Too often, homeowners mistakenly treat home security features as an afterthought, only relying on systems like alarms.
On the contrary, home security should be incorporated into the design. Speak to your interior designer or architect about your security concerns and consider these:
Tall, “One-Dimensional” walls
Half-walls with grille provides incidental steps for trespassers. Build tall walls with clean lines around the perimeter of your house.
While this trick was used by castles in ye olde days, it still applies today. In fact, tall, minimalistic walls boast a contemporary look. Just make sure to use a good combination of colour and texture between your walls and your gate, to add interest to your home’s façade.
If you live in an attached home, then keep your front wall short and protect the inner entrance instead. We love this combination of concrete, bricks, and grille – it’s great security and even better design.
Covered gates
Gates with a see-through design like horizontal bars also make for incidental steps. Reduce the likelihood of a forced entry by using closed-off gates.
As tall walls and covered gates might obscure natural light and block off views of the outside, opt for gates with see-through portions like mesh or smaller gaps that cannot act as steps.
If you don’t like the idea of a very tall gate, then a shorter gate with trellises also work as a good deterrent for climb-ins. Unsure of your options? Read more about different types of gates here.
Modern moats
Castles have moats while modern homes can have ponds or swimming pools around their perimeters.
This pond is a clever moat to protect this home’s sidewall.
The swimming pool in this terrace home’s is a good defence for the vulnerable backyard.
Sensor lights
Employ motion sensor lights at places like your garden, front gate, and around the perimeters of your home. In the event of a trespass, the lights might just catch yours or a neighbour’s attention.
Fortunately, landscape sensor lights come in attractive designs and are a good way to highlight your envy-inducing hydrangeas.
Defence landscaping
The right landscaping act as a second line of defence around your borders. Things like gravel and chips make crunching noises to alert you of intruders while thorny plants and bushes can drive plotting perpetrators away.
The best view
Ask your interior designer or architect how you can best plan the common rooms in the home to have a good view of the home’s perimeters. Since you spend the most times in areas like the living room and dining room, having these rooms face the home’s exterior makes it easy for you to spot both welcomed and unwelcomed guests.
Plus, it’s a good way for outsiders to note the occupancy of a home; intruders prefer to make quick breaks as opposed to running into homeowners.
This article was originally published as Beef up your home security with smart design by atap.co and is written by Charmaine Kon.