Home Security Tips for the DIY Homeowner

If you want to improve your home's security, you can have an electronics expert install an alarm system, but this can be expensive to purchase and difficult to maintain and even use for some homeowners. Very often, adding security to your home is not impossible to do on your own if you consider how intruders think and the best ways to deter them. Note a few simple DIY tips that just about any homeowner can manage when it comes to increasing home security.

Don't give them privacy

Adding prickly shrubs in front of windows can keep a thief from standing there trying to open those windows, but tall shrubs can also give them privacy. A tall privacy fence can do the same. Never underestimate the importance of a nosy neighbour who sees someone trying to break into your property and who alerts the police, so trim the hedges to keep windows completely exposed and rethink that privacy fence. Add lights to the back door and back windows as this too can deter a thief from standing there, trying to break in while no one sees him or her.

Make it look occupied

Don't assume that a break-in only occurs at night, as many burglars prefer to work during the day; this is when most homes are unoccupied! To make your home less of a target, make it look occupied even during the day. Use timers on lights and radios, as you would when you're on vacation, every day. Forego newspaper delivery if you come home every day to a newspaper on your porch, as this alerts burglars to the home being empty. Always keep the garage closed during the day so it's not obvious that the cars are gone.

Securing the entryways

Invest in heavy-duty security doors with a steel frame that you can install for both front and back entryways. This can keep the door from being kicked in. Avoid a door with a window that is near the door handle; this can result in a smash and twist or someone breaking the window to reach inside and open the door. If you must have a door with a window for added light, choose a security door with glass blocks that are too thick to break or Plexiglas with a painted design to make it look more attractive. For the home's windows, window alarms are like motion detectors that sound an alarm when glass shatters, and these are small, inexpensive and easy to install.