Securing Basement Windows With 10 Easy Methods

Do you have a basement in your home? What are you doing to secure it? Securing basement windows is a problem you can't ignore. With the economy in a downturn and employment drying up, more people are turning to crime to make a living. As a homeowner, you don't want your property to be a soft target for criminals.

Your basement presents an easy access point to your home. Most criminals will look to enter properties through areas like basements and garages because they don't expect anyone to be living in them. All they need to do is watch your home for a few days, and if they don't see any activity through the basement windows, they know it's an easy way to break in.

How to Secure Basement Windows in 10 Ways

We want to help you secure your home from these threats. The post gives you 10 strategies to secure basement windows to keep criminals out and protect your property from undesirable elements.

1) Light Up the Basement

The first method to securing your basement is to light it up. Criminals don't want to break into a room where someone might be sleeping or awake reading or watching TV. They'll look for quiet spaces around the home with no activity.

If no one is living in your basement, set up a light and cover the window with curtains. Run the light on a timer, turn it on when it gets dark, and turn it out late at night. Criminals watching your property will assume someone is inside this livable type of basement, and they'll rule it out as an entry point to your home.

2) Use a Security Board or Sticker

This deterrent is cheap and effective at keeping undesirable elements away from your property. Place a security company board in front of the entrance to your home and place stickers on your basement windows notifying criminals that you have a security system and armed response.

Even if you don't own a security system, acting as you do might be enough to deter criminals from breaking into your basement. Criminals take a huge risk when breaking into a property.

They don't want to end up being caught and going to jail for their crimes. They look for soft targets, and if you take away their confidence, it might be enough to stop their attempts at breaching your basement. Basement window security options can be pretty simple in this way.

3) Install Window Film & Close the Curtains

When criminals consider breaking into your basement, they don't have any idea of what's waiting for them if you cover the window with a curtain and turn on a light. However, some of them are so brazen they might decide it's worth the risk to attempt a break-in.

Curtains are a great deterrent because they prevent the criminal and your neighbors from scoping out your basement to see if anyone's living in it. However, if they do decide to break in, installing security film over the window panes is a great way to stop them from gaining access to your property.

Sometimes securing basement windows is a matter of increasing the risk for a possible low reward. Security film provides a tinted or frosted look to the glass. DIY glass frosting isn't hard, either. It's similar to hanging curtains. It also prevents the glass from shattering. It keeps the pane in a solid piece, making it hard to revoice without making a lot of noise that might wake people in the household.

4) Install Polycarbonate or Break-Resistant Glass

Polycarbonate sheeting and break-resistant glass are like a more durable version of security film. Break-resistant glass and polycarbonate are more expensive than a security film, but it's more durable and challenging for criminals to break. This also helps light up a dark basement.

The criminal will have a hard time breaking the glass. It's thicker than standard glass and similar to bullet-proof materials. The criminal could beat on it with a crowbar, which probably wouldn't shatter. They'll end up waking the household in their attempt to gain access to the basement.

5) Fit Window Well Covers

A window well cover has several benefits for a basement window. Most homeowners install them to prevent their pets, like cats, from falling into the window wells. These are wonderful ways of securing basement windows at the standard window height from the floor, which causes the "well" in the ground..

They also redirect snow and rain away from the window to prevent it from entering the home, where it can cause water damage. Window well covers also make your home more energy efficient, keeping the heat in your home in winter and cooling it off in summer.

Window well covers are also effective at boosting the security of your basement windows. Adding a window well cover adds another barrier to entry the criminal must overcome to gain access to your basement. They'll have to remove the window well cover, and there's a chance people might spot them doing this and report the activity to the police.

6) Block the Interior & Exterior Entry Points

When criminals break into your home through the basement window, they're relying on there being no objects behind the window. If you block the interior access point with a shelf, bookcase, or other furniture, it doesn't matter if they break the window.

They can't get past this obstacle, and there's nowhere for them to go. You could block the window's exterior, making it too hard for the criminals to maneuver themselves to enter the space. The problem with this basement egress window security method is it renders the window pointless in terms of seeing out of it and getting natural light inside.

For instance, you could plant a tree or other plants close to the window. Growing a cactus around the window won't stop a criminal with a plan, but it's enough to prevent opportunistic criminals from taking a chance to enter your home.

7) Setup a Security Camera

Security cameras are a very effective deterrent to stop criminals from entering your home. If you have the budget, hire a security company to come and set up a security camera system to watch the entrance points to your home. Put up boards notifying the criminal they're on CCTV, and they should leave the property.

The CCTV system links to a DVR and a screen inside your home. So, you might catch the criminal in the act of trying to break into your basement. Most systems link to an app on your phone, and you can view the camera feed through your device. That's handy when you're lying in bed at night and hear suspicious noises from the basement window.

The DVR system also allows playback. So, if you notice someone might have tampered with your basement window, you can playback the footage to see if anyone was fiddling with the window last night. Even if you install a dummy camera that doesn't work, it's enough of a deterrent to prevent some criminals from attempting to enter your home. A fake out is a solid way of securing basement windows.

8) Install a Motion Detector Security System

Along with a security system, consider installing a motion detector. These systems involve installing "passive" units that detect motion in the room. They also come with magnetic pads that attach to the window frame. When the criminal opens the window with the system armed, they break to contact with the pads, sounding the alarm.

If they manage to access the room, the passive unit picks up their movement, sounding an alarm. You can link this system to a private security company. When the passive detects motion, it raises a silent alarm and calls the security company.

They arrive on the scene and arrest the suspect. Depending on your budget, you can use them as standalone systems or link them to a security company.

9) Add a Sliding Security Door

A sliding door is a good choice to block basements with large sliding doors leading out into the yard or for those cellars and basements with storm doors. These systems feature expandable bars that slide on rails, allowing you to open the door fully.

When closed, the expandable bars are tough and secured to the railing in the frame, making them impossible to pry open with a crowbar. There are also many types of sliding glass door locks you can double up with. Sliding security doors are stronger than they look. There are videos online of them absorbing shocks from demolition balls swung by a crane.

These doors come in a range of sizes to suit any entrance, dramatically increasing the security of your home. You can also fit them to your front and back doors to protect your property. Securing a sliding glass door is simple, too.

10) Fit Security Bars

The final security solution to secure your basement is security bars. Also known as "burglar bars," these steel rods are available in a wide variety of design aesthetics to protect your home without making it seem like a prison.

The best options are those models that drill into the window sill and the top of the ledge in the window frame. Please avoid using the bars that weld onto the window frame, as they are easy to pop off with a crowbar.

Security for Basement Windows Made Easy

If your community offers local security services, consider joining them. Most of them charge a small fee and have guards patrolling the neighborhood around the clock. Criminals won't target communities using a watch system as it increases the risk of them being caught.

Some neighborhoods use the residents to form the watch group, and they take turns during the month to patrol the area. Securing basement windows and your home can be done by implementing the tips in this post.

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