going down the basement stairs

Call the Ghost Busters!

(Just Kidding)

I would have send the dogs you got. If there is someone there, they will still bark their heads off. They have far better night vision and can sniff out any bad guys. You might even consider installing motion sensing lights INSIDE your basement. That way you will know for sure if someone is there. It also comes in handy if your hands are full and can't hit the light switch. Interior motion sensors for lights are pretty cheap.

Congrats on the wifie being preggers by the way.
 
Three cheap and easy solutions (to add to some of the other good suggestions):

1. Fill up the space under the stairs with storage items which preclude anyone from occupying that space and are not moveable without creating significant racket. Maybe put boxes, bikes, furniture, etc. topped off with one or two expedient noisemakers (e.g., tin can filled with marbles balanced on top).

2. Buy a couple of Cylalume lightsticks for a dollar or three. Chemlites can be tossed or flipped down or thru the open stairs to illuminate a dark basement (if you prefer not to flip light switch or can't reach without exposing yourself). They are cheap, won't damage anything they hit, and will provide enough illum to see while causing anyone down there to cast shadows if they move.

3. Dangle a short length of rope thru the steps while saying: "Honey, I'm letting the snake loose...". Then drop it and wait for reaction. Lot's of folks have an inordinate fear of snakes :D

#1 & #2 are serious replies...#3 not so much...sorry.

Good Luck.
 
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HK MP5 is the only way to go into a basement...there are....things..... down there....

Horrid things...they hunger...

In the dark...for...

flesh........

WildcthuluAlaska TM
 
Am I really the only one who hears a noise in the basement, secures the door so they can't get in the house, and then goes outside to see if they've broken into my basement through a window, cellar door, etc before I get exicted and call the police?
 
Am I really the only one who hears a noise in the basement, secures the door so they can't get in the house, and then goes outside to see if they've broken into my basement through a window, cellar door, etc before I get exicted and call the police?
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Why, yes, there may be monsters out there.:D

I've taken a few precautions like barrel bolts on certain doors, and noting that they are still locked when I get home. (Can't lock a barrel bolt behind you) And lights that can be switched on at the top of the stairs, while leaving the stairway in darkness are always a good idea. I have had to clear my basement on a few occasions in 27 years, though.:o
 
Anything could be a diversion or a trap. If you're convinced it has two feet, do the bunker down thing and watch all the exits. Why would you go outside? Leave the inside vulnerable while you go on a fly hunt?
 
Whenever I set up a house for a client, I installed motion sensor lights in every room, hallway, stairwell except the master bedroom. That works quite well and makes intruders very nervous. I put led's on each one, so I could tell if one had been turned off/unplugged. Occassionaly, I would bridge a ding-dong on certain ones.

The hallway one worked fine until the cat learned to turn it on when he came in at night. :D

Pops
 
Anyway, I think I've got enough to work with here. I particularly like the mirror advice and have a spare I could hang down there. Thanks, all.
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That McGiver-ish trick will get you killed. Don't try to clear a house unless you've been trained in it. Bunker down. If the noise is repeated or you feel confident there is an intruder, call the cops and wait.
 
I just finished reading a Dean Koontz book "The Good Guy" and here is what the 2 good guys do - they throw decorative pillows up the stairway! It should work in reverse just as well.

Now before you say anything these 2 guys are ex Marines and one is a PO so that MUST be the correct action.

I won't tell you what happened so as not to spoil the book for you.

BTW, they stocked up with three pillows because a smart bad guy might not fall for the pillow toss on the first try but by the third one he just can't resist - Dean must get this theory from the Roger Rabbit movie where the old shave and a haircut bit always draws the rabbit out!

Dean is getting better tho - his last couple novels featured Kahr pistols no more Korths.
 
Next time go downstairs wearing only your underwear and carrying a laundry basket with your gun hidden in it. If the skivvies don't scare them off, surprise them with your gun.
 
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