The Home Improvement Thread

Oswego

n00b
Don’t spend the extra money, if someone wants in, they will, the thief could care less about your door locks. Most thieves kick in door, or bust a small widow on the door or enter through a window all together.

Sorry - those were retail prices. I'm getting this stuff through work so I might not pay anything. Especially if I order them on the same PO as one of my jobs. Wink wink. All depends on how my quote request comes back. In 20 years dealing with JLM Ive never tried to buy anything for myself so we shall see how good my vendor treats me when I get my quote back. I didn't ask for them for free - just said this is a quote request to see how I can better protect my family lol

My windows have been filmed so it's going to take a minute or two to break them out. My doors have been reinforced so good luck kicking them in. I'm sure a battering ram will get through, but not on the first swing on my front door - maybe the rear because it's glass.

Now my locks will won't be pick proof but if only one guy in the world can pick it - Ill feel secure. No sense adding security if you leave a gaping hole in it (Crappy Schlage cylinders in all my locks you could bump open in 1-2 seconds or drill out in a minute). That's not happening with a Abloy Protech 2.

I just need to swap out my lock box because I found out that's total junk and can be picked with a plastic business card.......might as well have a hide a key or leave my doors unlocked.



This. I take the usual measures but if a thief wants in they will get in

If the usual measures include any locks from Home Depot or Lowes and your doors aren't reinforced like I just did - chances are if someone wants to rob you they will kick in your front door during the daytime and succeed. I'm not going to be one of those victims. I make my living keeping those people out of places they shouldn't be or locking them in places they need to remain in commercially......just never thought about my own residential security until the issues in my hood sprung up.

If you and your friends are getting chased by a wolf - you just need to be faster than your slowest friend. When it comes to security - why have the worst set up on the street that's begging to get robbed? Have the best and hope they rob your neighbor so they can kick in his door to get their fix.

Whatever you do - stay away from Simply safe - their products suck. Tune in the signal, press the mic on a ham radio, and walk right in. The signals are all the same frequency and you can easily override them.
 

tex

That's Mr Asshole to you
Locking storm door, solid front with no windows, deadbolt from a local locksmith with longer screws, and cameras.
I feel I am no where near as easy as several of my neighbors so there is that as well.
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
Sorry - those were retail prices. I'm getting this stuff through work so I might not pay anything. Especially if I order them on the same PO as one of my jobs. Wink wink. All depends on how my quote request comes back. In 20 years dealing with JLM Ive never tried to buy anything for myself so we shall see how good my vendor treats me when I get my quote back. I didn't ask for them for free - just said this is a quote request to see how I can better protect my family lol

My windows have been filmed so it's going to take a minute or two to break them out. My doors have been reinforced so good luck kicking them in. I'm sure a battering ram will get through, but not on the first swing on my front door - maybe the rear because it's glass.

Now my locks will won't be pick proof but if only one guy in the world can pick it - Ill feel secure. No sense adding security if you leave a gaping hole in it (Crappy Schlage cylinders in all my locks you could bump open in 1-2 seconds or drill out in a minute). That's not happening with a Abloy Protech 2.

I just need to swap out my lock box because I found out that's total junk and can be picked with a plastic business card.......might as well have a hide a key or leave my doors unlocked.





If the usual measures include any locks from Home Depot or Lowes and your doors aren't reinforced like I just did - chances are if someone wants to rob you they will kick in your front door during the daytime and succeed. I'm not going to be one of those victims. I make my living keeping those people out of places they shouldn't be or locking them in places they need to remain in commercially......just never thought about my own residential security until the issues in my hood sprung up.

If you and your friends are getting chased by a wolf - you just need to be faster than your slowest friend. When it comes to security - why have the worst set up on the street that's begging to get robbed? Have the best and hope they rob your neighbor so they can kick in his door to get their fix.

Whatever you do - stay away from Simply safe - their products suck. Tune in the signal, press the mic on a ham radio, and walk right in. The signals are all the same frequency and you can easily override them.

This. I take the usual measures but if a thief wants in they will get in

The Universal House Key for filmed windows and reinforced doors.

4DD8F922-E6A0-457F-8D89-A58C6500FD2B.jpeg


The Aluminum or Vinyl window frames peel out easy.
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
I have monitored service through Smith Thompson cost about ~$15 month, the response time to my house might be an issue if a sheriff is not located near by, but I have a neighbor down the street with same gate code by choice, he is a retired cop and I have sent him over twice, both false alarms, one was the garage side was unlocked and wind blew it open and the second one was the blinds in patio doors were not closed and the dogs shadow from outside set off the IR motion sensor.
 

balakay

BabyMax
I just dont live in fear. But who knows, you may wake up tomorrow and I may be killed in my sleep by an intruder ‍♂️
 

tex

That's Mr Asshole to you
I just dont live in fear. But who knows, you may wake up tomorrow and I may be killed in my sleep by an intruder ‍♂️
Mostly this. Dont leave your shit unlocked and live your life.
My FIL reads a news article about something bad happening and thinks he is next. Spends more time worried about stuff than not.
 

tx_shooter

It is not a war crime the first time.
Staff member
Sorry - those were retail prices. I'm getting this stuff through work so I might not pay anything. Especially if I order them on the same PO as one of my jobs. Wink wink. All depends on how my quote request comes back. In 20 years dealing with JLM Ive never tried to buy anything for myself so we shall see how good my vendor treats me when I get my quote back. I didn't ask for them for free - just said this is a quote request to see how I can better protect my family lol

My windows have been filmed so it's going to take a minute or two to break them out. My doors have been reinforced so good luck kicking them in. I'm sure a battering ram will get through, but not on the first swing on my front door - maybe the rear because it's glass.

Now my locks will won't be pick proof but if only one guy in the world can pick it - Ill feel secure. No sense adding security if you leave a gaping hole in it (Crappy Schlage cylinders in all my locks you could bump open in 1-2 seconds or drill out in a minute). That's not happening with a Abloy Protech 2.

I just need to swap out my lock box because I found out that's total junk and can be picked with a plastic business card.......might as well have a hide a key or leave my doors unlocked.





If the usual measures include any locks from Home Depot or Lowes and your doors aren't reinforced like I just did - chances are if someone wants to rob you they will kick in your front door during the daytime and succeed. I'm not going to be one of those victims. I make my living keeping those people out of places they shouldn't be or locking them in places they need to remain in commercially......just never thought about my own residential security until the issues in my hood sprung up.

If you and your friends are getting chased by a wolf - you just need to be faster than your slowest friend. When it comes to security - why have the worst set up on the street that's begging to get robbed? Have the best and hope they rob your neighbor so they can kick in his door to get their fix.

Whatever you do - stay away from Simply safe - their products suck. Tune in the signal, press the mic on a ham radio, and walk right in. The signals are all the same frequency and you can easily override them.

At what point is it cheaper to move?
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
One of the houses I grew up in, got broken into twice and different occasions we had 2 stolen cars from the driveway and one of mine stolen from the street, not in a bad neighborhood.

I don’t live in fear from theft.
I can say this, you will never sleep the same in that same house that was burglarized like you slept before you were victimized.
IMO, Also those who served in the military will always be more on the guard or a bit more particular about their safety, security and well being.
 

balakay

BabyMax
Mostly this. Dont leave your shit unlocked and live your life.
My FIL reads a news article about something bad happening and thinks he is next. Spends more time worried about stuff than not.

Been there, lived it about 5 years ago I "what if'd" and "worst-case-scenario'd" myself almost out of a job. Not worth it at all.
 

Silverback

Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
I'll settle for cameras good enough to get their faces and license plate # on video.
 

balakay

BabyMax
Scored a 60"x60"x24" Stronghold closed shelving unit for $free.50 this afternoon. Thing is a monster. Going to weld some casters on it before I load it up with the forklift to make it easier to unload and move once I get it to the house. Quick Google search shows it weighs ~454lbs and has a capacity of 1650lbs. Way overkill but the price is so right.
 

Oswego

n00b
I get what some of you guys are selling, but Ive never looked down on people who want hard security unless it's retarded like the people I sell thousands of dollars worth of electromagnetically operated locks for glass doors that I could override by simply pressing my spring loaded center punch into the glass then walk right through them. That's just my opinion, but I don't want a recording of an incident - I want to make sure the incident doesn't happen.

Locking storm door, solid front with no windows, deadbolt from a local locksmith with longer screws, and cameras.
I feel I am no where near as easy as several of my neighbors so there is that as well.

Pretty good set up. I'm adding a locking storm to my back door (have one in the front). Mostly because the door is triple pane glass and in summer all the bugs sit on it and as soon as I open it up they wake up and fly in. With the storm door I'm hoping I can cut that in half. Not talking a bug or two.....my door is a moth trap it seems. Every time I open it 5-20 wake up and fly in. I thought about shades, btu they would fly around when I open/close the door + the door gets hammered by direct rain and snow so another layer would help keep the door from the weather.

The Universal House Key for filmed windows and reinforced doors.

View attachment 17630

The Aluminum or Vinyl window frames peel out easy.

I like the Halligans the fire dept's use. They get a ton of leverage from multiple angles.

I just dont live in fear. But who knows, you may wake up tomorrow and I may be killed in my sleep by an intruder ‍♂️

Living in fear and prepping are two totally different things. You may not mind being killed in your sleep, but I like my life and would not enjoy being murdered while sleeping lol

It could be said anyone living in a shit county with one of the worst city's in the country less than a 10 minute drive away and one of the worst high schools in the country 300 yards away that doesn't do what they can to protect their house, family, and possessions is negligent. I live in whats becoming a blue collar ghetto. Got a weed dealer, a coke dealer, and now a meth dealer within 100 yards of my house. + My neighbors kids like to carry concealed illegally to protect them from the opposing gangs. Just because Ive never had an issue doesn't mean I will let people kick in my door and do what they want in my house.

One of the houses I grew up in, got broken into twice and different occasions we had 2 stolen cars from the driveway and one of mine stolen from the street, not in a bad neighborhood.

I don’t live in fear from theft.
I can say this, you will never sleep the same in that same house that was burglarized like you slept before you were victimized.
IMO, Also those who served in the military will always be more on the guard or a bit more particular about their safety, security and well being.

Same with the house I grew up in. Got robbed once before I was born and once after. My .38 snubby was my moms and she got it after her house got robbed after my sisters dad was killed on a jobsite. Local LEO's did not want my single mom with a newborn living alone in the woods with no protection after the first robbery so they helped her pick it out and taught her to shoot it. That's back when LEO's would do that kind of thing for small town residents.

At what point is it cheaper to move?

I'm not looking to buy a house. I'm looking to buy property to develop over time. In the meantime if I end up selling my current house instead of renting Id move in with my mom to save $$ and look for an out of state job......rent a cheap apartment......then look for land close by to that job to develop. I'm very wishy washy on those plans with the exception being I want land. All depends on the economy and if selling when I'm done renovating is worth it.

Everything Ive done to secure my entries can be removed and taken with me with the exception being the security film on my glass door. I save all my old take off items so I can put them back on later. 4 screws for a deadbolt and 2 screws for a lever should take no more than 10 minutes to swap out per door. The door frame reinforcement kits I put on would take maybe 15-20 minutes per door to swap out.
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
I got home and saw buzzards flying in the back, this little guy had no chance, I cut his leg off with tree pruning cutters, hopefully the yotes will drag the carcass off further into my neighbors property.

9032DE88-5C0F-4866-88BE-D6B0803E4587.jpeg
928BB3FB-56CA-449B-AC60-75183A74A485.jpeg
 

balakay

BabyMax
Had two quotes in the last couple of weeks to remove some trees that are at risk of falling on my house. Both were around $2500 and the guys that came out didnt seem very professional/well insured/trustworthy. Had a guy come out today that was recommended by three of my neighbors that had used him. One has used him for the last 15 years, the others a couple times each. He cut the other guys in half at $1190 for removing both trees, trimming a third, stump grinding, and hauling all the debris away. He said it will be cheaper if I have him cut it I to firewood (probably what I'll do because its pecan) and even cheaper if I have him just leave it laying and cut it up myself. Going to call him next week to schedule it for the first week of November when my work outage is over.
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
Had two quotes in the last couple of weeks to remove some trees that are at risk of falling on my house. Both were around $2500 and the guys that came out didnt seem very professional/well insured/trustworthy. Had a guy come out today that was recommended by three of my neighbors that had used him. One has used him for the last 15 years, the others a couple times each. He cut the other guys in half at $1190 for removing both trees, trimming a third, stump grinding, and hauling all the debris away. He said it will be cheaper if I have him cut it I to firewood (probably what I'll do because its pecan) and even cheaper if I have him just leave it laying and cut it up myself. Going to call him next week to schedule it for the first week of November when my work outage is over.

Great firewood for fireplace/camp fire, the only thing about pecan for smoking and using too much of it can make the meat bitter imo, also because it can have lots of knotted type grains in the trunk, it’s easier to split on a log splitter.

My tree quotes have been over $7k upto $10k and that’s just the price to drop and pile near each tree, I have a tractor with a grapple to do the heavy work. I can’t afford that crazy shit amount, I’ll slowly work on them as I can, I’m also thinking about renting one of those tow behind cherry pickers to get the stuff above 25’ also there is an unemployed guy at church that needs work, so I will probably have him over to help out for a couple days each time my chainsaw gets froggy.
 

Anathollo

Armorall is my choice of lube
Staff member
@achirdo @Oswego let's play spot the OSHA violations. I watched an old man who could barely walk catch his finger in the loop. They literally used fence post for these railings lol
20191010_144319.jpg

20191010_144305.jpg
20191010_144301.jpg
20191010_144313.jpg
 

tex

That's Mr Asshole to you
that railing is just wow. tell them you know a guy to make it right so they dont get sued for a wrongful injury. @achirdo slide in, build railing, then pass over cold beer to @Anathollo for the referral
 

Taco Loco

Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
Top