How To Protect Your House And Decorate It At The Same Time
Being a homeowner pushes you past your boundaries because it’s an all-around job. Plumbing, landscaping, and maintaining systems are only the least of it. Aside from those, your long list of tasks involves securing your home. After all, it’s impossible to find comfort in one’s home if nothing secures its residents from outside dangers.
However, when someone asks you to imagine a ‘secured home,’ you’re likely to bring up images of barbed wires across tall fences, towering walls, or barred doors and windows. It’s safe to say that none of those might resemble your dream home. Although there’s nothing wrong with heightening security, sacrificing aesthetics to make it happen isn’t always the best course of action, not when various design choices can balance style and security simultaneously, such as the following:
1. Light It Up
Lighting has a way of building the foundation for any kind of atmosphere in a home. As long as you have the right lights, you can change the mood whether you want it intimate or homey. However, intruders won’t be able to enjoy it, considering they hate being under the spotlight. Therefore, the more brightly lit your home is, the more they’ll stay away from it.
But just because the principle here is ‘the brighter, the better,’ that doesn’t mean your only lighting options are floodlights. Install lights at potential hiding spots to discourage any unsavory figures. However, to make it more aesthetically pleasing, explore all kinds of lighting. For example, have sconces or wash lights on the garage trellis installed by professionals like Hardie Boys for soft yet widespread lighting.
2. Maximize Visibility
Aside from lighting, visibility is another attribute you must employ to deter burglars or vandals from targeting your home. However, while planning out your lighting design is fairly straightforward, visibility applies both indoors and outdoors. As the outdoors is the first thing anyone sees from outside, determine whether or not the property is near public spaces, such as the road or street lights. A house visible to passersby deters burglars from sneaking in.
However, when it’s easy to see what’s inside your house, it’s more tempting for unsavory figures to target your house. Therefore, avoid positioning your windows in areas that you can’t monitor regularly. Besides that, ensure that your yard is devoid of spots where anyone can hide.
3. Choose Your Windows Wisely
Installing windows is one way to maximize energy efficiency in one’s home. However, considering how it enables visibility while making it easy for burglars to access them, you might end up choosing security over budget. But instead of getting discouraged, be mindful of what features you must add to your windows.
Having tinted window panes is one way to hinder visibility, especially one-sided tints. While your indoors is kept a secret, you still have a clear view of what’s happening outside. But if you’re aiming for natural light, choose roof windows instead. After all, the only way to access those is by getting on the roof, which causes enough noise to alert everyone inside the house.
4. Landscape To Your Advantage
Landscaping is a great way to boost your home’s aesthetic and property value. If done right, it also improves your security. Maintaining your yard is one way of discouraging break-ins. Considering how wildly trees grow if left unattended, trimming them down to a manageable level prevents burglars from climbing and gaining access to your house. Don’t forget to check on your shrubbery and bushes. Given their shape, they also serve as hiding spots.
Also, consider adding more deterrents. Spiky plants, like holly bushes, beneath possible entry points can take burglars by surprise before they try sneaking in. Use gravel pavement instead of simple concrete for your path outside as the noise it makes can alert you of intruders.
5. Discourage Access
Although setting up and maintaining security systems take up most of your home protection, there are more solutions you can apply to reinforce what you have now. After all, security cameras can only do so much during a break-in. Hindering a break-in can slow down the suspects and even extend the window of opportunity that they’ll get caught. Encasing your property’s perimeter with tall fences and having a pool nearby will give any culprits a surprise dive into the water.
Takeaway
As a homeowner, protecting your home is placed above all else. After all, it’s impossible to feel right at home when many spots can render the residents helpless once unsavory figures take advantage of them. Therefore, security measures are a no-brainer. However, some might find it painful to settle for heavy-duty home security systems instead of having any freedom to decorate their home. Fortunately, there are many ways to do both as discussed above.