Home hardening?

[Rodthrower18]

So I'm curious to see who if anyone does home hardening as part of their prepping?
The easiest thing by far is reinforcing the hardware on your strike plates and hinges. 1.5" screws just aren't gonna cut it. 3" is the way to go, you don't have to replace every screw in the hinges but I'd definitely do at least 2. The center hinge I would go with all od them since the center is where most of the force is going to be placed. Windows: security film that is properly anchored with a glazing silicone. My next project is to reinforce a couple of interior closets to make them safe rooms but I'm not sure which way to go and was hoping for some ideas. My goal is to delay and buy enough time for myself or wife to get to one of the guns and stop the threat. Secondary goal is for weather. Anyone else?

[OeldeWolf]

I have been thinking on it, but have lacked the means to actually do anything.
I would be interested in suggestions/resoyurce/diy lists

[P.K.]

If I were going to "bug in" and stay in place for a while a few things come to mind. Some depend on what the house sits on, others have to do with what kind of house it is. Glazing the windows is a good place to start but the roof and walls need consideration too. 3 inch screws are great for keeping the tweekers at bay but if a concerted effort by say a group of former LEO's/Guard/military etc is going to make short work of a door no matter what the length of screws you use. I've used a Halogan a few times and papermache' is one way to describe the resistance put up by most doors.

[MT Gianni]

This house has 8 windows over 5' tall and with in 2' of the floor. Door hardening would not make sense unless I find a way to secure the windows.

[Rangefinder]

Door hardening is simple--with a few tools. Cut the entire jam out, flip it around to an out-swing. Replace the hinges with self-closers like you find on an interior garage man-door. That means no hinge pins for someone to simply pop out (they don't have to be tensioned unless you want them to be. Then replace the door stop on the latch side at the very least with aluminum strip instead of the cheap wood or plastic. Drill and counter-sink it for your 3" screws so it has a bite all the way into the studs behind the jam--same with the hinge screws. Use stainless steel screws, not deck screws--deck screws have next to no shear strength, which is why they aren't rated for structural application. Kicking the door in becomes a frustrating task because the door REALLY doesn't want to go the direction they are trying to make it go, and rams even require quite a few hits to break up the door enough to make the latch and lock a mute point. This will at least buy a few minutes of warning that someone is serious about getting through the door, and they usually have to destroy the door in order to do it unless they use breaching loads on the lock and latch. This gives an added advantage because the out-swing makes them back up before rushing and also starts their entry in a blind spot while you have a clear lane of sight before the rush.

[cloakndagger]

You could go the way folks around here used to on the doors, 2" thick, made of two pieces of solid oak, hung outswinging on thick iron hinges. A tweaker and friends tried to down my grandmothers front door (mind you it is a door over 70 yrs old, hand hewn by my great grandpa) he came away with a broken collarbone and shoulder.. local cops laughed at him as they stuffed him.

[John in WI]

I saw something cool on an episode of "Doomsday Preppers". A guy (he was a police officer if I remember) had cut some 3/4" plywood to fit his downstairs windows on the outside of the house. Then he had some 2x4's fit to span the window on the inside of the house. And finally, a big bolt that would go from the outside plywood, through the window, and in through the 2x4. Then you just torque down the bolt to hold the plywood in place. I thought it was a neat idea--fast to put on or take off and plywood would really slow down an attack or high wind.

[3006guns]

Find a closet that is nondescript, i.e. not too noticeable. Strip out any shelves, hanger rods, etc. Line the INSIDE of the walls and ceiling with 5/8" osb board, fastened through the sheetrock and into the studs with 2 3/4" drive screws. Replace the in swinging door with one that swings outward and make it yourself from 2x6's and three hinges. Use a "night latch" so that there is no handle or door knob on the outside, just a keyhole with no surface to get a pipe wrench on. To open, insert the key and turn then pull gently.

Finally, cover the door itself with something like a bookcase or shelves with family pictures, etc. so that it won't attract attention (I use a shoe rack).

I have just described my gun storage room, built eighteen years ago, and no one but my wife knows where it is!

[Love Life]

Just some thoughts. The out swinging door is not that much of a deterrent. It does not cause you to back up. That is why you have a man open the door and step aside while your stack rushes in.

We have opened many doors against a well prepared enemy. It all depends who is knocking.

Are we hardening against thieves, tweakers, and bums? What level of hardening are you looking for?

[3006guns]

Just some thoughts. The out swinging door is not that much of a deterrent. It does not cause you to back up. That is why you have a man open the door and step aside while your stack rushes in.

We have opened many doors against a well prepared enemy. It all depends who is knocking.

Are we hardening against thieves, tweakers, and bums? What level of hardening are you looking for?

About ten years ago a jewler in London called the police when he discovered the steel alley door for his business was badly beaten. Police responded and examined the door which had been attacked with a sledge hammer, axe and some other blunt object......possibly a car bumper. What made the story unusual is that the owner forgot to lock the door the evening before......and it opened outward into the alley.

[Love Life]

Always try the door before trying to break the door! Priceless!

So what level of hardening are we looking for here? A deterrent or OH MY GOD THE (insert enemy here) ARE COMING!!!

[Awsar]

it really depends on what your preparing for .
time to get to a firearm?
drive way alarm
motion lights
Dog
many ways to help secure doors and windows
better door
metal shutters for windows
stronger interior doors
family plan in case of SHTF situation

[OeldeWolf]

Since I am currently stuck here in calistan, pretty much all reasons would apply for hardening a house. Crooks, tweakers, thieves, gangs, state officials.... or are those covered under crooks?

With the number of incorrect-address no-knock entries, that has to be considered also.
So what advice on windows, doors, other surfaces?

Not paranoid, just like to keep what is mine, and have seen too much stupidstuff happening lately to be entirely easy in my feelings.

[cat223]

For years I've wanted an underground "bunker" made from a shipping container. Even if SHTF never happened, it would make a great man cave.

[Teddy (punchie)]

New here. But the old beam and anchor, made of angle iron welded in a U with wings, bolted down and slide a hard wood bolt (2x4 ) through. You'll need allot of weight to break it down, I bet they would go a different way. My house is not masonry, so for me a waist of time.

[John in WI]

I saw a real life demo of a 12 gauge "breaching round" and I was amazed--it turned the door knob and also the jamb in to splinters. I think the round uses powdered or sintered lead that just DUMPS energy into the wood work, but without much chance of damage on the other side of the door. I think you're right--you'd have real issues against someone who blasted the hinges with a 12 gauge from point blank.

[giericd]

i allways prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I learned in the Army... if they said "you will be out here for a few hours" pack for over night, if they said over night pack for 3 days! one thing is for sure if some one who wants in and knows what they are doing, they are getting in, ask any cop, firefighter, military. it just depends on how much you can slow them down. 3" thick steel door and frame bolted in to cement? thats great, if you are in the south your roof is only 1/2" plywood covered in shingles, it doesnt take much to rip open a hole and drop in. jump through the hole feet and knees together airborne style and you will crash right through the wallboard celing and be in the living room real quick....didnt see that one comming. and most houses were designed to live in not be a fort so unless you are going to spend A LOT of money to replace all windows and frames with the bullet proof/shatter proof stuff its not going to matter. this is where a much overlooked distraction/diversion can make all the difference in the world giving you a warning and time to get your weapon. not practical if you have kids running all around the house but out side under windows or any entry point the use of a trip wire can be a great tool. let me tell you if the police/ military are stacked up along your house (well you have bigger problems) and all of a sudden one sets off the trip wire and it fires a .22 blank off 20' behind them, they are doing a 180 in a hurry to address the immediate threat, they will worry about breaching later! which gives you time, a bad guy or teens messing around will be gone in a hurry.

[OeldeWolf]

that pretty much tells me what I wondered. Typical residences are not going to be successful at more than slowing entry. Too many points of entry. They can be improved, enough to dissuade tweakers or average amateurs. Which I will try to get going.

[Bodine]

If they want in bad enough they will get in. The best you can do is slow them down. If they want in that bad they are not coming to arrest you, so basically if it comes to that point a secondary location may be your best bet. If you dont have this as a scenario then you need to work on your plan.
Only worry about items you need to survive, clothing, shelter, food, self defense. It may be a good idea to cache some of these items near and along the way to where you would bug out too. Things like water and filtration will be very important.
Survival is just that, survival, it wont be a travelodge. If you make plans in a group your chances will be better.

[xs11jack]

So unless your dwelling is surrounded, hardening the house is for warning you to bug out. Or get ready to fight. I guess then one should have a real fortress, somewhere other than your primary dwelling, to get to for the final fight.
Ole Jack