Panic room

[HomeHardener]

Well, my 3 dogs, are french bulldogs, 2 of which are 5 months old, so not the most renowned attack dog.
But they do bark when people approach the house or they ‘sense’ something in the garden etc.

I’d love a cane corso! Maybe soon if the other half signs off on it!

[jansman]

Vicious dogs are a liability,and generally a ticking time bomb,so to speak.It's a fact that opportunist intruders avoid houses where there is a barking dog,and even an alarm box on the wall - working or not! Simple measures like that,and proper locked gates at the perimeter,all help.

[Arwen Thebard]

Vicious dogs are a liability,and generally a ticking time bomb,so to speak.It's a fact that opportunist intruders avoid houses where there is a barking dog,and even an alarm box on the wall - working or not! Simple measures like that,and proper locked gates at the perimeter,all help.

I'd never heard of them so read a report on the breed here;
https://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/revie ... orsos.html

[jansman]

To be frank, Arwen, I have never heard of them either. My ‘vicious dog’ comment was actually in support of soft-as-muck- yappers !

[HomeHardener]

I agree with the barking dog as a deterrent completely.
I don’t really believe in a vicious breed of dog. I think it’s all down to how they are raised and the socialisation they receive.
A German Shepard (for example) can be one of the most loyal and obedient breeds, it can on the other hand be trained to attack a human with just one simple command (a police dog for example) and I’m sure a jack russel (for example) could be bred to do the exact same.
But moving on,

A house alarm box on a house can act as a deterrent, but a friend in the police explained to me it can actually aid burglars too!
Some boxes have lights that’s flash in different sequences when the alarm is set or not. Which can effectively be a beacon to burglars in the know if you didn’t set your alarm whilst you pop out!

[Maydonnell]

I did not know this about the lights on the alarm boxes. That's straight up a security flaw. I can't believe companies that sell alarm boxes would have something like that go out.

[Yorkshire Andy]

I did not know this about the lights on the alarm boxes. That's straight up a security flaw. I can't believe companies that sell alarm boxes would have something like that go out.

To be honest I've never seen that on a UK bell box and I've worked with electrical contractors fitting systems...

Early ones had a static led glowing... Later units flashed after that they introduced "status" indicators which in the case of a texecom have a tamper indicator and a bell inhibition light used for servicing and status checking as in has someone tampered with a alarm to a outside security contractor glancing up at a bell box one light out of 2 not flashing indicates s issue

It's no lights on that catches the trained eye when they should be.. I know for a fact the neighbors system has been deactivated

[grenfell]

Serious question rather than trying to pick faults as I haven't got anything remotely like a panic room.
Iff I were to try to build one the logical thing to do in my mind would be to fortify the bedroom ( or bedrooms seeing as my daughter has her own room) . My thinking behind this is should anyone force their way in , especially at night , we would have very little time to secure ourselves in that panic room. Sleeping in that room would at least give us a few seconds advantage. Or am I overthinking this concept?

[dazthechippy]

hey folks, im a chippy and keep thinking about this - so here's a few observations from me based on my trade experience.

weakest point of any door is the lock and hinges - watch on TV how the cops smash doors in - its always those 2 that go, so my advice here fwiw would be:
for a strong room replace hollow door with solid fire door or external hardwood door (paint it to match the others) - external door will mean the door stops will need to be moved
add proper hinges with nice long screws into a nice solid lining (frame) to take the weight
replace lining if need be (may need to let it further into the wall)
if you cant replace the lining then add in long concrete screws through the lining into the masonry every 8 inches or so (including the header)
appropriate locks top n bottom / slide bolts - dont drill through the m&t joints, weakens the door

all this could be major work if you've not done it before - depends on your view and competency on the tools

check out London or Birmingham bars too - interesting

all you're doing is buying time so they either give up or the law arrives in time - you may want to have an exit plan too, through a window to a flat roof or an escape ladder or straight out if onthe ground floor (make sure window keys are within easy reach)

[grenfell]

I'm a joiner by trade too and screwing all the way through the frame into the brricvkworrk is something I've done as well although I think the first time was when the timber behind the hinge was chewed up fixing to the brick was the only option. I've never fitted a bar though but have seen them and agree they do seem a good idea. Hinge bolts too and filling gaps between the frame/lining with expanding foam can also make it more resilient