looking for ideas how i can board up my front and back doors and a giant old window that is about the size of a sheet of plywood.

Posted by Latter-Ad-1523@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 13 comments

i have a nice little home, it was built in the 50's. i had new windows, siding, and other things done to it about 10 years ago, but i didnt do anything to either doors or the giant 4x8 window on my front porch that leads right into my living room, that feels like a rolled out red carpet for wrong doers, since my front porch is completely enclosed in a privacy screen you can see into, but can see out

the house looks nice, and i dont want to appear to be preparing for anything, but the front and back door has a gird pattern of small thin glass panes that are easily broken.

i work in IT and i know almost nothing about wood, windows and doors, but i have all the tools needed to cut and drill things.

i am envisioning on the door something like a 3/4 piece of ply wood, painted black on both sides attached to the inside, and big enough to cover the glass portion of the door and enough material to run some screws though to the wood of the doors to attach it.

from the outside, it would look like glass then a black wall of nothing, on the inside it would be covered by my two layers of privacy blackout curtains, does this sound good?

for the giant 4x8 window, i was thinking about getting some of that shatter proof film for and apply it from the inside, but also put a 3/4 piece of plywood in that windows as well, and paint both sides black.

all my other windows are up high and not a super big concern at the moment, but i really want to secure these three points, do it my self for cheap, yet not have it look like crapola

then i may also put a couple of the drop down security bars on each door as well. which i suspect i will have no way of hiding those as they extend out on both sides, left and right, of the doors

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

Assuming you mean putting up plywood AFTER something happens not before? If so consider 3/4 plywood, not OSB, it's going to be stronger and hold up well in weather.

Most plywood is going to be 4x8 so if your rough dimensions of the big window is 4x8 it's just going to span that. If it were me and for some reason I was doing this... I would place 2x6 10' across it first on 2' centers and screw the plywood to that. Use long screws to attach the 2x6's across the window, attaching to the framing on either side of the window. USUALLY in standard "stick frame" construction there would be a couple 2x4's doubled up just to the outside of where the window frame stops on the sides and a bigger piece of wood, usually a 2x10 or 2x12 as a "header" above where you see the window stop- to span the gap there. Below the window there may only be one 2x4 basically creating a ledge that the bottom of the window frame rides on and attaches to. I'm saying 2x4s which are most common but could be 2x6s if the house is better built. Assuming not masonry which might complicate things a bit more for someone not used to doing basic carpentry.

The 2x6's spanning the big window will give more rigidity and a tougher "frame" to hold the plywood, versus just attaching the plywood to outside the window frame which will give the plywood a lot of flex- i.e, someone throws something heavy at it the plywood will flex more and possibly break the window despite your efforts.

The door- you may want to just look at getting a better door. Keep in mind if you go to Lowes or Home Despot and say "I need a steel door" it's going to get you a thin metal door, we aren't talking Fort Knox. But it's a good lower cost start. Make sure it's got holes for both a standard lock and deadbolt. The door you will likely want to have someone install for you based on what you originally posted. Tell them you want longer screws in the strikes and try to be there when it's installed. Ideally in the door frame on either side you will have at least (3) 2x4's stacked and nailed together to get the door frame more rigidity- with your current door off you may be able to push hard against the structure near the door- like your standing sideways in the door opening and trying to push a wall that direction. Shouldn't really be any give. Since it's an older house, you never really know WTF your going to find (I have built more than a few houses and renovated some older ones and you never know just WTF people were thinking or not when they built something...) so I mention the last part about the structure around the door frame in case you have someone out there and they tell you they have to do some modifications around the door- ask them to beef up the frame with more studs.

See wood flexes more than masonry so it's easy to "spread" the door frame and get the door opened, done right it's hard to tell it's happened also. One of the many reasons this little Piggy built with block poured solid.

The window film folks will undoubtedly mention is good. We installed it on our house a few months before Hurricane Helene. What was interesting was all that night we could hear stuff hitting the windows but nothing broke. The top of a tree might have grazed one near our bed room and most of the windows are covered in chunky pieces of broken pine bits that were propelled at the house- some of which we still can't get off. Anyway, it was a few weeks later I thought about and said to my wife "I wonder if that film we put on the windows helped us more than we know?" Not sure but it wasn't crazy expensive and a neat weekend project for us.

On the flip side to all this, and again assuming you mean putting the plywood on the windows after something happens is that it will make it shit out more, not less and will cut down your visibility considerably. It's like the stupid often regurgitated "plant brambles along your fence line" thing- #1 Brambles suck but won't deter anyone serious about getting in, just piss them off. #2. You've just cut YOUR ability to detect folks trying to sneak in. This is why prisons, military bases, anywhere that seriously use fencing for security keep the fencelines clean.

You run into any crazy stuff reach out and I'll try to help.

TacTurtle@reddit

Security film + hurricane rated storm shutterss.

DeafHeretic@reddit

Don’t use plywood or OSB/et. al. - it adds little security, if anything. Too easy to break through or pry off.

Many-Health-1673@reddit

Switch your doors for metal exterior security doors and install a hurricane roll down shutter for your plate glass window. Leave it up until you need it closed, then you can lock it down for security.

Another option would be to install a bracket across the bottom and two C channels on either side of the window where you could stack 2x4's across the window and screw the top board to the siding to hold everything in place. Plywood is another option, but it isn't nearly as strong as dimensional lumber.

There are a lot of options for a DIY person to make things more secure, but you don't want to make yourself a target.

sgtPresto@reddit

Use security film but make sure you secure the edges with Dow Corning 995 Adhesive which is used by the pros. I will attach a separate Pic showing the 995 caulking and a monitor alert.

Here is a window with the film and 995 sealant to secure windows to frame. I also have alerts on every windows and a robust lock to keep windows from being pried open.

Don_Q_Jote@reddit

Thank you for this post. I've been starting to research the topic of window reinforcement, and it seemed like sealing around the edges was the weak point. This is helpful information.

Glad to help.

WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit

Wrt the big front glass, you need to maintain curb appeal … but you can make the inside look shitty

From outside in… shears/thin drapes; fine but strong wire mesh fencing; regular curtains

This looks nice, can let light in, doesn’t FU the house, cheap, and if someone tries to come in they’ll be stuck in the gap atop broken glass

Fluffy_Efficiency623@reddit

Just buy some security doors, they often have metal components and no normal intruder will ever get through them. And you won't look like you're boarding yourself up when people come over. You can put the security film on your window, and if you want you can add an impact based alarm system to it. Don't board it up though. You will look mentally unstable, it looks terrible, and also on the off chance somebody is committed enough to go through a window with film and an alarm then you should probably just flee out there back door. Also you never want to be too locked down because at the end of the day if somebody hates you they might just start your house on fire, and you need to be able to have a few easy exits yourself.

Internal_Raccoon_370@reddit

Wish I could upvote this more than once. Security doors aren't that expensive and they have models out there that are very attractive and look like normal doors.

As for the window, you can paint plywood all you like but it still looks like plywood. if someone driving by sees a window boarded over it might actually be an incentive for someone to try to mess with the house because they could think it's been abandoned. And around here if I were to screw plywood over a window and left it there for more than a few days the neighbors would probably have a building inspector over here.

anthonykaram7@reddit

I'd skip permanent plywood, which looks rough and limits light, and instead use clear security film (like 3M Safety and Security Window Film) plus reinforced strike plates/long screws on the doors. For temporary hardening, pre-cut plywood panels with interior mounting brackets you can install quickly when needed keeps things low-profile day to day.

twaddington@reddit

Why go through all that trouble when you could just buy a new door without the glass?