[Guerrilla]

Okay, another break...

I just wired in a dead circuit and switch in the wall. The lead runs to an outlet box, the hot goes to an empty junction box, facing outside, above my middle upstairs window. While I can't afford it now, nor do I wish to deal with it, my plan is to eventually install a big high powered halogen or sodium light. Hear a noise? Instant daylight.

I have also incorperated a gun locker into a coat closet, that unlocks with a magnet five feet up. I don't even have kids yet, and I'm figuring out ways to lock the guns up.

My wife and I are also planning on adding a widows walk with a view of the gardens and animal pens in the event of a mountain lion attack on our goats. By planning our secon floor layout accordingly, it's going to cost us about 30 bucks in lumber. Will also be a nice place for late night cigarettes and morning coffee.

What simple things could one do while building a home to assist in its security?nothing like concrete filled walls, but more like peg locks on the door and other things thy would be east to do while building, but hard as heck once the drywall goes up... I'm almost there!

...okay, took a break to wire, took a break to write this... Back to insulating. Which is very difficult to do to cielings alone...

 

[test]

Sorry I don't have any good ideas for you just wanted to give a shout of support out to you. I hope I am in your shoes soon. Try to enjoy the hard work!:thumb:

 

[Rancho5]

Having built three homes, some suggestions. Since you are insulating it is a moot point, and quite expensive, but having one switch in your master bedroom that turns on EVERY light in the house.

Phone jack in the garage. Cheap and you'll thank me later.

Insulate every interior wall. Cheap and worth the sound dampening.

Pre-wire master for surround sound as well as a theater if you want. Our subwoofer is in the towel closet.

Gas stub out front and back (tri-fuel generator option and BBQ)

I'll think of more later.

 

[Guerrilla]

Thanks rancho, great ideas. I like the idea of a switch for every light at once.

We're miles and miles off grid. So no phone jacks, but I did run four pair all over, as well as speaker wire, though only for stereo, not surround. I like the integrated subwoofer, as our stairs are central, I might put one there.

 

[Guerrilla]

Rancho, I just figured out a great way to do your switch idea. Emergency lights. Have a switch, normally on, wired to emergency lights. Need immediate light, turn the switch off, and the emergency lights kick on. Inverter cuts off? Same effect. They're a bit pricey, but we had them in my last place and were able to inset them into interior walls and make them look okay. Since our cabin is two big rooms and a kitchen, I could pre-wire this with scrap romax.

 

[redflag]

I have all the lights inside my house hooked up to these switches http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...3&productId=100165036&N=10000003+90010+501000
except the lts in the bath rms and the bed rms.
the garage light and the basement lts are also wired to these switches.
I can leave my bed rm and the lts in the hall and every rm i go into come on instantly and automaticly. they will screw up an intruders mind and by then the dogs are awake.
the lits in the garage and the basement have a little extra suprise for intruders and any unsuspecting creature because there are some serious noise makers also wired into the motion switches. we don't pull the door down most of the time and have had a bear in the garage.
I also have motion detector lts outside near the garden to scare off the deer who think I'm raising the food for them and also one near the bee hives to scare off the bears that raid every couple of yrs. these lts also have an old radio wired into them for noise.

these switches can be left on,off or automatic

 

[Bizarro]

Look at the X-10 system and newer ones for remotely controlling electrical items. I have a key chain controller that works with 2 items to turn on the front porch light when I come home and can turn on up to 8 items with 1 remote. Costs a bit but you have remotes any where you go or put one in each room.
Smarthome

 

[smoothED]

Them lights aren't "instant" daylight, they take a minute to warm up. Mercury vapor too.

 

[jbk1221]

At my old house the previous owner was scared of the dark. There were 4 switches spaced throughout the house that she could turn on and 10 of the main lights would go on. We used to mess with my little brothers by waiting until they were downstairs and then shutting everything off. It worked so well that I plan on doing this when I build. Good luck to you.

 

[NHCraigT]

Home Security: Realize this, if you have anything short of a solid/filled concrete wall, "someone" can simply break thru the siding/plywood/sheetrock, to get into your home.

I am a licensed GC, and have also had to (multiple times) repair and re-inforce doors and entries after forced break-ins (In homes, commercial and multi-resident situations).

With standard construction practices/designs...if they want to get in, they will be able to figure out a way to get in. If someone wanted to, they could easily enter thru a wall, or roof, (on most homes).

Essentially, without getting into building a castle/safe house/pill box, the idea of re-trofitting a home to "hinder" break-ins, is to create a higher level of difficulty/frustration/confusion/intimidation to the scum that is attempting to enter your inner sanctum.

Increase the difficulty level, the intimidations, and the obstacles, and the dregs of society tend to move on to easier pickins....

 

[Macumazahn]

extra wood around the door and window frames

cable tray

 

[Truebelieverone]

Home Security: Realize this, if you have anything short of a solid/filled concrete wall, "someone" can simply break thru the siding/plywood/sheetrock, to get into your home.

What about a modern brick veneer home? I know the brick has to offer a worthy increase in strength over wood or vinyl siding and I can't imagine someone getting through it, unless maybe hitting it with a vehicle...right?

 

[test]

Put a large mirror above the bed

 

[Herd Sniper]

So you put up lights for the outside to protect your home. Have you thought about protecting your outside lights so that they can't easily be knocked out of action with a rock or pellet gun? Have you thought about layering your outside lights on two different switches so that when you throw the first switch you light up the area immediately outside of your house and the second switch turns on some really bright lights a little further out to back light people to your advantage. You use the first bank of lights to generally brighten up the immediate area just outside of your house. The second bank of lights you turn on if the first bank of lights fail you or are taken out. Your second bank of lights are used only for last minute or tactical needs when attack is obvious.

 

[NHCraigT]

What about a modern brick veneer home? I know the brick has to offer a worthy increase in strength over wood or vinyl siding and I can't imagine someone getting through it, unless maybe hitting it with a vehicle...right?

That is an additional level of construction material that may make scum move on to an easier target.