Hi folks, I'm not sure if this is the proper section for this post so feel free to move it elsewhere.
I am leasing some land from a close friend, and am in the process of building a very small house/cottage in which I will live year round. When I first started designing it, I never really gave much thought to security; however I recently had a small and obvious epiphany: If I'm building something from scratch, and have total control over the design/materials, then why not implement some nifty ideas? My main concerns are doors and windows.
The structure itself is pure white oak & antique chestnut - 14'x20', with 7.5' ceiling height, and a garret upstairs for sleeping & storage. It's sort of a mock timber-frame in that the main framing members are 4"x8", the floor joists are also that thick, and the studs & rafters are all 4x4's spaced 18". This is great, because I realized that my door & window frames will all be 4"x4" thick oak and very reinforced. SO, what kind of door should I install that I could go out and just purchase. Nothing "custom" unless it's something I could add on myself. The biggest security risk is the windows, which are all salvaged antique single pane that I converted to casements. I was thinking of shutters or something for when I'm out for an extended amount of time. I have a fairly extensive gun collection, and would rather it not get into the wrong hands (thieves, youth or a combination thereof.) I live in the midst of nowhere but there is a state park within sight down the road where a lot of inner city kids come out to make noise, deal drugs and generally f**k around, vandalising. Petty theft (smash and grabs, etc) is on the rise.
Fortunately, in this state, anything as small as this place will appear to be at most a workshop and not very enticing for an experienced criminal. That could also be a drawback, as thieving kids would likely think it an easy target with no one inside.
I am leasing some land from a close friend, and am in the process of building a very small house/cottage in which I will live year round. When I first started designing it, I never really gave much thought to security; however I recently had a small and obvious epiphany: If I'm building something from scratch, and have total control over the design/materials, then why not implement some nifty ideas? My main concerns are doors and windows.
The structure itself is pure white oak & antique chestnut - 14'x20', with 7.5' ceiling height, and a garret upstairs for sleeping & storage. It's sort of a mock timber-frame in that the main framing members are 4"x8", the floor joists are also that thick, and the studs & rafters are all 4x4's spaced 18". This is great, because I realized that my door & window frames will all be 4"x4" thick oak and very reinforced. SO, what kind of door should I install that I could go out and just purchase. Nothing "custom" unless it's something I could add on myself. The biggest security risk is the windows, which are all salvaged antique single pane that I converted to casements. I was thinking of shutters or something for when I'm out for an extended amount of time. I have a fairly extensive gun collection, and would rather it not get into the wrong hands (thieves, youth or a combination thereof.) I live in the midst of nowhere but there is a state park within sight down the road where a lot of inner city kids come out to make noise, deal drugs and generally f**k around, vandalising. Petty theft (smash and grabs, etc) is on the rise.
Fortunately, in this state, anything as small as this place will appear to be at most a workshop and not very enticing for an experienced criminal. That could also be a drawback, as thieving kids would likely think it an easy target with no one inside.