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Keep in mind that when someone kicks in your door, they hardly ever kick on the hinge side. They place a kick to the door knob and in it goes.
A 10# sledge hammer to the knob and deadbolt is all it takes, and you are in the house in seconds.
Longer screws in the hinges will make the hinges stronger, but will have little or no effect in keeping someone from breaking in. The door jamb usually splits at the locksets when the door is kicked in.
A trash can thru the window is equally as fast. It just makes a little more noise.
you can reinforce where the lock goes into the opposite side of the frame, my favorite is a piece of small steel pipe behind the striker plate, driven into the stud lol
Keep in mind that when someone kicks in your door, they hardly ever kick on the hinge side. They place a kick to the door knob and in it goes.
A 10# sledge hammer to the knob and deadbolt is all it takes, and you are in the house in seconds.
Longer screws in the hinges will make the hinges stronger, but will have little or no effect in keeping someone from breaking in. The door jamb usually splits at the locksets when the door is kicked in.
A trash can thru the window is equally as fast. It just makes a little more noise.
I don't think that security was the goal of the OP. It's a given that longer screws in the hinges won't keep the door from getting kicked in. But a highly secured door won't keep a window from getting broken out.
There's only so secure we can make our homes without turn them into fortresses.
Omaha, you are right. Desertsun was the one to bring up the "security" issue.
I think that one long screw per hinge is probably all that is needed to make the hinge jamb as secure as it needs to be. The jamb itself should be secured to the wall studs in at least three locations too. That would be six total for the entire jamb. Any more I think is overkill. IMHO
Omaha, you are right. Desertsun was the one to bring up the "security" issue.
I think that one long screw per hinge is probably all that is needed to make the hinge jamb as secure as it needs to be. The jamb itself should be secured to the wall studs in at least three locations too. That would be six total for the entire jamb. Any more I think is overkill. IMHO
Yeah, you're right.
However, your comment about the jamb being "secured to the walls studs" is not necessarily true. It should be true, but I wouldn't bet on it. The more renovation work I do - both at home and at rental property - I am absolutely dumbfounded by the crappy work done by people who call themselves carpenters. Not all, mind you, but some.
just reinforce the door jamb with a strikeMaster. Home of STRIKEMASTER II Pro Door Frame Reinforcement. Keep your door from being kicked in. (http://www.asafehome.net/index.html - broken link)
LOL
I'm a contractor and I can get into any house. Through the door, windows, brick wall or wood siding wall.
Even if your house is built with exterior walls made of concrete I could still get in through your roof.
I worked on several prisons built here here and was amazed at what went into buildings just to keep people locked up. And people were still able to break out giving enough time.
I'm a contractor and I can get into any house. Through the door, windows, brick wall or wood siding wall.
Even if your house is built with exterior walls made of concrete I could still get in through your roof.
I worked on several prisons built here here and was amazed at what went into buildings just to keep people locked up. And people were still able to break out giving enough time.
busta
Of course you can get into any house. Any of us can. But that's not really the point.
Securing your house doesn't make it impossible for somebody to get in. It makes it less likely.
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