The Glass in Your Home, and the Cheap Fixes to Start With
By Larry Betz | Prepared Not Paranoid https://www.preparednotparanoid.com/
You can put the best deadbolt in the world on your front door and still leave the back of the house wide open. A sliding glass door that lifts out of its track, a window that was never locked, or a basement window no one can see from the street can all do the job a criminal wanted the front door to do. Good sliding glass door security starts with a piece of wood in the track.
Every Window Is a Door
Part 7 covered your doors. This post finishes the middle ring: the glass. Windows and glass doors give you light, air, and a way out in an emergency, but first-floor windows and glass doors are some of the most common ways into a home. Their job, like your doors, is Delay.
Every type of window and glass door has its own weak spot.
Here's each one at a glance.
Remember the glass next to your door, too. As Part 7 covered, a strong door doesn't help much if someone can break nearby glass and reach the lock.
The Sliding Glass Door
Sliding glass doors are one of the most overlooked weak spots in a home. Modern doors are much better, but many older ones can be forced at the latch or lifted right out of the track, even while they're locked. And they're usually at the back of the house, where no one's watching.
Here's the five-minute check.
Quick wins:
Put a bar or a cut dowel in the bottom track so the door can't slide open even if the latch fails.
Add an anti-lift device so the door can't be lifted off the track.
Light it and watch it. A motion light and a camera or door sensor on the back slider take away the cover it usually has.
Windows
Quick wins:
Check every lock, including the ones you never open.
Add window pins or stops on double-hung windows so they can only open a few inches.
Don't forget the basement. Those windows are hidden and easy to ignore. Make sure they lock and are part of your alarm.
Never block a way out. Any bar, lock, or stop on a window that someone may need to escape through, especially a bedroom or basement window, must still let everyone get out fast in a fire. Check your local building and fire codes before adding bars.
The Safest House on the Block walks through each type of window, the right hardware for French doors, and how to secure a basement egress window without trapping anyone inside.
Security Film
Security film is one of the most overlooked upgrades in home security. It isn't window tint. It's a strong, clear layer that helps hold broken glass together after an impact, so someone has to keep hitting it, making noise and losing time.
Here's what it does and what it doesn't.
Film doesn't make glass unbreakable. It buys time, and time is what gives you options. For it to work, it should be professionally installed and anchored to the frame. The book covers when film makes sense and when laminated or impact-resistant glass is the better choice.
What to Say
To your family:
"Bar in the slider every night, even when we're home."
"Lock the windows when you close them, not just shut."
To a contractor or installer:
"I want an anti-lift device on the slider and pins on the first-floor windows."
"Whatever we add, everyone still has to be able to get out of this window in a fire."
The Prepared Protector is someone who's decided that loving someone means being ready for them, not just hoping things go fine. Sometimes that's a two-dollar dowel in the back door track.
SCAN Your Glass
S - See your environment. Walk around the outside of your house and look at every window and glass door the way someone would from the yard. Which ones can't be seen from the street?
C - Create space. Add the delay: a bar in the slider, pins in the windows, film on the glass that matters most.
A - Act deliberately. Start with the cheapest fixes first, and never block a way out.
N - Never doubt your gut feelings. If a window feels like it could be pushed open, test it from the outside.
Ask Yourself
Could my sliding glass door be lifted off its track right now?
When was the last time I checked the locks on every window, including the basement?
Could everyone in my home still get out a window fast in a fire?
Remember
Your glass needs the same attention as your doors. Put a bar in the slider tonight, check every window lock, light the back of the house, and never trade a way out for a little more security.
This post covers your windows and glass doors. The Safest House on the Block covers every layer of your home, including your doors, the garage, cameras, Wi-Fi, and a complete family security plan. Next, Part 9: Choosing a Home Security Camera.
Get Started Today
Walk your windows with the free Home Security Audit. Its window, sliding door, and glass sections take you through every one in your home. DM the word AUDIT on Instagram or Facebook and I'll send it to you. [Get it here: LINK]
Go Deeper
The Safest House on the Block. This post gives you the quick wins for your glass. The book gives you what you won't find on the blog: a window-by-window guide, French door hardware and multi-point locks, how to secure a basement egress window without trapping anyone, every sliding door device and when to use it, choosing between security film, laminated glass, and impact-resistant glass, the full 15-page Home Security Audit, and a step-by-step family security plan with a SWOT analysis for your own home. [Get it here: https://www.preparednotparanoid.com/shop/p/safest-house-on-the-block]
Tools I recommend: The window locks, sliding door bars, anti-lift devices, and security film I recommend are in my Safest House on the Block Amazon store. https://link.amazon/B0dSfoUkh
Related reading:
The Safest House on the Block, Part 7: Doors, Frames, and Locks https://www.preparednotparanoid.com/pnp-library/doors-frames-and-locks
The Safest House on the Block, Part 6: The Outer Ring https://www.preparednotparanoid.com/pnp-library/the-outer-ring
The Safest House on the Block, Part 9: Choosing a Home Security Camera https://www.preparednotparanoid.com/pnp-library/home-security-camera
Fire Safety series (escape plans and windows) [LINK]
References
Betz, L. The Safest House on the Block. Prepared Not Paranoid. Chapter 11: Windows, French Doors, and Sliding Glass Doors.
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for a professional security assessment. Check your local building and fire codes before adding bars, locks, or stops to any window, and make sure every bedroom and basement escape window can still be opened quickly from the inside. Affiliate disclosure: I've linked to products from my Amazon store that I personally recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work.
If someone is trying to get in through a window or door, get to a safe room, stay away from the glass, and call 911.
Awareness gives you time. Time gives you options.
The Prepared Protector is someone who's decided that loving someone means being ready for them, not just hoping things go fine.
Prepared Not Paranoid. Protecting the Most Vulnerable Among Us.
