How to stop break-ins at your cottage

Q:

We have a cottage that we close up every fall for the winter, is there any way to secure it so that no one can break in?

A:

The problem with typical security on a home is that it is reactionary, this works well in the city were the response is prompt which means that to would be thieves it’s a real deterrent, the deterrent being that they actually might get caught. When someone breaks into your cottage the same thing happens when you have a typical security system, the moment the violation occurs an alarm is activated, the security or police are notified and someone is dispatched to your cottage to check on the alarm. This takes time, time is exactly what potential thieves are looking for, time allows them to steal things from your cottage, cause damage or take the time to case the place for a future break-in.

Since the typical security system doesn’t work right for you then what you need to do is stop them from entering the cottage altogether, the one guaranteed way of doing this is to have roll down steel shutters installed. These shutters are like a small garage door (they look a lot nicer), they are made of steel and they roll down from an enclosure that is either installed above the windows and doors (as a retrofit) or in a new home they are built right into the walls of the cottage so that they are hidden from view.

These steel shutters would take hours or days to cut through and would make so much noise that people would notice. Usually just the looks of them are enough to persuade a potential thief from attempting a break in.

The shutters aren’t just made to stop potential break-ins; they work to protect the cottage from harsh elements or severe storms. Falling branches or blowing debris will not break your windows and cause damage to the inside of the cottage.

Another real problem in Ontario is the fact that the Black Bear population has exploded in the last couple of decades, the amount of Black Bears in cottage country has caused them to look for food in other places then the forests. Black Bears breaking into cottages in search of food have become a real problem and no monitored security system will stop them from breaking down a residential door.

These steel shutters will, they will withstand the hungriest Black Bears attempt to attain unwanted admittance to your cottage.

These shutters are not cheap to buy or have installed but once you have them installed you will not have to pay for alarm monitoring or maintenance men to look after the property. They literally will pay for themselves in the long run.

Your cottage would be as safe and secure as the police station itself.

So when you are thinking about protecting your cottage think about steel shutters to protect your cottage all year round.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.