry for the mess...we're doing some serious construction around the shop....Lemme see if I can post photos:

Not to hijack the thread, but can we see more photo's of your shop and stuff you'redoing? I've visited your site several times, but it'snot really focused on the shop/changes- if you have the time, we have the interest!

 

[autoist]

I need to update some things...been focusing on the upstairs gameroom/apartment, my solar heater project, and finishing/insulating the interior walls.

If you think the outside is messy; heck, I can barely move around inside - every car is under cover to keep dust off & there's lumber & molding laying around everywhere.

Soon as I get one project finished, I'll clean up & start a new thread about it.