Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Reinforcing a double door

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    114

    Reinforcing a double door

    I am looking for ideas to add a little more peace of mind security to my double shop doors in the basement.

    I recently moved most of tools out to the side of the house so I could work on finishing the shop. I also installed a camera system to be part of a much larger home security setup. I decided to review the DVR to see how well it captured video when I noticed two different trucks had stopped and parked on the street next to my house while I was inside the shop working. During both occasions a driver stayed in the truck and two or more men got out and just stood in my yard staring at my tools. I was outside today and noticed one of the two trucks drove down my street today but did not stop while I was outside. (I live at the back of the subdivision just above the cul-de-sac and we hardly ever see any traffic). Now, I am a little concerned that one or more parties may have been casing my house.

    The shop is wired into the home security system. The secondary double door does have bolts that go into the upper and lower framing. The primary uses both a lock and deadbolt. However, when the entire door is closed it is still pretty flimsy. I am a small guy and I am pretty sure I could kick it in myself. I have also replaced the hinge screws with four inch screws. But, it is still where the two doors meet that I would like to reinforce.

    I have pretty much shelved the moat, spike trap and alligators due to HOA approval concerns. A dog would be nice but my wife's allergies are already off the chart due to wood dust and drywall dust.

    Thanks for any ideas you have.
    My friend Fred taught me that relationships are like fine tool makers, what you pay is but a small part, what matters most is the time, passion, and care that was spent and the joy that you have.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    New Hill, NC
    Posts
    2,568
    Shawn, do you have a separate entrance into the basement? If so, a couple of drop-bars installed on the inside of the doors will help to secure them. Also, an incredibly loud alarm horn that is tied into a very sensitive trigger switch on the door is another good option. I would suggest that the switch be designed to trigger the alarm if the doors are jiggled, so that you can scare the folks away before they totally break in.

    On several of my doors here on the farm, they have locking mechanisms that I've built that are similar to safe doors - ie multiple bars that engage in 3 different directions.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott T Smith View Post
    If so, a couple of drop-bars installed on the inside of the doors will help to secure them.
    that and couple of security cameras a with an ADT sign
    Carpe Lignum

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    114
    I like the idea of the drop bars. I do have another door that leads into the basement and it can also be accessed from the main floor.

    I like simple ideas that just work! Thanks.
    My friend Fred taught me that relationships are like fine tool makers, what you pay is but a small part, what matters most is the time, passion, and care that was spent and the joy that you have.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Highland MI
    Posts
    4,511
    Blog Entries
    11
    In addition to reinforcing the double door, I would get an ID on the trucks and have a chat with the local PD.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    NW Indiana
    Posts
    3,078
    I use a 2x4 which spans that double doors on the back side of my garage. There are no windows in the garage.

    For my garage, I have motion detectors which are tied into the monitored security system.

    If it were me and there were incidents like you describe, I would take my camera and walk out side and take pictures of the truck, the people and the license plate. I think that you are correct to be very careful with the way the people are acting. I might also call the company and ask what the people are doing.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Monroe, MI
    Posts
    11,896
    So your tools are in your yard??? Or did I read that wrong? I'd probably stop too if I saw a yard full of tools, assuming there was a sweet garage sale in progress.


  8. #8
    Instead of a siren, which no one pays attention to, I would get an air horn from truck salvage yard. They will even wake up the dead. Connect, using solenoid, to air compressor. You might want to use a cycling timer to make it do short blasts, plus a run timer to stop it after a couple minutes. No one is going to hang around with one of those things going off. If you should ever come home to find someone loading out your stuff, don't confront them, but break head lights and windshield of vehicle. That would make vehicle easily identifiable. There are only so many places that sell windshield glass.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    mid-coast Maine and deep space
    Posts
    2,656
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Meiser View Post
    So your tools are in your yard??? Or did I read that wrong? I'd probably stop too if I saw a yard full of tools, assuming there was a sweet garage sale in progress.

    I would have done the same thing & if I saw a person would have asked. Nothing wrong with being cautious though. Based on your description of "flimsy" doors Shawn, I would at least consider adding a 3/4" ply panel to the inside face of each door and backing up the secondary and more often fixed door with a vertical 2x4 stiffener.
    "... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
    WQJudge

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Meiser View Post
    I'd probably stop too if I saw a yard full of tools, assuming there was a sweet garage sale in progress.
    my bumper sticker says:
    Danger! I stop for yard sales
    Carpe Lignum

  11. #11
    I'm with Matt, Sam and Phil. Maybe it's because I'm a positive thinker, but I'd bet the guys were just stopping to see if those tools were for sale. If they didn't inquire or stop again, perhaps they were only in the market for smaller tools or handheld power tools.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Angrisani View Post
    I'm with Matt, Sam and Phil. Maybe it's because I'm a positive thinker, but I'd bet the guys were just stopping to see if those tools were for sale. If they didn't inquire or stop again, perhaps they were only in the market for smaller tools or handheld power tools.
    Shawn... were they wearing ski-masks?

    I like Saam's ideas about beefing up the doors.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •