Single pane glass door panels are easy for burglars to break.

You could add a full iron bar security door, if you want to, but why cover up an entry door with ugly iron bars when you can keep the beauty of the front door and still be secure?

So to “beef up” the door itself for maximum security, here are my four recommendations:

• A Steel Door: It’s pretty rare that intruders will break through a door slab, whether it’s steel or fiberglass. (And by “slab” I just mean the panel of your door—you know, the part that swings open and closed.)

But certainly a steel slab would add additional security.

Just make sure you look for commercial gauge steel. Commercial grade is 20 gauge. The higher the number— 22, 24, 26, 28 — the thinner the steel, the kind of entry door you would find at Home Depot or Lowes in other words.

• A Reinforced Frame: The actual frame of the door should be reinforced with steel too, but the only critical place for reinforcement is the area around the deadbolt. Intruders tend to pry open locks or they’ll kick the lock right out at its ¾ inch wood frame where the deadbolt goes through. A door is only as secure as its weakest point, and the weakest point is usually the frame. A ¾ inch wood frame will just pop right out if hit with enough force.

You don’t need a steel frame around the entire door (usually not made for residential doors anyway), but you can get doors with 20-gauge steel reinforcement plates inside the frame that the deadbolt slips into. That stops intruders in their tracks because they have to do a lot of kicking and they are going to be making a lot of noise doing so. They’ll just move on.

• A Better, Stronger Deadbolt: Use a full 1-inch throw deadbolt, not ¾ inch. That extra ¼ inch on the bolt makes a big difference in terms of security. Think about it – more steel going into steel!

• How was the door installed in the first place? Installation is critical. A good installation uses a full 3-inch self-drilling, self-tapping screw, so you have a full 1 ½ set screw that is going through the hinge, through the door frame and into the stud. And if you do that with every screwhole in the hinge, that will really anchor the door into the 2 x 4. Most doors are installed with 1 ½ inch drywall screws, and that’s just not enough bite! So take care with the door installation as well.

I recently got a chance to talk with Caroline Renfro at WSOC-TV about front entry doors. In this short video I call your front door the ‘crown jewels’ of your home.

Your front door is the first thing people see when they come to your house. When you have an attractive door, you enhance your home and you feel good about yourself, because it is a reflection of you and your personal style.

Of course Caroline asked one of the more common questions I hear, “Gerry, when is a good time to replace my front door?” I say—When you’re tired of it! If the eyes are the windows of the soul, then in a very real sense your front entry can be considered the “eyes” of your home. If it doesn’t reflect who you are and how you feel, replace it.

Besides beauty, there are other factors to consider. For example, if your door is drafty, that’s not a good sign. You’re not only losing energy, but money too. Then there’s the security issue. If your door doesn’t feel as safe as you would like, then definitely consider installing a new door. Looks, energy efficiency and security—these are all good reasons to replace your old front door.

We talked about another question I get asked a lot, “Which is better, steel or wood?” And that’s really a personal choice, because either door material is equally strong. Plus the great “wood look alike” is a fiberglass door, which is equally as strong. If you are concerned about a possible break-in, the reality is that burglars are not going to break through your door panel; they’re going to break in through your locks and jams, so that’s where you need to focus when it comes to security, with good quality locking mechanisms.

And then there’s the cost question. “What’s it going to cost me?” Well, the cost of a front door can run the gamut, so my advice would be to first design the door that you want and then visualize it on your home. Using a computer, that is! Yes, thanks to technology, we can take a picture of your home and using our computer, we can “build” a door on your home, and then we can estimate the cost for you of the door you love.

“My wife asked me the other day how many times did I think the
sliding door going from our bedroom to the deck had been opened since it
was installed. I got to thinking about it. It is a Great Lakes door that
was installed at least 15 years ago. It goes from our bedroom onto the
deck. It is the main door we use for going to the back yard and deck and
to let our dogs outside. I counted openings this AM but quit when I got
to 20. I wasn’t happy paying what I did for the door and two other
windows at the time but we really got our moneys worth. If this isn’t
the right place to send this please forward to the right one. Thanks”

Thank you Mr. Blakeney! We appreciate your continued feedback after all these years.
This is the same wish I have for all my clients.

Yes, that is very possible. The minimum that needs to happen is to enlarge the opening and put in a new header. That may be easier said than done. There are a lot of variables to consider which will affect the appearance of the new door system, as well as the installation and cost.

For example, if the front of your home is brick, a brick mason will be needed for the opening on the outside. Are there currently windows near the front door? If so, the wall may need to be rebuilt for structural integrity. On the other hand, if your current door already has sidelights, that will change project scope as well.

We provide free, in-home consultations and review all of these details and design ideas with our clients. In my opinion, the best next move is to get a qualified professional to your home so you can find out what is involved in the job and see which options are available to you.

I love these remodeling projects! A new front entry can completely change the look and curb appeal of your home, and make a memorable first impression for a visitor.

If you’d like to send me a photo of the front of your home, I would be happy to talk with you further.

Don’t forget that many doors are eligible for the federal tax credit and energy incentive, so now’s the perfect time to replace a front door.

Good luck with your new doors!

Single pane glass door panels are easy for burglars to break.

Are you worried about home break-ins around your neighborhood?  I just listened to an article from NPR, that states crime trends are showing spikes in localized areas related to the poor economy.

Although national statistics show lower crime rates overall, there are localized pockets where crime has risen dramatically. What’s more, the onus for preventing burglaries and home invasions is falling more and more on the individual and neighborhoods.

It happened to a client just the other day: One evening, I got a call at home. She had purchased one of our steel ProVia exterior door entry systems not even a year before, and had just been burgled. She didn’t sound panicked, but I knew we needed to help because the door could not even be closed.

I was relieved to find one of our technicians at home, and when Rob got there, the police were still dusting for fingerprints.

Amazingly, this is what they found. Seems the burglars had tried repeatedly, with several tools, and for a while to break the door in. In fact, they didn’t actually break the door; the entire 20-gauge steel door was pounded so much that it caved in, bending enough for the bolt to come out of door frame. And the art glass window? It wasn’t even broken. No splintered and broken wood on the door jamb where the strike plate is, either. Here’s why I think this is amazing…

Rob was able to get the door back in place, secure and locking until the customer could get a new steel or fiberglass back door installed. She was able to stay in her own home, and sleep comfortably in her own bed without hesitation. Now, it wasn’t pretty, mind you; the door was smashed in and really looking rough. But it locked.

Had my client been at home, she would have heard all kinds of commotion, and been able to call the police. Since she wasn’t at home, some might suspect the determination these guys had signaled that they may have known exactly what they were after.

This true story points out the fact that a determined burglar can get through any exterior door you may choose to place at your property.  However, a good door can help to prevent burglaries by making the intruder take extra time to get in.  Many times, even the slightest impediment will make a burglar move on to the next attractive target rather than taking the time to overcome the obstacle you have placed in his way with high quality exterior steel or fiberglass door.

• Get a solid core, fiberglass or metal door for all entry points–front, back and sides
  Hollow doors are way too easy to kick in. Use solid wood or steel frames,
  and make sure the door fits properly. Gaps make it easier to
  remove the door from its frame.
• You will not go wrong with a quality, heavy-duty lock set on the door
  Look for a deadbolt with a 1″ throw, instead of the common 3/4″ bolt.
  That extra 1/4 inch of rod extending into the door jamb makes it much harder
  for a burglar to dislodge the lock from the door frame.
• Get added security protection on both the door and the frame
  Instead of the average wood panel, look for a lock with a 20-gauge steel
  reinforced strike plate, and use with 3″ long screws that make it almost
  impenetrable. It takes a lot more than a swift kick to splinter a
  door jamb that has been reinforced.
• Choose secure glass panels
  The most secure option is not to have glass panels.
  Burglars can smash decorative door windows and art glass panels to
  gain access to your home. If you have sidelites and art glass panels
  on your entry doors, make sure they are made with triple-pane,
  impact resistant and tempered glass. They will still look beautiful,
  and they are much more secure.

In just a few minutes, my client lost a few possessions, but she wasn’t robbed of her peace of mind. She’s replacing the old door with the same, secure steel door. I owe it to myself and my family to provide the best protection possible. So don’t lay awake at night wondering if you’ll be the next target on your block to experience a home break-in or home invasion.

I made a short video that will show you some of these security features in action. The Burglary Prevention Council has many more tips on their website.

Until next time, here’s to your safety, neighbor.

I made this quick video to answer some of the questions:

The energy-efficiency requirements for windows and doors are very specific, so make sure you understand how to claim your energy tax credit. And stay tuned, because I’ll be blogging more about this!

Do you think this worth the money?

Answer:
I can’t comment on the quality of that product, but the information you got was right on.

Movies and TV don’t depict break-ins realistically. It’s very unlikely that an axe-wielding maniac will try to chop your door down, or that someone will shoot your lock off. Most thieves don’t even pick locks anymore!

The most common method of forced entry is simply to kick the door down. That’s because while deadbolts are metal, the lock area in the doorframe is wood. With a few well-placed kicks, the deadbolt busts through the wood!

But if you reinforce the wooden lock area with something else (like metal), it’s much, much harder to kick down. You might be able to kick it down—eventually. But burglars pick houses based on ease of access. If they can’t get in quickly and quietly, they’ll move on.

Because of that, when we install entry doors,  we include reinforced lock plates standard. With a quality deadbolt and a lock area reinforced with 20-gauge steel, your house and family are safer.

And if you want some more simple tips to keep your home safe, check out:

Home Security Tips