How to Increase Your Home's Security Without Compromising Its Appearance

Home security is a concern for many homeowners, especially for those who are not home during the day or who have children who are home alone for any length of time. Increasing home security without making the property look like a prison yard can be difficult, however; oversized security cameras and a huge metal fence can be very imposing, especially for smaller properties where such features might stand out. To increase your home's security without compromising its appearance, note a few tips to keep in mind.

Use small panes in window glass

Smaller panes of window glass are often tougher to break than large, single panes of glass. It's also more difficult for a potential intruder to climb through a small pane of broken glass, or reach through that small opening to access the window lock. Smaller panes of glass can actually look very attractive while increasing home security; grilles of wood or metal running through the glass give your home a cosier look, and won't detract from its overall appearance.

Identify your items

Thieves tend to avoid stealing items that can be easily identified by police or pawnshops. Use a small etching tool to carve your name into electronics, without damaging the housing of the item. Do the same for metal tools, lawn care equipment, bikes, and the like. At the very least, you can paint the handles of your tools a bright and unique colour! This easily identifies tools as yours, so that thieves are less likely to steal them.

Close door gaps

If entryway doors have a gap between the door and doorframe, a potential intruder can slide a pry bar or even a hacksaw through, and then pry open the door or cut through the lock. Close this gap with a piece of stainless steel that gets riveted to a metal door, or a piece of wood that matches a timber door.

External shutters

External shutters that actually close and lock in place, and which are made of a thick wood or vinyl that cannot easily be cut, can block a potential intruder's access to the windows themselves. They can also block the view inside the home, so a thief cannot get an idea of the home's layout and if there is anything inside worth stealing. A potential intruder who does try to get through the shutters can also make so much noise that they alert homeowners and neighbours to their presence, so that law enforcement can be called to the scene before the thief makes his or her way into the home.