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Your garage door may look secure to you, but experienced thieves can break into a standard roll-up garage door within seconds using nothing more than a coat hanger. Failing this, they take advantage of times when there’s nobody home and use brute force to enter. They may pry garage doors open with a crowbar, batter them with sledgehammers, or even use vehicles to ram into garage doors.
To make matters worse, doors leading into homes from garages are often not as secure as exterior doors. So, apart from the “usual” garage foray in which valuable tools and other stored items are stolen, thieves may use garages to gain entry into homes. And, police warn, tools stored in garages can be used to break into homes too.
Most people only think about their front and back doors and windows when securing their homes. Garage door security is often overlooked, and your home’s security is only as good as its weakest link. Consider these points when improving garage door security.
Keep Garage Doors Closed
This might seem like a no-brainer, but many people leave garage doors open or unlocked when they’re at home. This invites opportunistic theft, and intruders might even use the garage as an access point for entering your home. It’s a good idea to discuss basic household security measures with everyone in your household. Keeping doors, including garage doors, shut and locked is the most basic place to begin.
Visibility from the Street
Criminals don’t want to be caught in the act. They feel more comfortable when they know they can’t be seen. If possible, maintain a clear line of sight from garage to street, eliminate hiding places, and install lighting fitted with a movement sensor. If it’s not possible to see your garage from the street, consider upping security around your property’s perimeter and gates.
Alarm Systems and Cameras
Fit an alarm system to your garage or have a perimeter alarm system that will be triggered if someone enters your property. Even if all your alarm system does is make a great deal of noise, it’s likely to put thieves who trigger it to flight. You can get cost-effective sensors that will let you know when someone opens or tampers with your garage door too. If that’s coupled with cameras, you don’t even have to be at home to take a look and see what’s going on.
Garage Door Security: Take All Garage Doors and Windows Into Account
Some garages are equipped with two exterior doors: one for vehicles, and one for foot traffic. If someone were trying to gain unauthorised access to your garage, they’d pick whichever of these doors seems the least secure. There’s no point in having a secure vehicle access door if the personnel access door will give way when subjected to a well-aimed kick.
If you have a door leading from the garage into your home, secure it as you would any other exterior door. This means having strong locks that secure the door at multiple points, solid doors, sturdy hinges, and reinforced door frames. If you don’t have cameras in your garage, install a wide-angle peephole. If you hear noises, you want to be able to take a look without having to open the door.
While you’re considering security, don’t forget to beef up window security. Apart from adding burglar bars, you can frost your windows, preventing thieves from seeing what they can steal should they gain access.
Add Extra Locks
Having more than one lock - or a lock that secures the door in several places around its frame - makes it more difficult to enter. However, try to go for locks that can be opened remotely. You’re vulnerable if you return home and must leave your car in the driveway while you unlock the garage. While you’re distracted, an intruder could attack you and steal your car. They might even take your house keys or force you to open your home to them.
Choose Strong Garage Doors
Even if you have the strongest locks imaginable, a garage door or door frame made from malleable or weak materials allows for brute force entry. A weak garage door can be bent out of shape, cut, or broken, allowing criminals to enter with relative ease. If the door frame is the weakest element, the locks attached to it can be rendered useless by breaking the door frame.
Reconciling Garage Door Security With Aesthetics
If you’re upgrading garage door security, it may be time to consider getting a new garage door and upgrading the overall appearance of your home at the same time. Garage doors are big elements with a lot of visual impact, and they usually face the street. You can improve the overall appearance of your home by choosing doors that match the style of the building - and you can even turn garage doors into something of a feature.
At Stronghold Security Doors, we offer bespoke and high-quality garage door options, featuring a variety of designs. Our R40 sectional garage doors, TL Sectional garage doors, and side hinged garage doors can withstand ramming, sledge hammers, and crowbars. Check out our range of secure garage doors or contact us for more information.
