Your sheds may be anything from an extra storage site or a service room to a home office. And because of this, you may have some important things inside them, some of which you probably can not afford to lose. If this is the case with you, you have to consider improving the security of your shed. This is because burglars can target it and cart away your belongings if they notice that it is richly stocked and poorly secured.
We’ve suggested five do-it-yourself tips that you can take to ward off unwanted visitors from breaking into your shed. You can apply them and give your shed an extra layer of security that should leave you less worried, even if you’re miles away from the place.
Install Solid Locks
Your locks will most often provide the first line of defense against intruders, so you must endeavor to make them as strong and secure as they can afford to be. If the locks around your doors and windows are not solid enough, they can be easily broken down. It would be best if you only went for locks with a strong hardware system, one that can not be easily manipulated or broken. And if the lock has to be fastened to the door from the outside, ensure that the screws go deep into the hardware and the door as well.
To get the best results, you may also use carriage bolts as they can not be easily removed from the outside. You may even go as far as to install a burglar bar system outside the doors and then top it off with a solid weatherproof padlock. Another option to try is installing smart locks on your doors and every other opening around your shed. These locks have a mechanism that can trigger an alarm system if they’re forced or heavily impacted.
Address Weak Spots
If you have weak points around the walls of your shed, they may serve as potential break-in points if they are not properly amended. From loose boards and rotten wood to loose screws around stud walls, structural weaknesses can appear in any form around your shed’s walls. And if the intruders can locate them, they may break down or loosen what is left of them and easily break into the shed. So as soon as you spot any of these soft spots around your shed, start making plans to fix them.
If you have a stud wall assembly system that is in danger of being dismembered, ensure to fix it back in place. And if you have to replace the wall panels, do so, and make them even stronger this time. It could even be a question of a couple of missing shingles on your roof. And once you notice this, endeavor to replace them in no short time.
Install Cameras
Cameras provide one of the easiest ways to secure your shed against burglars. When you install them at vantage points outside your shed, they can provide the first line of defense for you and your belongings inside the shed. If you have them in plain sight, they’ll discourage any menacing intruder from carrying out their mission. And if they are hidden from view, they’ll help you rope in any intruder making inroads into the shed.
You can opt for motion detection cameras to get the best results. These cameras are designed with smart technology, and when they spot a whiff of any movements around your shed, they’ll immediately trigger an alarm. And because the view from the cameras can be integrated with your mobile devices, you can have eyes on your shed at all times.
Protect Your Windows
Windows can provide a viable entry point for burglars to gain access to your shed if it they are not properly secured. Therefore, you must take appropriate measures to deter potential intruders from breaking in through them. Your safest bet would be to install burglarproof bars around the window openings and secure them firmly against the walls.
You can also try out impact-resistant glass windows and combine them with glass break sensors. So when the burglar attempts to break the glass with any object, it’ll not give way easily, and then it will trigger an alarm. And if the alarm is connected to your phone, you will get an instant notification alerting you to the situation on the ground.
Other things you can try out at your windows include investing in a strong window lock mechanism. And if your window comes with latches or locks, make them only accessible from inside. Doing otherwise will be giving the intruders a helping hand.
Install Sufficient Lighting Devices
If there’s one thing that thieves dislike, it is having lights beaming down and around them and putting their operation in jeopardy, especially at night. So if you want to give yourself and your shed a good head start, ensure to install lights to span every breadth of your shed. This is even more important for sheds that are sited out of sight from any point in your house. And this is probably because your home’s lights may not have the span that is necessary to cover the area.
You can even go a step further by installing motion detector lights. These lights help illuminate the shed area and are hardwired to trigger an alarm if they are cast on any moving objects. The lights will hover menacingly over your shed and pick up on the slightest movement inside its coverage area. And if such movements happen to be that of the intruders, a connected alarm system will ring out immediately, warning you of imminent danger.
In A Nutshell
If your shed has become the go-to for all your extra storage space needs, then you must have some valuable possessions inside it by now. And if this is the case, you will not want them to be carted away by burglars. This is why you must start paying attention to the security of your shed. This article has suggested five means that you can take to protect your shed from theft, and they’ll surely be useful to you.
