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I had no idea those bars can be released from the inside! Perfect! Thank you SO much - I don't think I'd have been likely to find that info, and knowing I have that option makes me feel 100x better.
I'll stick with single story, then
That's like living in a jail. No thank you! There are other methods.
Also HOA will not allow such installation. It would make the neighborhood look like a ghetto.
Are you living in a crime ridden neighborhood, OP? Perhaps moving someone else would solve the problem?
That's like living in a jail. No thank you! There are other methods.
Also HOA will not allow such installation. It would make the neighborhood look like a ghetto.
Are you living in a crime ridden neighborhood, OP? Perhaps moving someone else would solve the problem?
Or get yourself a nice not so friendly dog. Actually a little yappy dog is the best.
I can certainly understand the OP's concerns. I'm a widow and right now I live on the 2nd story of a 3 story condo which is gated and has evening security. My door is metal and my windows and one sliding glass door are up at least 15-20 feet. It would take Spiderman or someone who specifically wanted to kill ME to get in. I feel very safe here.
However, next week I am moving into a small 2 bedroom house that I bought in a neighboring town and it is a one story. Although it's a safe neighborhood, I am nervous about all the windows (and there are many) on the ground floor including a large picture window in the front and a slider in the back. I will be checking into a home security system. If someone does break in I have my handgun to discourage them if the alarm doesn't scare them away.
Very little will deter a criminal committed to getting into YOUR house. But the question is, does it deter criminals who are not committed to getting into YOUR house but are just opportunistic? I believe most criminals are opportunistic - they go for the easiest targets.
I've lived in single story homes where every window was easily accessible from the ground and I did feel less safe because it was much harder to secure every single window (there were loads of windows) with alarms or other means and I would not sleep with open windows that are easily accessible from the ground floor. Because all windows were accessible, it also gave criminals much more choice to use windows that were hidden from view, etc.
I've also lived urban brownstones with bars on the windows (beautifully done ironwork original from 1800s). Nothing like a prison. Even in many very nice urban neighborhoods, alarms simply are not enough to deter break-ins and physical barriers are a must. This is great because you can open the windows as you wish with no compromise in security.
That's like living in a jail. No thank you! There are other methods.
Also HOA will not allow such installation. It would make the neighborhood look like a ghetto.
Are you living in a crime ridden neighborhood, OP? Perhaps moving someone else would solve the problem?
Bars on windows here in the U S would most probably be a no-no in most places. But bars certainly don't have to be ugly. You hardly see them when you have them to tell you the truth. One place I rented in Italy the bars were bowed out at the bottom, sort of rounded out and planter boxes fit perfectly in the bottoms, so I had geraniums growing in them 9 months a year. Was really quite pretty and being a single female was also nice to sleep with the window wide open at night against the summer heat and feel totally safe. Wish I had pictures of that place, was really cute. That apartment had roll down shutters, too.
Burglars work hard to arrive when no one is home, but in the event that they mess up, you don't have to secure your entire home. A single room is all you need for riding out whatever response time local law enforcement needs. Anything else will be to provide early warning so you can get to your safe room before an intruder can harm you.
I had no idea those bars can be released from the inside! Perfect! Thank you SO much - I don't think I'd have been likely to find that info, and knowing I have that option makes me feel 100x better.
And thanks also for the input about the stairs. My knees are definitely going to go much sooner than the average person, too, so it may not even be more than 15 years or so until they become unmanageable on a daily basis.
I'll stick with single story, then
Regarding the bars? Yes, you can get the ones that release, but, for the love of Mike, release them a few times a year, to make sure the mechanism still works and you can work it. We had them in it first apartment and my landlord told us to do that. It took a couple of years, but they needed to be serviced. They were under a very sappy tree. The tree was cut, too.
The only thing safer about a 2 story house is that yes, you can keep windows open upstairs and get nice ventilation without that thought that someone can easily come through the screens. Other than that, really no difference. But that's why I always liked 2nd floor (or higher) apartments so I could leave windows open whenever I liked, especially at night.
In the U.S. I have only ever seen bars on windows (and doors) in areas that were pretty clearly unsafe. I have never seen them in any neighborhood anywhere near where I live now (southwestern NH).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krsy
Bars on windows here in the U S would most probably be a no-no in most places. But bars certainly don't have to be ugly. You hardly see them when you have them to tell you the truth. One place I rented in Italy the bars were bowed out at the bottom, sort of rounded out and planter boxes fit perfectly in the bottoms, so I had geraniums growing in them 9 months a year. Was really quite pretty and being a single female was also nice to sleep with the window wide open at night against the summer heat and feel totally safe. Wish I had pictures of that place, was really cute. That apartment had roll down shutters, too.
I have a hard time understanding that ^^^ (bolded parts) ... bars on windows are (normally) pretty obvious. Krsy, can you find photos online that show what you meant? I am really curious now.
I live in a 2-story house in a VERY good neighborhood and have always felt completely safe. I realize I am probably just very lucky but honestly, I would hate to live in a neighborhood where having bars on windows/doors was the norm.
(Oh, and I figured that even if my joints ever give out and/or my 80-something mom comes for an extended visit, I can always install one of those chair lifts. Problem solved, allowing me to stay in a house and neighborhood that I love.)
Bars on windows here in the U S would most probably be a no-no in most places. But bars certainly don't have to be ugly. You hardly see them when you have them to tell you the truth. One place I rented in Italy the bars were bowed out at the bottom, sort of rounded out and planter boxes fit perfectly in the bottoms, so I had geraniums growing in them 9 months a year. Was really quite pretty and being a single female was also nice to sleep with the window wide open at night against the summer heat and feel totally safe. Wish I had pictures of that place, was really cute. That apartment had roll down shutters, too.
Decorative security window "bars" are generally available in the US as well, and most housing areas in the US don't have such restrictive HOAs (most don't have HOAs at all).
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