Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You don't have to have unsightly bars or foldable grilles on the inside of the windows. Security/hurricane screens are not expensive and have the benefit of reducing sun damage, too. Check out: https://www.tapcoscreens.net. If I remember correctly, the screens are designed so they can be cut off by emergency personnel with the saw carried on a fire truck, which is easier than some iron bars that take more effort to remove.
Decorative bars are different than some of the more security-oriented and I have seen them in an aesthetically pleasing design in a Moorish/Spanish style home and on the parlor floor of a brownstone. On a different style of house, the bars would tend to be less pleasing, and can be a problem with HOAs. A replacement screen should not attract the same sort of negative connotation, and would avoid trouble with the HOA.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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).
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.
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).
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.)
Now, if I knew how to post a picture here I would, dang it! If you wouldn't mind sending me an email or some other way I can share the photo of my current home I could show you. It isn't that they are obvious, you just don't notice them in my opinion. Maybe having lived most of my life in places that had them, I just got used to it? I really would like to share what I see.
Can anyone link me to how to share a photo? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for posting that link (it was really helpful), but sorry, but they are still pretty obviously BARS on the windows, meant for safety. They are more attractive than "regular" bars -- but they're still bars!
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).
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.)
if you're from NH, go to Boston. Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South End, ... Great neighborhoods and some of the most beautiful and expensive real estate in the country. Some may hate neighborhoods like this but many are paying millions to live there, window bars and all. Bars all over just about every window that is accessible at street level.
I simply brought it up to debunk the myth that it had to be like prison and ugly. However, I think we are getting way off track as in most places in the US, it's simply not a practical solution to install bars on all ground floor windows. It's just not done in most areas, would be prohibitively expensive if you have many windows and would severely compromise the look of most homes as well as the whole neighborhood. And your neighbors would probably hate you.
I often wonder why some homes are designed with one or two tall narrow windows adjacent to the front door - all the perp has to do is cut through the glass, reach in and unlock the door! Might look nice, but obviously safety was not the #1 concern when designed.
if you're from NH, go to Boston. Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South End, ... Great neighborhoods and some of the most beautiful and expensive real estate in the country. Some may hate neighborhoods like this but many are paying millions to live there, window bars and all. Bars all over just about every window that is accessible at street level.
I simply brought it up to debunk the myth that it had to be like prison and ugly. However, I think we are getting way off track as in most places in the US, it's simply not a practical solution to install bars on all ground floor windows. It's just not done in most areas, would be prohibitively expensive if you have many windows and would severely compromise the look of most homes as well as the whole neighborhood. And your neighbors would probably hate you.
Nothing drives me crazier than to have people come to the area and comment on how many "Premises Protected By ______ Alarm Company" signs they see, most of which are fake, and then make the incorrect assumption we're crime ridden. We're not, although the wealthy suburbs many of these people are coming from do suffer from break-ins and other assorted property and physical crimes. They carry their fears to their new home, which then becomes a vicious circle.
OP, this is your, at least, second thread concerning your safety in a rural area. If you haven't already moved I would advise you not do so and stay put.
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).
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.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by 17thAndK
Start by clicking MY SETTINGS at the top left, and next click PICTURES & ALBUMS. There's more, but I haven't mastered it yet either.
Wonder if this is going to work, I think I have attached it below. This is my kitchen window and no one can say it is ugly. It is high off the ground, people passing by the pedestrian only street in front always like to peek in to see the interior. The wall in front with the ivy belongs to my neighbors.
Ah, now in preview mode, the window is sideways, can anyone help with that?
Location: Finally the house is done and we are in Port St. Lucie!
3,487 posts, read 3,342,968 times
Reputation: 9913
Decorative security bars are very common in El Paso. Even in rich neighborhoods. If a house doesn't have them it looks odd.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
