Garage security is easy to overlook, but once you have had your garage broken into you will remember the experience for a long time!
People often use their garage to store valuable tools and equipment as well as the occasional vehicle. If the garage is integral it can offer an easy way for any burglar to get into the family home.
Garages are normally close to the owners property, but many people have garages on council run sites where they pay ground rent to the council and build their own (normally prefabricated) garage. This article will offer advice for both types of garage and hopefully will help to prevent a future break in.
This is a concrete prefabricated garage that is on a garage site. You can see that the roof is clad in steel sheets, it is alarmed, has no handle on the main front door and the side entry door has three high security locks and also hinge covers. It is impossible to open the large front door on this garage from outside, which is an added bonus as some garage door locks are easily bypassed.
Side entry garage door
This door has three high security locks fitted to it and also has substantial pieces of steel covering the exposed hinges.
Even if a thief did manage to get into the garage through this door the alarm would immediately sound.
Garage roof security
A garage roof is easily overlooked but this is one of the favourite methods of entry. Many garage roofs are made from cement fibre (older ones asbestos) and some even have clear plastic panels fitted to allow light in. Within days of me putting a garage on a garage site someone had broken in through the roof. They climbed up onto the roof and smashed a large hole in the roofing sheets in the corner of the garage. They can then climb through the hole and help themselves to anything in the garage.
Plastic coated steel sheets were fixed to this roof which prevented them from smashing their way in through the roof. Anti-climb paint is also applied every couple of years.
Burglar alarm
Burglars do not want to draw attention to themselves so installing a burglar alarm is a good way to protect a garage. Installing an alarm in a garage is very simple providing you have mains electricity in it.
Security lighting
A garage in a dark location is more likely to be appealing to a thief than a garage that is well illuminated. Fitting a security light is an easy way to ensure that a potential thief will move elsewhere!
Garage door bolts
If your roof is secure and you have no side entry door then the chances are that the only means of entry is the main garage door. Unfortunately the locks on some of these doors are not very secure and some electric garage door openers can make it easier for a burglar to get into your garage. Garage door bolts can be installed like the ones in the picture in a couple of hours and will make the garage door a lot more secure.
