reinforcing front entry way

[Jamie]

I'm not certain how deep or "unattractive" you want to dive on this, but here's what I currently do.

I think you are spot on at installing proper security door. My limited budget and now fixed income precludes that option for me at this time.

Let me preface this by saying that I live alone since my better half passed. I've layered things to give me a loud warning.
I do have door and window alarms and set up motion detectors at night. This is all Amazon and Home Depot gear.

I do have long, deep screws in all strike plates and attachment points.

My home is tri-level and I no longer have furry early warning critters.

I have several of these Sabre door stops. I even use one in my bedroom.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

I also use Sabre 120 dB wedge alarms around the house. These suckers are Loud in my house.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am always armed when dressed, or have firearms close at hand when in bed. It's not paranoia, just preparation.

I'll try an post a couple of pics. My Missus was totally onboard with these things when I worked 12-14 ER shifts before I retired.

Anecdotal: My 80 y old+ MIL used one of the Sabre door stops and during an illness episode it took some serious kicking by a Deputy to reach her. Not break down proof but certainly work surprisingly well and should make plenty of early warning noise and hopefully serve as a deterrent.

Living room door inside:


Bedroom door inside:



ETA: Good suggestions. FWIW I use 3 inch decking screws on my hinges and strike plate when I was altering the trim (just so I could make certain I was going into the framing).

[whomever]

Here are some screws:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Power-Pro-1...ount/999995806

They have 4 inch ones as well. Most doors will have a doubled stud, so 3 inches, and a 1/4 air gap and then a 3/4 frame, so 4 inches total. As mentioned, don't get them so long they run into an adjacent window, or come out the stud into wiring.

Note that the heads on these tend to set just proud of the countersunk holes in hinges and strike plates. There has always been enough clearance for them to work for me.

When our door was kicked in, a big chunk of the door frame came out with the strike plate. If you can pull the trim and access the gap between studs and door frame, you can slide in plywood shims (a big piece, like covering a couple feet around the locks) and send several long screws through the frame, through the plywood, and into the framing. Then spackle over the screw heads, paint, and they disappear. The plywood won't splinter like the usually pretty weak wood of the frame.

The hinge thingys that lock the hinge even if the hinge pin is pulled are only needed if the hinges are on the outside, IMHO.

I have an extra long 1/8 or whatever drill to I can make full depth pilot holes, so putting a buncha screws into the same piece of wood doesn't split anything.


If your lock spacing fits, you can get strike plates like this that ought to be stronger than two single plates:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gatehouse-S...-Plate/3407896

If the spacing doesn't allow that:

https://www.amazon.com/Therwen-Stain.../dp/B0C2PCB5MP


(being a hobby machinist, when I rebuilt our doors post-burglary, I built a lot of steel into the frame. The 'strike plate' was machined from a chunk of 3/4 bronze I had from somewhere, attached to the hidden steel with 1/2 inch grade 8 socket head screws, etc. I liked to imagine a burglar bruising his foot trying. What do you call beater cars with worked on engines ... sleepers? That was our doors. So when they came back, they went through a basement window, but that had to work at it because I'd replaced the glass with lexan. And when they finally got in, an alarm motion detector was pointed right at the window :-). They must have high tailed it, because a deputy was only a couple of blocks away when the alarm call went out. He was really disappointed, he'd thought he got there with them inside and called in the clans to do the whole house clearing thing.)

[lwt16]

Most residential burglaries I worked over the years were the rear doors/side doors of houses. Apartments with only one door were the exception.

They used to knock on the front, wait until there was no answer, and go to the back to kick that door in. Prime times were weekdays during working hours, especially summer when “youths” were out of school.

Home camera systems linked to cellphones were a game changer. Dispatch would get live descriptions from the homeowners and we’d catch the cretins walking down roads and alleys.

Those blocking bars are effective as are the swing plates while you’re inside. There are doors/jambs made that are almost impenetrable. Years ago, I worked a murder/suicide and none of us could kick that housing project door open. We had to get Fire to break it open and they had a time with it.

[rd62]

During the Covid craziness I installed Door Devil reinforcement kits on our two exterior doors. The kits include steel reinforcement plates for the frame mounted door knob and deadbolt strike plates, an additional reinforcement plate for the area of the door around the deadbolt, and reinforcement plates that cover the hinges where they mount to the frame as well as longer hardware to install it all.

They were reasonably priced and seem well made. May be a cost effective or temporary solution until you get your security doors.

[whomever]

Home camera systems linked to cellphones were a game changer. Dispatch would get live descriptions from the homeowners and we’d catch the cretins walking down roads and alleys.

That's great to hear!

[Malamute]

I put 3 to 4" screws in all the door hardware, hinges, strike plates, and into the door was well. The common black drywall screws are pretty good, they are hardened and have thin heads so they dont protrude out of the countersinks too badly, but phillips is a pain in the rear to drive sometimes. The drywall screws can be had in 3, 3 1/2 and 4". 3" works on most residential stuff, the screws start getting fatter and larger heads as the length increases.

The good quality gold Torx or star drive screws are far better to drive that phillps screws. The better quality ones have cutting tips and knurled shanks and ribs on the heads to reduce backing out. I use them when i can, sometimes the countersink holes need to be deepened if some of the heads dont go in far enough. The better ones are also hardened to a degree.

I do all the screws in both hinges and latch sides when possible, but replacing any helps. Be careful not to over-torque the screws and distort the frames, most people dont shim them very well and its easy to distort the jamb of not careful. Theres normally about 1/2" gap between the jamb and framing, that allows the jamb to be shimmed to set the doors and windows plumb/level. There should be some shims in there, but I had a sub try to get my guy to set a door by floating it on the finish nails and let the trim secure it better. I put a stop to that nonsense. All my nailing points are shimmed snugly as well as the hinges and latch hardware.

This was a good illustration of the difference in longer screws.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0-3iIlDM1M

A friend whos son is a firefighter said they have a significantly more difficult time entering houses with long screws in the door hardware.

I was in an area that had some unrest during the protest period, besides door hardware I bought brackets and screws to latch bars that utilize a 2x4 dropped into the brackets. i didnt install them but had them there. Id run heavy screws through the walls into the frame studs if it got sporty nearby, but it never did. I think I figured 2 crossbars at the front and one per on others.

If theres any glass on or hear your door, the shatterproof security film can help a lot. Again, it doesnt completely stop and entry but makes it much harder and longer time to breech.

[UNK]

Maybe it was mentioned and I didnt see it. Door material is the first concern. You can order a steel door to go into your frame. Theres also other materials that are not going to allow the door to be broken. Pella has one but its over a grand. Reinforcement of the frame at the strikes and hinges then the screws into the framing material.
I could not find a steel frame for a residental application.

[Pepper]

We have a sidelight on our front door so I went with Armor Concepts. I figured that if that fails, it would give the Doberman something to do.

[breakingtime91]

I have Cameras already, based on some suggestions we got a some door wedges that sound alarms today. We also got a door knob jammer for the front door that also has an alarm. I purchased replacement screws, a new lock plate, and I have a contractor who is going to install a front steel security door.

Whew, thank goodness were frugal but you can't put a price on feeling a little more secure

[lwt16]

That's great to hear!

We used to eat them alive. Homeowner would give a perfect description of clothing and we’d see them on approach. Since they didn’t know they were filmed, they’d try to act cool and not run. Sometimes they’d jet but by then, we had K9 in the area.

The alarm systems had far too much delay once they were tripped, went to the monitoring station, then to call takers, then to dispatch, and finally over the net. 20-22 minutes was the norm.

But the cameras linked to cells were faster. Much faster and it was easy to make felony arrests and return property. Once they got affordable and everyone had them, it slowed down residential burglaries drastically. At least in my zones before I retired.