Locking Up Your Place

Posted on: 1 November 2015

A panic room is simply a room in your home for security during home invasions. These rooms are ultra-secure with heavy duty locks (and multiple ones at that) and usually have some type of bulletproof door. With the help of a professional, you can set up a panic room in your home that will keep your family safe should the unthinkable happen. 

Prepare Your Home

A panic room is a great thing to keep your family safe in an emergency situation, but you still want to have proper security for your home. All outside doors should have at least two locks installed (the doorknob lock and a deadbolt) and you want to avoid outside doors that have windows that can be broken to gain access to the locks and ultimately allow the intruder inside. For the panic room to be useful at all, your whole house needs to be armed with alarms and cameras so you will be alerted in the event of an intruder. Security cameras can be expensive, but well-worth the investment in case of a home invasion.

Room Selection

You want to choose a room that doesn't have any windows. Without windows, you eliminate the risk of them being broken into. Even a closet will work, but make sure that you allow enough room for you and your family all to fit inside at once with a little room to move. If you can't have a windowless panic room, using bulletproof, shatterproof glass and covering it with dark material so you can't see through it is an option. The room should be ideally soundproof so the intruder can't pinpoint your location. If your home allows for the room to be discrete, that is the door is not easily seen by the intruder, that is the best option as the intruder won't even know you are home.

Door Installation

The room's door should be replaced with an outdoor style door (preferably metal), so multiple locks may be installed, with the main one being a deadbolt. There are many door options available in varying sizes to fit many different budgets. Choose the most secure, heavy duty one that you can afford. Additionally, it's best to get lock recommendations from your locksmith--like one from Tri-County Locksmith--so you choose the most secure options. Be sure that the door is reinforced with steel hinges and longer screws so it cannot be kicked in or forced open by the intruder.

By following these guidelines, you and your family should be safe for a limited amount of time should an intruder break into your home.