My retirement plans are moving right along. Closed on the retirement house two weeks ago. Making a budget on a few improvements/ replacements. A big concern for me is security. House is full of windows. No problem there. While I am really pleased that the kitchen has an old fashioned exterior door with a lattice style glass pane, obviously an exterior door with a large window is a security risk, especially when that door cannot be seen from the street. The easy choice is to replace the existing door with a window-less door, for security’s sake. Would any of you keep the existing kitchen door?
I would keep the existing door. If you are that worried, get a whole house alarm system.
You know…windows at the back of your house are just as vulnerable as that door.
In many scenarios, when theres a glass door or nearby window, they change to a double key lock- where it takes a key on the inside to get out. An intruder can’t reach in and just twist the latch open. You make extra keys, so if you lose the first, you’re ok. Or hang that out of reach to the side of the door.
You can also place an extra lock on the door, out of reach of someone. Or have this for some help when you’re home. Again, out of reach. https://www.amazon.com/National-Hardware-N273-649-Security-Chrome/dp/B000BOCA94/ref=asc_df_B000BOCA94/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194874485682&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15679548333188873869&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9057239&hvtargid=pla-316165408057&psc=1
We have multiple glass doors on the back and one side of our house. In addition to the usual security system contacts that detect a door being opened, we have glass break detectors in each main floor room with windows or glass doors.n That could be an option. Another option could be a decorative steel security door installed on the outside of your glass door.
Congrats on your retirement house.
We moved to our retirement house on the lake about 3 months ago. It’s small, but has 3 exit doors. The front door is solid with no glass but the basement door and kitchen door to deck both have windows.
This is considered a safe area so I guess the previous owner was comfortable as is.
We moved from a little city and are not so trusting. We changed all the locks the day after closing. Kept the same doors but added keyed deadbolts to the 2 with windows. Had all 3 re-keyed so we only need one key for any entry.
We hang a key next to doors with deadbolts, far away enough that someone breaking the window couldn’t reach it.
A little annoying to have to use a key to leave but worth it to us.
Good luck with your retirement plans!
I dislike the thought of needing a key to exit, especially in an emergency. You are only going to get older and inconveniences more annoying.
We upgraded to hurricane doors and windows here in Tampa- I know they make resistant door inserts you could check on. We like having our alarm system as well- leave doors locked unless outside and like the noise when a door is opened. Alarms on some windows, but more importantly good locks and with capability of leaving partially open but locked in place (it’s been far too hot here for open windows, then the dust/dirt in a residential tree filled area).
Two of three exterior doors are glass in our new house. As posted upthread, we have a home security system with door sensors, glass break sensors, and motion cameras.
I would keep the door. You could install a strike plate with long screws that go into the door frame (very inexpensive) and a surface bolt for extra security http://katrinablair.com/blog/iclittlehouse.com/2014/08/installing-surface-bolts-on-french-doors.html
When building our home the builder, against my better judgement after much discussion, talked me into a glass panel in the door in the back of the home off the dining room for the view. While building, someone broke it with a rock but took nothing. We were sure it was teenagers and found out later it was. I changed it to a solid wood door the day of the breakin. My point is that it was just too tempting. Obviously any one who wants to getting, can. But why invite?
I would never install a door that had to be opened from the inside with a key. What if there’s a fire and that’s the only egress?
I’ll just add my vote to keeping egress easy.
Our front door has small panels of glass. I suppose they could break those but I’ve never worried about it. The main door we use leads to the dining room near the kitchen and has many panes of glass - any of which could be broken (we like true divided light, which I suppose makes it easier for thieves to break). The back porch has two exterior doors- one leading from the enclosed porch to the outside and one leading from the house to the porch. Each of those has a large pane of glass. The outside door is never locked and the inside one has a deadbolt only - we’ve never had keys for those two doors. The basement exit door has a similar large window and uses one of those old sliding metal locks on the inside.
No security system here. We just don’t worry about it. Relatively safe neighborhood and our house is the fixer upper. If I were concerned, I’d get a dog.
So gotta ask…are some folks suggesting there should be NO ground floor windows or doors with windows at the back of their homes?
Sorry…but that would keep a lot of natural light out of the backs of a lot of homes.
My kitchen door, at back of the house has windows. We also have floor to ceiling windows on first floor, front and back. Master bedroom is downstairs. No special locks on the doors or windows, and I do not worry about break ins when I am not home. I am not encouraging a break in, but I would prefer a break in then rather than in middle of night. I figure if someone tries to break in while I am sleeping I will hear something, hopefully… I am a city kid, and try to be reasonable about making sure I take precautions, but I do not want to lose the natural light the windows provide and my neighborhood is reasonably secure.
Thieves apparently prefer going through doors rather than windows, so keeping inside door lock controls out of reach of breakable windows will keep some thieves out, even if it will not keep out the subset of thieves willing to go through windows.
I have never had a door I had to unlock to exit and wouldn’t want that. We have lots of glass windows plus double glass sliding doors, in our home and the home I grew up in. Never had a break in nor problem except once—burglars broke in read window louvre that was left open.
Our last house had 3 glass doors leading to the outside. All had the type of lock where you needed a key to get out. I absolutely hated them! We were only there for 5 years and so we did not change the locks, but we did have a whole house security system.
Are double glazed windows/doors easily broken? They looked rather indestructible to me. I thought they were as good as wooden doors.
Two of my neighbors got burglarized through a window. Otoh. Both were slightly open.
But if you don’t want a double key lock, it’s ok not to get one.
I remember staying with my cousin last year. She lives outside Atlanta and when it gets dark she pulls every shade and curtain completely closed. I truly felt like I was in a cave. I know she did it for security reasons, she lives alone, but I think I would rather invest in an alarm system. As I said in a previous post, we have many windows, and many are floor to ceiling. We never pull shades down or close curtains. I did invest in a good blind for the spare bedroom for when she visits but otherwise we love the light and I don’t care if folks can see “in” my house at night.
It’s not the people who might pass and see in. It’s people watching you that would be creepy.