Hi,  

I have been hanging around this forum for a while now and have gotten many good ideas about preparedness / survival from here and thank all of you for the information!

I would like to hear your ideas about what we can do to improve our house's resistance to attack by zombies (or whatever threat you like) when we have decided to try and survive a SHTF situation by bugging in.  

My family is pretty well prepared as far as food and water, firearms and ammo, etc. are  concerned, and would like to ensure that we can hang on to the provisions we have in the event of a crisis, without making the place look like a prison.

We live in the suburbs in a late '70's ranch style house and I was thinking that one of the main weaknesses of any house are the windows, so have been reading up on security films for them.  Has anyone applied these films to their home?  Is there anything you would have done differently?  They come in several thicknesses and I was wondering if the thicker ones reduce light transmission enough to be a problem?

Also the 3 exterior doors are obviously weak spots, so I want to install some sort of unobtrusive door jamb armor and would like any recommendations on those as well.  The front door is metal, but the hinges and jamb are the typical residential types and could be upgraded.

The back door is a French double door style and I'm not sure what can be done to improve it's resistance to force.  Any ideas?  

The attached garage door is heavy wood and has a screw-type door opener so I think it would be nearly impossible to raise by force.  I guess someone could hack through it with an axe given enough time and opportunity, but they better be good at dodging the rounds coming through the door from our side.

I'm sure that there are lots of things I am forgetting,  and I know that if someone wants in bad enough they will probably eventually get in, but I'd like to make it as hard or costly to them as possible.  

Any thoughts?

TriumphRider

You need to check out a book called the secure home.

link

This will cover everything you can think of and more.

There is also a a sub forum in the armory for safes and home security.  Tons of good info there.

Good luck.

I have 3M film on my patio door glass that make them far more resistant to rocks and other blunt trauma-it goes on just like window tint on a car.

One of the most common weaknesses to most homes in my opinion is fire suppression-I'd give that a long hard look.

Burning someone out is as cheap and effective now as it was centuries ago.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Yep. I can defend against intruders.

But all it takes is one molotov against the house and you have a real problem.

My thoughts exactly as I was reading this.

I think it was in the book Patriots, where they added sprinkler system to their roof for such events.

Make a couple of those bear "traps" they use on cabins.   Plywood with decking screws all over them set points up.  Set them out at night near any entry way.

Anyone with a quart of gas and an old car can be inside pretty quickly.  I try not to think about it.  Also, the fire mentioned above is a nightmare I have regularly.

Thanks, I'll try and get a copy of Secure Home.  

True about a molotov cocktail making most of the other devices a moot point.  I guess being ready to make a hasty retreat needs to be part of the preps...I do think the window film is a good idea if only to help keep out a smash and grab type thief.

I have been wanting to read Patriots, maybe once I finish One Second After.

TriumphRider

I have installed 3m security window film to all of my ground floor windows, and my back door, which has a large pane of glass.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Residential/Safety-Security_Window_Films/Ultra_Prestige_Series/

It is expensive. It cost me about $20 per square foot. They apply the film to the inside of your window only. The installer I used recommended that they also install what they called an "Impact Protection Adhesive". They wanted to charge ANOTHER $20 per square foot to do this. I said no, but I did allow them to do it on the back door only, which I consider to be the most obvious target.

Well, when they actually did the installation, it turns out that the "Impact Protection Adhesive" is nothing more than caulk, applied to the perimeter of the glass. This is the exact type of caulk they used:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KZYJ8E/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000L00N0Q&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1NPWT81N19SV1K0KA9F0

It sells for $8.25 per tube on Amazon. After observing the installation, I bought a tube, and did several other windows with it myself. It does not look as neat as the back door, but at less than 1% of the cost, I'll take it.

I also installed Strikemaster II plates on my front and back door. These are essentially a 5 foot long steel plate that attaches over your door frame. You then screw about 12 two and a half inch screws into the holes in the strikemaster plate that go into the studs around the door. It is barely noticeable. It won't irritate your wife too much. It costs about $75.

This is their promotional video. It accurately describes the nature of the product, IMO. It is, however, supremely cheesy.

http://www.asafehome.net/videos.html

Just one sidebar- defend your home at your neighbor's home- as distant a neighbor as possible- it's safer.

Get a group together, look for how much territory you can cover and use the resources of.

Don't try to stop a bullet at your bedroom door, if you can stop it one thousand feet away.

Don't give up at the thought of a Molotov being thrown.  They are not all that effective.

Some video (film actually) made after the Watts riots showed several tests using ordinary dry chemical extinguishers on the results of Molotovs being thrown. Most of the time there was little difficulty in extinguishing these. Much of the time the amount of fire produced was not very impressive and easily dealt with.

Also, it's not all that easy to get the bottle to break. Other than an exterior brick wall, there are not a lot of surfaces guaranteed to break one. They just bounce off and burn harmlessly. The average mutt who is likely to attack with a Molotov is as likely to hurt himself as his intended victim.

Have a few small extinguishers on hand and make them easy to get to if things get shaky. Designate someone to shoot the fool who tries to get one lit and thrown. Be aware that a few chemicals added to the equation can make these things ignite on breaking, but the average troll won't have the know-how to attempt this.

You can't defend a location forever without active security measures.  If you button up, eventually attackers will get through.  To properly secure an area, you need active patrols....and that means manpower for those of you who are gonna be a one man show.  

Now lets talk realistically.  

You can't prevent a determined burglar from breaking in your house.  What you can do is make your house less desirous than your neighbors house.  Criminals are, by nature, lazy.  Make it hard to get in, they will go elsewhere looking for easier pickings.  

Motion lights.  Cheapest security feature that actually works.  

Alarms.  Don't bother with monitored alarms.  The response time is like crap because there are so many alarms.  However, burglars HATE noisy alarms.  They hate noise in general.  Get a sound making alarm.  

Dogs.  Burglars HATE dogs.  See above about noise.  

Cameras.  A motion recording camera system is nice and fairly cheap.  If all your security measures fail, at least you can record the dirtbags.

anybody know off hand how well the old asbestos siding helps with this?

This right here!

I picked up 50, 35 gal plastic tubs, used for storage, post christmas at Target or Big Lots or something for $2 each with lids
they are stacked in the barn...

IF shtf and taking fire was an issue,,they can be stacked, filled with dirt in key points inside the house and that much dirt or sand, will slow down if not stop most small arms fire..


I hope
Chef

Shingles, cut into long strips and fitted with roofing nails is a pretty good option too.

Its not a matter of a set fire being easy to put out. The question is how you extinguish a fire if there is someone outside waiting for you.

+1



Best way to defend your home, get your neighbors to help. If your choose to go the secret squirrel route it may be your neighbor your fighting.





 

''Rourke's Drift is the exception, the Alamo is the rule....

In plain English, if your attacker is determined enough, he will win,  As mentioned above, the best option is a "defense in depth" with multiple fallback positions as far out as possible.  If the attacker takes enough casualties, they may look for easier pickin's.

Ops

This is exactly what I was thinking.

If a situation was ugly enough, how hard would it be for someone to set a fire, and then pick people off as they responded? Is that a realistic scenario? I have no idea. That said, if I were a criminal and wanted to take what was yours that's how I'd do it. Set a fire, retreat to standoff distance, and mop up the occupants as they responded.

ETA: We've got a lot of current and former mil and LEOs who frequent this forum. What is the "correct" answer from a tactical standpoint to the scenario I outlined above?

Do you think you could have handled the installation of the 3M security film by yourself?  

It's not even a matter of them wanting what's yours. I can easily see a neighbor's/crowd's response as being "if I can't have it, neither can you."

Just another reason to keep any preps quiet.

Very true.

I've had issues here during extended power outages from ice storms of neighbors being extremely upset because I had a generator and they didn't. I've had to deal with attempts of theft and vandalism-and these were people that I had always gotten along with.

The entitlement mentality is a very ugly side of human behavior

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I do not believe I could have done a good job adhering it to the windows without any prior experience. I'm sure there would have been bubbles and creases.

My thoughts also.  There have been many break-ins around this part of the county.  We are rual so neighbors are spread out somewhat.

My place has not been hit.  Why?  House is fenced in 360.  All gates remain shut/chained/locked.  24/7.  Gates are wrapped with barbwire  Multi vehicles always home.  70 lb chow/APBT mix outsied.  Flag pole that is visible from road flies USMC and/or Gadsen flag(s).  Locals refer to my place as "Little Waco".    

But above all I give credit to the Father for His protection.  

I agree that a determined foe will defeat what I have in place.  But like is said- Scum Bags usually look for the path of least resistance/work/threat.

What I do not have in place is a fire suppression system.  And I too have had troubling thoughts about this.  

The best tactic would be preventing it in the first place.  The best way to do that is to have a stand off distance the prevents someone from throwing a molotov.  If you can keep people 50 yards away they will have a hard time using molotovs against you.  I live in a brick house on top of a hill with the nearest structure being over 1/4 mile away so that works great for me, not so much for the guy with houses on both sides.

If you find yourself in a position where someone has set a fire that you have to extinguish with the intent to stand off and engage those that attempt to respond to the fire you are in a very tough position tactically.  This sort of thing is a type of ambush so you will have to take the fight to them.  This will necesitate leaving the safety and cover of your fortifications so you will have to be good at moving and shooting and small unit tactics to be effective.  Depending on circumstance (number of attackers, distance, etc) I would probably send a small group out to attack into the ambush while having a second group deal with the fire.  The attacking group should keep them busy and their attention away from those fighting the fire.  

The attacking group will almost certainly take casualties so this would be a last resort and why I say preventing them from getting into molotov range would be the first priority.

Thanks.  My blood preasure was fine.  But nooo, you had to stir it up.

Sorry about that brother

Doc was right when he said jealousy was the original hate crime-it's really something to witness firsthand. I've had a neighbor in my face, screaming and spitting because I wouldn't let her borrow a generator. The kicker of it was that I probably would have let her borrow it if she had been a little nicer, been less demanding from the beginning, and had a realistic expectation of what she was going to use it for. It's almost surreal to be told to "sleep with one eye open" by a person whom you've had over for backyard barbeques.

doesn't necessarily have to be a molotov, you have to get the bottle to break, and if the fuel burns out before catching the building on fire (due to fire code mandated construction material, dampness etc; of course older houses are more susceptible) it's only temporary accent lighting,

but fire is a real concern, back in the old days they loaded up a wagon/cart etc with combustibles soaked in oil and rammed it up against the gate/drawbridge/building etc, that way it had time to get hot enough to ignite/burn through.

now there isn't a lot of wagons/cart laying around these days, but damn near every house has a vehicle and/or trailer of some type, they just load it up with garbage from the cans in the driveway, soak it down with a bit of gas syphoned from the tank, light it up, then ram it up against the building and there it is.

and even if there isn't a vehicle available, since most small families, let alone single dwellers can't protect the perimiter of the building all it takes is one intruder on the roof with the means to set the whole house afire.

as for hardening door ways, back when I worked in a hardware store years back we used to sell a kit for solid wood/steel construction doors with wood jambs that consisted of iirc a 1/4" and 3/8" drill bit, 4 6" 5/16" lag bolts, approx 20 6" deck/wood screws and a steel wrap around 1/8" plate for the door knob/dead bolt with a matching plate that was secured to the jamb with 6" lag screws (the jamb had to be modified to accept this plate so the door would close).

the whole premis of the deal was you installed the deck screws through both side jambs every 6" to 8" top to bottom; then drilled pilot holes and installed the 5/16" lag bolts evenly spaced from top to bottom through the door hinges leaving approx 1 to 11/2" sticking out, then you cut the heads off just leaving a stud sticking out, then with the 3/8" bit you mod'd a slot into the door side hinge so it would close over the stud sticking out of the jamb.


we sold cases of these kits, can't recall if we ordered from corporate warehouse or a local vendor, seen it installed on a lot of customer's doors, don't know how well it'd hold up to a battering ram, but it looked like it would provide a bit more support, only weak spot I'd think would be on the lock side, but that was what the steel wrap around plates were supposed to provide for.

don't know about windows, but I'd think that you could probably find a local shop that sells steel sheathing/material that could probably fabricate shutters or wrought iron bars/shutters that could be closed to secure the windows; it'd be fairly expensive though.

Wow. Thats cold blooded neighbors. The kind of people you try to persuade to relocate. This story needs a thread all to itself.

http://www.castlemagic.com/color.html

http://www.missilebases.com/

Your typical modern American  house is a poor candidate for what you suggest due to a number of factors such as location or construction methods.



Tag for the followup to this story.

Thanks All,

I think I will buy some of the film when funds are available.  It seems like a prudent way to help make the windows a little more inaccessible to your common burgler/zombie at least.  I will try and do the install myself.  Heck, I put tinted film on my '56 VW Bug 30 yrs ago and it turned out great! (no curved windows ).  And although I hate the thought of dealing with caulk, it seems that having the film "tied" to the window frame would add a lot of strength.

I am definately going to upgrade the door jambs as well, it just makes good sense.

I should have mentioned that I do have a monitored alarm system that gives me a lot of comfort especially when I'm not at home but the wife is.  I also have a cheapie Swann surveilance system that actually works really well, although I consider it mostly a possible way to help identify a suspect after the fact rather than a preventitive measure.

I agree the idea of having the neighborhood coalesce into a fighting force when things go south would be the best line of defense, but sad to say our neighborhood is one of those where most of the folks on our street have become isolated from one another.  We have several rentals along our street and the turnover in those homes is such that I don't know those folks at all.  Add the fact that I'm borderline anti-social and it makes it tough to get to know everyone.  

In the cul-de-sac at my end of the street things are a little better.  I think that we could and would work together for the common defense, but the entire neighborhood in general is not easily defensable.  There are a few things we could do to help prevent the hoards from getting to us, but they would also serve to bottle us in.  

We have been fantasizing about moving to the "redoubt" when we retire, but at the rate things are going downhill it seems we may never get to retire...

ETA: This cracked me up-     "doesn't necessarily have to be a molotov, you have to get the bottle to break, and if the fuel burns out before catching the building on fire (due to fire code mandated construction material, dampness etc; of course older houses are more susceptible) it's only temporary accent lighting..."

TriumphRider

No, she never struck me that way. Typical middle class professional-some sort of administrator I think. New SUVs in the driveway, quiet, neatly groomed etc. This was during the extended utility outage (power, water, LNG, cellular) after the 2008 ice storm. I'll look through the archives-I've done past AARs outlining this confrontation as well as the other neighbor after the 1998 ice storm who killed a Honda genset (and my furnace blower) with her gigawatt hair dryer, after bring expressly told not to use it...twice...

Throughout the 2008 storm and aftermath I was completely alone-my family was on vacation in Orlando and I instructed them to stay there. It was then that I coined the phrase "being completely alone in an emergency completely sucks"

Since that time I've befriended several local SFers, and none of us will ever be caught in a situation like that again.

I'll try to find the prior threads-sorry for the hijack OP.

Not a  hijack.
But it does deserve a thread

We ( my Guard unit )  spent almost a month in the North country of NYS after that storm, and its always been one of the formative events that caused me to be interested in preps. The other formative event for me was Huricane Agnes in '72. maybe you older NY guys recall that one. I still recall being a school age kid as that one rolled through in June and standing in the parks watching the torrents of rain fall around me. Had an aunt/ uncle/ cousins in Elmira that lost all they had and never recovered. Still recall the Guard guys around Elmira and the devastation....

I didn't see this mentioned, security screen doors are a great and functional way to secure your exterior doors.

one example

I'd rather have them announce thier intentions with a Molotov than just shooting me down without warning. The lone shooter, he is the scary guy.

Thread from earlier this year

Dude, move away from those big city lights.  :)

If you're the type who answers knocks at the front door, your local big box builders supply sells a storm door with laminated glass (like automotive windshields are made of).  It won't stop a bullet, but it might buy you enough time to draw down on a would-be attacker wielding a blunt object.