While we may bemoan the circumstances and societal failures that are responsible, residential burglary is a fact of life. This section discusses some of the things you can do to cut down on the susceptibility of your home to break-ins. The most obvious in an expensive alarm system that includes sensors that trigger whenever there is an unauthorized entry. But there are other small, inexpensive things you or the builder can and should do that will help. These are appropriate even with a central alarm system.

Securing Doors

Deadbolts are put into new houses routinely. They operate by moving a heavy piece of metal (the bolt) from the door through a hole in a metal striker plate fastened to the inside of the door frame. If this plate is not well secured, a hard shove on the door will the plate loose and the whole door swings wide open. Unless instructed to do otherwise, the carpenter who installs the striker plates will usually use short screws that extend only into the door frame. He should use much longer screws (2 1/2 inch minimum) to get all the way into the wall studs behind the frame.

Door hinges should also be mounted with screws that reach into the studs behind the door frame. This isn't usually done. Both the striker plate and the hinge screws will be stronger if the gaps between the frame and the studs are snugly shimmed. To beef up the door installation even more, horizontal blocking should be used between studs on either side of the door.

You should insist on having doors put in right. It doesn't cost much at the time of installation but it virtually eliminates one method of easy access to your house.

You can and should put in the longer screws if they are not put in the house initially, but once the wallboard is in place, you cannot do the blocking that makes them stronger. It's better if the installation is done properly.

Glass In and Around the Entry Door

The utilitarian purpose of sidelights or windows is to provide illumination in the entry hall or foyer during the daylight hours. Decorators, suppliers, and builders have seized on this need to make them a decorative and attractive part of the entryway. Unfortunately they ignore how easy they have made it for people to break into our houses.

Beware of glass either in the door itself or in the sidelights beside the door. These features make it possible for the burglar to break the glass and reach in the and open the door from the inside. You could stop this by using deadbolts that require a key to open from the inside. However, this is dangerous if there is a fire and someone is inside the house. (And it is not permitted by building codes.) The safest approach is to not put glass where it will let someone get in the house easily. For sidelights, this can usually be accomplished without significantly degrading the appearance of the entry.

The problem doesn't exist for double doors because the deadbolt can't be reached from any sidelight location. For single entry doors, one of two things can be done-and this should happen at the house design stage. For a single sidelight, either put it on the hinge side of the door or space it far enough away that the deadbolt cannot be reached from the sidelight. For two sidelights, space both of them, or at least the one on the deadbolt side of the door, away from the deadbolt. Note that this approach does something else too: it leaves a place close to the door for the entry light switches-they don't have to be several feet away on the other side of the sidelights.

And don't forget the door itself. Many doors include decorative glass inserts; some decorators feel that the more ostentatious the house the fancier the front door needs to be. When these inserts are within easy reach of the deadbolt, the situation is akin to that of close-in sidelights: the door can easily be opened once the glass is broken. When the glass is higher up on the door it's no longer a means of easy entry.

Garage Sidedoor

When there is a garage side door, the door hinges and the deadbolt striker plate should be mounted with long screws as discussed earlier. Garage side doors with windows are security concerns for two reasons: they let people look into the garage from outside and they can be broken to get at the locks on the inside of the door. Since the side door is almost never on the street side of the house, it is a more attractive target than the sidelights on the entry door, for example. For these reasons, it is strongly suggested that the side door not have glass. If you feel you really need the light such a window lets in, then use a heavy metal mesh to prevent someone from reaching their hand through the door after the glass is broken. The same considerations apply to any windows in the garage that are large enough for someone to crawl through.

Garage Door Openers

When you are going to be gone for an extended period, it is a good idea to make your garage doors inoperative. Four ways for doing this are:

Between the House and the Garage

In some areas it is common to not include a deadbolt or any other kind of lock on the door between the garage and the house. While it is true that once someone gets into your garage it is easier to break into the house, a lock on this door will make it more difficult and will make the house more secure. If you find a house that doesn't have a lock on this door, then it is suggested that the builder add one, preferably a deadbolt; either that or plan on doing it yourself once you move in.

Fire Safety

Smoke detectors are a code requirement for safety reasons. These are usually installed in the bedroom wing of the house. Don't hesitate to install extra detectors in rooms with tall vaulted ceilings. The tendency of heat to rise can make these detectors more effective in some cases than those in bedroom halls.

Some jurisdictions have a code requirement for automatic fire sprinklers in two story houses. Others have special requirements for houses abutting open areas where grass or other wild fires can be a hazard.

Security Lights

When the house is being built, it is relatively easy to have wiring installed for security lights around your home. Where there are no street lights, it's convenient for guests at night if there is a light with an infrared sensor in front of the house. It's also a way of dissuading unwanted visitors.

You can have such lights installed by the builder or simply have the wiring put in place so you can mount the lights and sensors at your convenience. A switch is needed someplace, usually in the garage that can disconnect these lights. As an alternative, have them on their own electrical circuit so that they can be turned off from the circuit breaker box.

An Alarm System

While these and other techniques can be used to make your house more secure, the ultimate solution is a security system. You don't need to have this installed when the house is being built, but putting the wiring in place before the wallboard goes up will make it less expensive to add the rest of the system later. If the wiring is installed during construction, it's possible to hide the wires. If you want this done, you will need to discuss it with the builder and with a representative of an alarm company.

Alternately, there are wireless systems that can be installed at any time. They are not as reliable as the wired systems that can be installed at any time. They are not as reliable as the wired systems since each sensor is more subject to circuit failure as well as battery failure. It is, however, a way out if you decide you need an alarm system at some time in the future.