Garden shed security is an issue that often doesn’t receive the same attention as our house and garage. Why?
Garden sheds are somewhere to keep many of our possessions, but often overlook when it comes to security. Burglaries from garden sheds are increasing in Australia, with burglars realising that many homeowners don’t have adequate garden shed security. Sheds can often be where you store expensive gardening equipment, bikes or power tools, meaning a burglary can be financially devastating. Just add up the value of your lawn mower, power tools, kids’ bikes and expensive pool cleaning equipment, and you can see how much damage a burglar could do.
There are, of course, steps you can take to improve your garden shed security and the belongings you’ve stored there. By taking on some of the following steps, you can make your garden shed less appealing to criminals, and make it harder for them to steal anything if they do decide to target your property.
Top 8 Ways To Enure Garden Shed Security
#1. Only buy high-quality sheds – Invest in a shed that is made by a reputable company, as it will be more structurally sound than a cheap import from overseas. If you buy a cheap shed, panels could easily be kicked down, whereas a high-quality shed will be much harder to break into using brute force.
#2. Keep your surroundings clear – Make it difficult for burglars to even access your property in the first place by ensuring you have secure fences. If they can’t see your shed, they will not be tempted to steal anything from it. It is also smart to trim any overgrown bushes that would allow a burglar to hide, and break into your property when you are not aware. Also check that there’s no containers, boxes or the like around your property, which would allow a burglar to easily climb to the roof of your shed and gain access that way, or get over your fences easily.
#3. Maintain your shed – Repair any loose hinges or slats, and replace any window or door frames that are weak from wear and tear. If your windows look easy to breach, consider investing in a support mechanism to attach to the shed wall, or a window security bar to make sure your windows can withstand a break-in attempt. Also, check if your shed is properly secured to the base, otherwise thieves can enter simply by lifting a panel.
#4. Lock it up – The most obvious garden shed security is to get a sleek yet secure lock. Padlocks can be broken with bolt cutters, so consider an electronic lock or a cylindrical lock. Make sure not to overload your shed with locks: doing so will simply hint to would-be burglars that you have really valuable belongings inside.
#5. Secure your belongings – It is not enough to simply add a lock to your shed and call it a day. Hide small items in locked boxes, and individually lock up larger items like bikes and power tools so that even if a thief gets into your shed, it is unlikely that they will be able to actually take anything.
#6. Invest in an alarm system – If the contents of your shed are of significant value, or if you have converted your shed to a home office or business with expensive computers and office equipment, it is well worth investing in an alarm system. Alarms are likely to deter criminals, and making it clear that there are security cameras on your property are also a great deterrent.
#7. Cover yourself – Not covering your shed windows essentially advertises all your belongings to would-be thieves. Reduce the temptation by covering your windows with blackout curtains, privacy film or solar shades, depending on whether you use your shed exclusively for storage, or actually spend a lot of time in your shed and require some natural light.
#8. Caught in headlights – Sheds will often be tucked away in a dark corner of the backyard, away from the porch lights. This makes it easier for burglars to go about their business unnoticed. Install motion detector lighting to combat this, thereby ensuring that if a burglar does scout your property, you’ll be able to catch them red-handed and scare them away as soon as the lights turn on. Get 10% off motion sensor lights at GoLights.
Following the above tips will help you keep your shed, and the belongings inside it, safe. Give yourself and your family peace of mind by investing in the right shed, and taking the appropriate steps to secure exterior aspects your property.
Author bio:
Harry Caesar is a Melbourne-based Writer who has covered business, lifestyle, health, travel and fashion related topics in his publications around the web. He is a part-time blogger and can help you with your problems by his innovating writing skills. Follow him on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. See Harry’s previous articles on best cocktail dresses and the allure of French Provincial decor.