On Feb 21, 8:21*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
wrote:

Thanks for the long informative reply. (Thanks to the other three
posters also...you guys are up early...)

snip

An outward-opening door is not as easy to batter down as one that opens
inwards. On an outward-opening door, the door resists battering with its
entire frame. Having a 90° turn before you get to the door also prevents
long battering rams.

Sorry---door actually opens inward. They tried to pry it open, then
smashed it open with something. Door did pretty well actually, but
the plate where the bolt goes came off. (Web implies this is one of
the weaker parts of a door.)

All those points are good. My hand are kind of tied in terms of the
door itself because the stairs end not that far from the door, so it
can't be made outward-opening.

Usually it's not the door that's the most vulnerable part of the entrance..
Accessible hinge-pins are certainly a weak point as is a spreadable-frame on
the door. A $5 car jack can usually widen the frame sufficiently such that
the lock no longer engages.

The hinge-pin vulnerability can be overcome by driving a nails mostly into
one hole of each hinge, cutting off the end of the nail, and providing a
hole for the cut-off nail to enter when the door is closed. Then, even if
the hinge pins are removed, the nail shaft holds the door in place.

If legitimate access is required from the outside, you are somewhat limited.
It's not impossible to secure an outward-opening door (think bank vault),
security is just easier if the door always has to be opened from the inside.

In the latter case, it's easy to fashion door bracing devices or barricades
such that the thieves would have to take out the wall to get the door open!

Right. That's what I'm going to look into, in addition to getting a
steel door.

If you have any quick recommendations for braces etc, I'd be grateful,
but you've already given me some good info and I'm grateful for the
time you put into your thoughtful reply.

Thanks, and cheers.

(Re the below...I like dogs, but too much going on right now, and dogs
require a lot of care. But I agree 100% that a dog is probably the
best anti-burglar device.)



Other things to do:
1. Put an alarm company sticker on the door.
2. Actually wire up the door to a loud local alarm.
3. Monitor the door entrance with a CCTV (even a dummy).
4. Get a gun or a dog or both.

As to your original questions:

1. Yes, you can secure a security door to masonry.
2. There are steel doors and there are security steel doors. There are even
steel FIRE doors which are a good compromise between the other two. Not that
there will be a fire at your place, but the steel shells of a fire door are
filled with concrete or other substantial material.
3. Then there are supplemental doors that are installed in addition to the
regular door - think burglar bar type closures.