Is it unattractive to add steel doors and bars to the windows? (better, exterior)

[Barking Spider]

The short answer is YES, YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!

[Debsi]

Sorry this picture isn't very good, but it shows one of my little ones enjoying her view of the neighborhood. My house already had black wrought iron details on the porch, which you can sort of see in this picture, so the door really didn't look out of place at all. None of my neighbors got mad either.

[elnina]

I have to agree with everyone. A house with window/door bars looks like a prison, send a bad message and makes everyone curious what's is going on there. In our neighborhood, we have one family with bars all around the house, an industrial size security light on every corner of the house. No one else has it. Everyone has a little light at the entrance door and garage, only motion lights on the back. No street lights. Most people do not even close the window curtains at night.
I have porch doors open when the weather is cool, and I am inside. I also sleep with open windows in Winter. Never had any problem with trespassing or theft.
Their house looks ridiculous and with those features it doesn't "fit" in the neighborhood.
There are other safety measurements: a dog, an alarm with phone notification, CCTV that could be accessed remotely, security entrance door, aluminium rollers shutters etc. If that's not enough, then the next step would be personal bodyguard and security officer 24/7 ...

[tiluha]

I second fallingwater...Bars and steel doors send a message (to me) that the neighborhood is dangerous...it is also a huge safety issue if there is a fire...

Originally Posted by fallingwater

Yes, I think they are terrible looking. I also view them as an indicator of what type of neighborhood it is. If its a nice neighborhood with low crime and someone goes to the trouble of installing this stuff I think it makes the area look bad. I have seen some of those security type screen doors and I think its sends the same message. Now this is just my uneducated guess but there is a really nice house in my sub that is up for sale. It is not selling. Others have sold pretty quickly. The price is decent, probably one of the nicer yards and spacious however they have one of those steel security storm doors. I know it can be changed but I do wonder if people drive by the house and think "Hmm...they must have had a problem."

[tiluha]

Your door is nice, it does not look anything like the security bars people are referring to...

Originally Posted by Debsi

Sorry this picture isn't very good, but it shows one of my little ones enjoying her view of the neighborhood. My house already had black wrought iron details on the porch, which you can sort of see in this picture, so the door really didn't look out of place at all. None of my neighbors got mad either.

[Bakeneko]

When I roll thru a neighborhood with barred window, I assume it's a bad area. I think there's even a name for it "barred window syndrome" or something like that? One neighbor puts them up, others see it and then get bars of there own (assuming that the first neightbor knew something they don't) until pretty soon everyone has bars on their windows?

I'm ok with the screen door security doors, if they match the style of the house

[hueyeats]

Visually it will affect your property & probably your neighbour's property.
Bars on window & door = question the safety of anyone living within / surrounding area = will definitely give buyers a red-flag feeling.

[nightcrawler]

Nothing is worse than the steel doors that ALL the Chinese people put on the front of their homes here in Brooklyn.
There can be a four family house with four doors all in a row, and each person will pick out a steel door but they will all be different, they have no sense of astetics.


you would think that since thay all like the steel doors that they can work together and pick the same one out as to all match.....duh !!!

and then they put the steel bars on the windows making the brand new house look like a junk yard.

[CheyDee]

OP, if your concern is leaving ground floor windows open for ventilation and you're uncomfortable doing so without the addition of "burglar bars", why not mount them inside your home instead? That way it won't affect the appearance from the outside. Inside, you could always close drapes to hide them if/when you don't want them visible.

You could, of course, remove them prior to selling.

[West of Encino]

For the people who are against them, are y'all male or female? I've meet a lot of certain people considered steel doors "ghetto".

I guess most people who are against them don't value their personal possessions.