4 Smart Home Improvement Projects to Enhance Safety and Security


 

When you think about places where you feel most safe and secure, your home may be one of the places that quickly come to mind. As your primary shelter, your home should ideally protect you reasonably well from most significant threats and dangers. Unfortunately, your home may not be as safe as you would like it to be or as it could be. By turning your attention to a few thoughtful, strategic home improvements, you can improve the safety of yourself and your family in the years ahead.

Update Exterior Lighting

Even if you live in an area with a very low crime rate, the possibility of your home being targeted by criminals remains. Criminals who break into homes for burglaries, home invasions or other property-related crimes typically look for easy targets that expose them to a lower risk of getting caught. Darker homes are understandably preferred by many criminals at night over well-lit homes. Spend time analyzing your home’s exterior to identify shadowy areas where criminals could hide. In addition to using landscape lighting and patio lights, think about investing in motion-activated lights for even more security.

Upgrade Your Security System

If you already have a home security system, now may be a good time to make an upgrade. Older home alarm systems generally only used sensors on the doors and windows to determine if they are opened when the system is activated. Modern systems take this to a new level with numerous interior and exterior surveillance cameras, motion-activated sensors and more. In addition, modern systems are now connected to smart home technology. For example, you may be able to immediately see who is approaching your front door or walking through your backyard through an app on your smartphone.

Focus on the Exterior Doors

It also makes sense to make your home more difficult to physically penetrate. Your doors are the easiest and most obvious entry point for criminals, so a closer look at the security they provide is in order. Some decorative doors have beautifully-inlaid glass, but this glass may be easy for someone to break. Once the glass is broken, the interior lock can be manipulated for easy entry into the home. Consider replacing your exterior doors with styles that do not have glass. If you prefer to keep this style of decorative door, upgrade to shatter-resistant glass. Another idea is to place motion sensors strategically so that they will pick up on motion near the doors.

Upgrade Door and Window Locks

Some criminals are masters at picking door locks, or they may look for windows that have been left unlocked. Some door locks are much more challenging for criminals to pick than others. You can research lock security ratings online before making an upgrade, or you may ask a professional locksmith to provide you with an in-home consultation. In addition, consider investing in window stops. These are special features placed on the interior of the window that prevent the window from opening more than a few inches. In the event that you do leave the window unlocked with an oversight, a criminal will not be able to crawl in through such a small opening. These interior window stop devices can quickly be removed from the interior in the event of a fire or another serious issue inside the home that results in the need to evacuate.

Investing in home security is an excellent idea. Some of these projects may add value to your home and may be desired by buyers when you prepare to list your home on the market. All of these ideas may help you and your family to be safer and more secure at home. Before beginning any home improvement projects, carefully assess your home’s most significant vulnerabilities, and determine how these or other thoughtful ideas may address your specific concerns.

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