A safe and secure home is a must for any homeowner. Although you may have researched a variety of home security options, how much thought have you given to the exterior doors of the house? How secure are they? What features should they have to make them more secure? Let’s consider these questions:
The exterior doors construction is one of the first things you will want to look at. For example, if the door is made of a lightweight wooden, hollow-core construction, then it would be very easy to smash through. Instead, the door should be sturdy, made up of a solid wood or steel core. The condition of the door will also determine how secure it is so check that your home’s exterior doors are not displaying signs of warping, cracking, or rotting.
Naturally, the lock is one of the most important features of a secure exterior door. Use a good quality deadbolt lock. You can use a door chain but never as a replacement for the deadbolt lock, only as an addition. You may also want to install a bump-resistant lock as bump keys are a common choice for thieves these days.
Many homeowners like the look of a front door with glass paneling. If you choose this type of door be sure to have the lock installed far enough away from the glass that if it is smashed the lock would be hard to reach.
A peephole is another good security measure as this will let you see who is at your door before you decide whether or not to open it.
A front door will occasionally have a mail slot in it. In such a case it is very important that a box or cage is fitted on the inside, surrounding the slot, if not, an intruder may gain access to the lock from the inside by means of the slot.
So, when reviewing your home security, ask yourself how safe are my exterior doors?
