DIY security for your home will give you some simple tips on how you can properly secure your home without paying too much for it. Many security companies offer complicated security and alarm systems for your protection. While these are good, not all families can afford what they cost. Besides, with a few precautions of your own, and some well-placed deterrents, you can keep your family, yourself and your home protected. The warmer weather is arriving and people are beginning to take their annual vacation (holiday). This is the time of year in which burglary increases, so before you go away make sure you have done the following:
You can install a CCTV security camera yourself. No criminal wants to take the chance of being caught on camera, even if it’s a home-installed one! Besides, if you hide the VCR (where it’s being taped) in a good enough place, they’ll have to spend the first half hour of the burglary trying to find it so they could take the tape out of it. This is not a good investment of time - even for a burglar.
DIY security CCTV cameras move around too. People in my neighbourhood have theirs panned onto their car, which is parked in the drive. I always keep my distance when I’m passing by in the mornings to take my daughter to school. The last thing I want is to be filmed too close to the car - and I’m a law-abiding citizen doing nothing wrong.
DIY fitted motion lights are very simple to fit. They’re cheap and easy to obtain from any DIY shop. The hardest thing is fitting the bracket to the outside wall. All you need to do next, is find a suitable place to plug your light in. Burglars hate bright lights. If you have one just above your front and back doors (which come on with motion) anyone who approaches will be flooded with light. Burglars love to work in the dark, and they can spot these motion sensor lights a mile off. Security for your home have never been easier. I’ve installed these lights on the outside of every house we’ve lived in.
You may not be able to fit your own windows, but the life of double glazing is prolonged if you take care of them properly. Every 6 months you should clean off the dirt from between all the working, metal parts, then oil them with WD40 to keep them working well. It’s terribly hard to break into double glazed windows, especially when they’re locked shut. If you’re away a lot, or before you go away on holiday, lock all your windows and keep the keys hidden out of sight.
The condition of your external doors can make the difference between a burglar attempting to break in or not. Your doors should look secure, even from the outside. Take care of all rotten wooden parts or broken glass etc. You may not think it’s important, but when you come to claim insurance (in case of a burglary) your insurance company will make it very important indeed, and may even refuse to give you the payout you ask for. Always treat wood to keep them in good condition and check that there are no broken panes. A door that looks like it’s taken care of appears more secure from the outside.
Purchase good, sturdy locks for your side gate and shed. It may seem like a chore to open them each time you need access, but wouldn’t you rather do this than run the risk of being burgled? A house (and surrounding) that look secure, often are. This is the message you want to give to a potential burglar when they eye-up your property. You don’t want to invite them in by showing how unconcerned you are with security. Someone who opens a gate and walks through can be mistaken for you (by your neighbour). Someone who climbs over a gate attracts attention from even a casual passer by. Make burglars have to climb over and out themselves.
You also need a lock on your shed so that burglars can’t access your tools and ladders and use them to break into your home. More on exterior care at the link.
When it comes to security for your home, fences play a key role in keeping your property safe. It’s advisable to plant prickly plants near your fences as deterrents. A high fence with a trellis at the top is also ideal for stopping prowling burglars. They won’t want to climb over a trellis because they can’t hold an adult’s weight. In addition to this, if your trellis has got a prickly plant growing from it they know you mean business. If you have a hedge with no fence, make sure you have adequate thorny plants that hurt.
Burglars don’t like hard work. It’s one of the reasons they won’t get a proper job. Therefore, making your home harder to break into is a sure way of making it less attractive to potential burglars. If you have an alarm system, use it. However, if you don’t there are other little things you can do to make your home a more difficult target for breaking into, especially if you’re away. Here are some deterrents you can use. I’ve also put a link (at the bottom of this page) to an affordable alarm system you can hook up yourself.
When you’re going to be away get timers for your lights so that your house isn’t completely dark (or the lights aren’t on all the time).
Set your TV on a timer to come on the usual time you watch TV. The noise and flashing blue lights from the screen gives the impression someone’s home.
Some people also play barking dogs’ tapes. I haven’t tried this so can’t vouch for it. It would be a bit weird if you haven’t usually got a dog, though. 
Keep all keys hidden out of sight (not visible from the windows).
Tell the neighbours you’re going away and when you’re coming back.
Cancel milk and papers deliveries.
Ask a friend to come by and change the appearance of your home - open curtains, pick up mail, park in your drive etc.
Do you have any other DIY security for your home we may find helpful here? Have you ever been burgled and what was the point of entry? If you liked ‘DIY Security for your home’, please share it on your favourite social networking sites. Thank you.
Image source for post image: http://www.sum-security.com/images/burglar%20alarms%20london.jpg
Do you pay much attention to exterior design ideas or do you just concentrate on the inside of the house? As you all know, this blog was started after we decided to redecorate and redesign an old house we’d bought. I’ve taken you through most of the interior makeovers we did around the house. It needed a complete overhaul and there’s not an inch of the home my fingers haven’t been over - several times. Most of this is finished and you can see the results at the link.
Spring is around the corner and some (yes, only some) of my efforts will be turned to the outside of the property. We can’t do as much as we’d like at the moment, but that set me thinking about the exterior design ideas which will make the best impact on your home.
exterior design ideas can be simple, yet impacting
I did a post here about front doors. Paint colours not only tell a little about the people who live in the houses, your choice of colour can really impact on the overall image of the house. Always make sure your front door looks great from the outside. It’s the first impression your guests - and random passers-by have of your home. Like a personal first-impression, there’s no second chance, so get it right. Even if your door isn’t new, keep it clean, well looked-after and free from weed etc. A good paint job, a nice mat, an interesting door-knocker, and a few potted, well-groomed plants all count towards an impressive front door.
Add plants to your front garden. They don’t have to be expensive plants. They just have to be well-looked after. If you don’t have the time it takes to care for a hanging basket it’s better not to have one. Go for yukka or grasses and other low-maintenance plants if you’re busy. If you have a completely paved area at the front of your house, get some large plant pots and place them around your front door. Different sizes and shapes work better together.
There is little point in having the most expensive front door when you have a run-down fence that needs attention. The fence at the front of your house should be well cared for and maintained. It doesn’t have to be a brick fence to be sturdy. Wooden fences make quite an impact if they’re painted (or treated) and are upright. If wooden fences are too difficult to maintain, you can consider pvc fencing and pvc railing, which are much more durable and look a lot nicer. Fences are also important for security reasons. The police force has noted that if you give the first impression (with your fences, gates, windows etc) you’re serious about security, you’re less likely to be burgled.
Your tastes will obviously play an important role in your exterior design ideas. Door mats, door knockers and house numbers - for example come to mind. If your taste is very eccentric, it’s probably better to give into this at the back of your house. It’s better to fit in with the general ‘feel’ of your neighbourhood in terms of design. This means that you may have to paint that huge wooden wheelbarrow and use it to plant flowers in your back garden. Your house number may have to remain just the average plaques the neighbours have, and that driftwood may have to be transformed into the back of a bench at your back door.
Most people in the UK use a combination of decking, plants and clever painting to create impact in their back gardens. The only problem with decking is that it can be difficult to maintain if you’re very busy. I grew up in South America where a lot of the house had verandas. One of my utmost dreams for our home, is to have a veranda at the back of the house. We’ll have to wait a few years to get that, but I’m definitely going to use pvc decking to get the job done. After all these years of waiting, I don’t want the maintenance jobs that sometimes can accompany wooden decking. I already have my veranda design planned out, even though it may be 5 years before we can afford it!
Do you have any other exterior design ideas? What have you done outside your house that has impacted the most? Please leave your ideas in the comment boxes below. If you liked ‘Exterior Design Ideas’ please share it on your social networking sites. Thank you.
Good Gardening DIY is a huge part of your home improvement. Once the house is finished your home makeover doesn’t look complete until at least some work is done in the garden. The links below are some gardening articles to give you great ideas for your own outdoor space. Posts are being added and updated regularly, so come back to check for more as time goes by. I’ve also linked to some very popular articles on this site which deal with exterior makeover, exterior security, and design.
Whether you self-store outside in your shed, you’re trying to build a little sunshine haven for you and your family, or you just want to maintain the outdoor space and keep your property safe, you can find something below to suit your needs.
Have you got any Gardening DIY tips you’d like to share? How about sharing them in the comment section below. While DIY Projects is not a gardening blog, we know that gardening is a big part of DIY and home improvement. This is why we’ve touched a little on every aspect of gardening. If you’d like to see a gardening article featured here please use the contact form to let us know.
Here are some brilliant gardening helpers DIY Projects can recommend.
Top Commentluvvers
Recent post : NYC Weddings: Planning a One of a Kind Wedding
Recent post : Steinepreis Paganin is happy to announce the addition of Matt...
Recent post : Things to Know on How to Style your Deck
Results since : 17th Oct
Will reset on : 27th Oct