Increasing your home’s safety and security is essential for keeping yourself, your loved ones, and your belongings safe. Home safety is not just about installing new locks.
It also involves keeping away pests and adding advanced features to reduce the risk of your home being intruded. For the best exterior updates that will increase the safety of your home, try the suggestions below.
Pest treatment
Getting your home and garden some mosquito treatment means you do not have to worry about the safety of your children or your home. Pest control can help to reduce the number of pests that intrude your home each year or even keep them away for good. Treatments can remove small bugs or animals, such as mice.
Security gates
Don’t give intruders an easy way in thanks to an old gate or blown-over fencing. A garden gate is the same height as the adjoining walls or fences and securely constructed.
Metal gates are more difficult to scale than solid wood alternatives and their open structure means they don’t provide cover for an intruder. Check that the hinges, bolt, and padlock are secured on the garden side.
And, if possible, install two different locks on a gate. Look for a service like Locksmith Bentleigh to perform the installation of those locks.
Make sure that all of your fencings are in good condition – damaged panels could allow thieves to scope out the area and even gain access. Consider fixing trellis panels to the top of the fence or wall, or look for ones that have it built-in.
These will be strong enough to support a climbing plant but not a climbing intruder. If you have a garden gate, check that the hinges, bolts, and padlock are secured.
Exterior Updates
Lower fences and landscaping features
Although lower fences may hinder your privacy, they can increase the security of your home. Lower landscaping features are also an exterior update that can improve the safety of your home too.
Both work in similar ways. Lower features make intruders easier to spot. High features mean that they have something to hide behind.
Thus, installing lower features will decrease the likelihood of them intruding on your property and is thus an important part of exterior updates that should be completed.
Roof repairs
Roof repairs are also important exterior updates that should be completed. A damaged roof can cause all sorts of trouble. It can definitely impact your safety.
If a roof is old and rotting, it could fall down or cause the house to become uncomfortably damp or cold. Installing a new roof or repairing your current roof will maximize its safety and keep you safe.
The roof and the walls of your home are their foundation, so always ensure to keep them in good condition. Be sure to call a professional roof contractor for expert service guarantees.
Double-glazed locked windows
Double-glazed windows are essentially windows with two layers. This makes them regulate heat better, but they also enhance your home’s safety. Having two layers to get through will ward off intruders.
Having a lock will further discourage them to intrude. Both features act as extra security for your home and should be considered when doing exterior updates.
Locks can also prevent children from escaping or opening windows, which could be a dangerous hazard.
Surveillance cameras
Adding cameras are an obvious option when doing exterior updates, but they are a feature that is highly effective for warding off intruders. If a burglar sees that you have cameras, they will less likely intrude on your property.
Large cameras show off that you have surveillance in place. Smaller cameras may not be visible and could result in the burglar intruding on your home when you are not in. Thus, the larger the camera the better.
Modern cameras can often be connected to your mobile device, which means you can keep an eye on your property when you are out. Installing security cameras are an obvious option when doing exterior updates,
Outside lights
Lighting up the outside of your door will make your home look less easy to intrude on. It will deter burglars and reduce the risk of your home being at risk.
You can install lights that stay on all day, or add security lights that illuminate from movement. Either option will enhance your home’s safety and should be a part of your exterior updates too.
Visual security alarm
Similar to cameras and lights, a visible security alarm will show intruders that your home is protected. It will deter intruders and prevent them from entering your property as they will know that police will be alerted if they attempt to enter your home.
By adding security measures to the exterior of your home are the types of exterior updates you need to add to your home.
Smart doorbell
A smart video doorbell lets you view, listen and speak to visitors even when you’re not at home. Not only can you tell the delivery driver where to put a parcel whilst you are away, but they are also handy if you want to check who is at your door either before you answer it or whilst you are out.
Even if the bell does not ring, notifications can be sent to your phone when motion is detected, so you can see what’s happening outside your front door using your device.
For a quick fix, try a door chain so you can see and speak to whoever is outside without fully opening your door. Installing a door viewer is another option to see who’s there if you don’t have a front window to peek through.
A smart doorbell is another of the exterior upgrades to help the safety of your home.
Add noisy surfaces
Using noisy to walk on gravel can help alert you to people approaching your home before they arrive at your front door and is an excellent option for exterior updates. If you have a graveled front-drive, garden, or pathways, make sure to keep them topped up so that it provides as loud a crunch as possible when walked on.
Use animal signs
Add a ‘beware of the dog’ sign can be very effective to ward off potential intruders and another good option for exterior updates for your home. Even if you don’t have a dog, they can work.
Having a dog will often cause intruders to avoid your home as the dog could do more harm than they can propose to do.
As well as opportunistic burglaries, some burglars scope out a property beforehand, sometimes working with others. It’s therefore important to think about measures to ensure your home looks occupied at all times, that there aren’t any clear places where a potential burglar could hide to assess the house, and that their entrance to the house is visible and difficult.
Final Thoughts
There are many exterior updates that you can do on your home for the better safety of your home. By using the tips and ideas above you can improve your safety too.
Do you have other ideas for exterior updates you can do to improve the safety of your home? Please enter your comments below.