17 Best Home Fortification Tactics To Stop Break-Ins

By Will Brendza |
Last Updated: March 1, 2023

Few human initiatives are as ancient and respectable as home fortification.

We separated ourselves from the animal kingdom by the strength of our wits and our knack for self-defense.

So to defend our family from others, we need to become home fortification experts.

Especially if the world we know collapses and desperate people want to take what’s ours.

Now good home fortification doesn’t require a full castle moat and a mangled barbed-wire fence ringing your lawn.

Creating a secure home can be done by adding many simple tactics.

It all depends on how far you want to take it.

So first, you must ask yourself:

• Do you want a secure house that looks as normal as possible?
• Or are you trying to remodel your structure to resemble a bunker with maximum defense capabilities?

The bottom line is this: The more difficult your home is to penetrate, the more likely a criminal will choose an easier target.

That’s the ultimate goal. Make it an absolute pain in the ass for the enemy, and he’ll move on to easier targets. (a.k.a your neighbors).

So with that said, I will share my best tips to help you put your personal home fortification plan in place.

Home Fortifications for SHTF, Home Invasion and Burglary prevention

HOME HARDENING | Fortifying a Place of Residence

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1. Start With the Obvious – Security Cameras

A simple Google search will provide many home security and surveillance options. Systems you can purchase and have installed directly into your home.

Usually, these security services allow you to “arm” your home when you are not there or after you have gone to sleep. Once the system is armed, any windows breaking or doors being forced open will trigger an alarm that notifies local authorities.

They basically call 911 for you when someone breaks in. However, this constant monitoring is not cheap.

Basic DIY surveillance systems are cheaper and can be set up relatively easily. However, you can’t personally watch them 24/7.

So you have to decide which home fortification option is right for you…

The good news is that a potential intruder doesn’t know if that security camera is tied to a monitoring system (or not). They see cameras and will likely just move on to an easier target.

However, if you’re not willing to take that gamble and have the dollars to spend, there are quite a few home security and surveillance systems you could look into. Just do your homework before signing a long-term monitoring contract.

NOTE: Since this article was written, DIY surveillance systems, home security systems, and even doorbell cameras have dramatically improved. Most can alert you with a notification on your phone when they detect motion and allow you to talk and listen through the devices.

But honestly, this is just one security measure you can take to fortify your home. So if money is tight, then worry about the following options first. 

7 Common Security Camera Installation FAILS and How to Avoid Them

 

Simple Ideas That Can Compound Your Home Fortification Efforts

Home defense must not be complex booby traps and unaffordable technology to work effectively. How about some simple solutions?

Like these:

2. Protect Your Windows

Once all your standard entry points are protected with an alarm system, you should focus on your windows.

I will assume all your windows have locks – make sure you use them. But I’m not a big fan of window alarms. Why? Because a burglar can shatter and break a window out WITHOUT having to slide the window.

If the window doesn’t slide – traditional window alarms are useless.

Instead, you have two better options…

First is burglar bars. They are a great deterrent, but they’re not the best-looking option.

So if you want extra security and want it to look good, research security window film.

It’s a transparent film you can add to your windows, strengthening them. This means they’re much harder to break or shatter.

The film will also slow intruders down and force them to make more noise.

5 Easy Ways to Fortify Your Windows – Downtown Tactical

2. Motion Triggered Lights

These handy motion-sensing illuminators are a cheap, simple way of detecting when intruders are intruding.

Fair warning, though: you will doubtlessly catch some unsuspecting wildlife by surprise occasionally.

3. Bells or Chimes

Hang a doorknob chime on your door or some chimes just inside your door. Your mind will become accustomed to the jingling sound of your doors opening and closing.

If you are asleep and wake in the middle of the night to jingling and jangling … you know something unusual is afoot.

4. Dogs

Whether you like them or not, these furry companions are one of the most effective home protectors.

Big dogs are better, for obvious reasons, but even little dogs can serve as an alarm or perhaps even a deterrent.

Military Canine Handler’s Top 5 Home Protection Dogs

5. Other Pets

While a dog can be a good option, sometimes more exotic pets can offer an extra level of intimidation.

If someone breaks into a house and comes face-to-face with a Bengal tiger living in it, there is no way they will follow through with their villainous intentions.

But proceed with your own caution. Wild animals don’t always understand the difference between “good guys” and “bad guys.”

6. Fences

The age-old technology of the fence is one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments. They keep people out of places you don’t want them to be.

Install one if you’re concerned with home fortification. Just be smart about it.

They can create a false sense of security and even make you a target.

It’s just one tool you can use to make it harder for someone to snoop on your property. Most home fences can be easily scaled.

Use fencing to create choke points, visual deterrents, and psychological effects.

How to Defend Your Property from THE PURGE!

Natural View Blocking Solutions

Big flamboyant houses with exuberant features and huge fences make for excellent targets.

It shouts, “We have lots of expensive stuff. So expensive we put up a huge fence.”

NOTE: Click here to see why you should avoid a tall fence around your home. 

Not all fences are bad, but most fences are mere child’s play for an experienced criminal or a desperate mob. But there are ways to help conceal your house, protect your privacy, and provide security.

Mother nature has got you covered. Criminals won’t be able to scope your property out and develop a solid game plan if they can’t see in your windows from the street.

7. Trees and Shrubs

If you are lucky enough to live in a house with a lawn or acreage…use it. Planting a lot of trees and shrubs around your home is not just good for property values; it is also effective at concealing your privacy.

They can also help block windows and driveways, front doors, patios, or backyards from view.

And the fewer prying eyes roam your home, the better.

Shrubs can be planted strategically to funnel invaders into defined areas that are easy to watch. Many thorny bushes like blackberry and raspberry vines can act as physical barriers against threats.

Landscaping with Home Security in Mind

8. Cacti

These are nature’s barbed wire fences. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spaniards would plant Mesquite around the perimeters of their homes.

This gangly, wild-looking cactus would grow to well over 8 feet tall. It can serve as a perfect means of protection against unwelcome intruders.

Don’t underestimate a well-placed thorn bush or Cacti beneath your first-floor windows. I don’t care how motivated you are to break in; nobody wants to get stuck with a bunch of thorns trying.

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9. Blend In – Don’t Stick Out

Eye-catching, expensive-looking houses are more likely to become targets. So do your best to keep your home flying under the radar.

You do not have to paint the house with a camouflage green to achieve this (actually, that would stick out worse in most neighborhoods). Just avoid bright colors and stick to more natural hues. Park your vehicles in garages, around the back, or hide them under tarps.

Also, use window blinds or curtains to keep outsiders from seeing valuables or expensive items you might have.

Train Your Family

No sane individual would knowingly break into a house full of highly trained, sharp-shooting badasses.

Not only does a well-trained clan deter potential intruders, but it also ensures that every family member is capable of self-defense.

This alone will grant you some semblance of peace of mind. But before you ship your relatives off to an army boot camp, do everything you can to prepare them with simpler means first.

10. Take Your Family Shooting

It can be survival air rifles, .22s, .357s, or AK-47s, or even a survival bow. You’ve done your job as long as you get your loved ones to understand how guns work, how to use them, and how to stay safe with them.

Shooting is a great skill everyone should learn. It is useful for hunting and imperative for effective self-defense.

11. Martial Arts

Enrolling in a martial arts school is one of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for a home invasion.

I’d rather have a firearm than not, but I won’t be a sitting duck if I end up unarmed.

Picking a specific style can be difficult. Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Mui Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu are all decent options to get started.

12. Melee Weapons

A simple kitchen knife, baseball bat, or golf club can become an effective self-defense weapon. But only if it’s in the hands of someone who knows how to use it effectively.

Bottom line: Your entire family should be both physically and mentally prepared to keep intruders at bay.

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Home Fortification Focus On The High Risk and Weak Points First

It might seem intuitive to you, but you’d be surprised how many people are shocked when burglars gain access to their homes. Normally it’s through an unlocked window or a fragile sliding glass door!

Let’s break it down statistically and take a look. Here are the top seven common points of access criminals use to invade homes:

• 34% – Through the front door
• 23% – Through the first-floor windows
• 22% – Through a back door
•   9% – Through the garage
•   6% – Though unlocked storage areas
•   4% – Through basement or window
•   2% – Through the second-floor window

Obviously, the most important places to fortify are the front and back doors. Next are all the first-floor windows.

But don’t stop there; you should reinforce all possible entry points for maximum security.

13. Reinforcing Front/Back Doors

Since most break-ins occur through doors or windows – that’s where you should spend most of your efforts!

Armor Concepts Door Armor

Armor Concepts sells door armor! Door Armor is a patented door security device that reinforces your existing doors’ weak points.

So you should always reinforce those points of entry as best as you can. These products help you do just that!

And the cost of these products is very reasonable if you ask me – especially for what you get –> “insane peace of mind.”

Watch the following video on how well this door reinforcement device works.

Door Armor Independent Security Testing

Window Security Film

First, if you’re serious about protecting your windows – you should read our article about Security Window Film. It covers many details we don’t have time to discuss here…

In general, there are several types of film and other window solutions, such as burglar bars, riot glass, or security screens.

But for most people who want a quick, good-looking window security upgrade, window security film is your best bet.

15. Securing Your Walls

Usually, walls do not present a problem … unless the hulk is trying to break into your home (in which case: GOOD LUCK). But if someone decides to start shooting at the exterior of your home, drywall and wooden studs will not save you.

Brick or stone walls are the best for mitigating this threat. But leave yourself “loopholes.” These are small openings from which you can see and shoot without being seen or shot at.

16. Block Up Those Chimneys

Who knows, right? Maybe someone is so intent on breaking into your home that they decide to take the ash-tunnel route.

If you are in extreme danger and must fortify to the greatest extent possible, block up your chimney. You don’t want any bad Santas coming down the pipes.

As A Way To Introduce You To Skilled Survival, We’re Giving Away Our #78 Item Complete Prepper Checklist. Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy Of It.

17. The Best Defense is a Good Offense

Ensure you are well-armed and equipped to manage a home invasion situation. Planting trees, painting the house, and getting a German Shepard is great, but it is not always enough on their own.

You need to outfit your home fortification with as much firepower and ammunition as is necessary.

If you are serious about home defense (and you should be), set some booby traps on your property. Simple things like tripwires with bells attached can be enough to alert you to intruders. But please, do not set up any lethal traps inside your house.

First off, they are highly illegal. People have died at their own hands because they set off a booby trap they themselves set. Be careful when you set traps. If you are not vigilant, you might catch yourself.

DIY Perimeter Defense – Area Dential Devices

Home Fortification – A Final Warning

Here is the rub: if someone is 100% determined to enter your home and rob you (or cause bodily harm), they probably can.

That is unless you have a well-defended, best-prepared bulletproof home, it can be broken into if a large enough group coordinates an attack. So you have 2 choices.

1. Work towards making your home bulletproof.
2. Have a backup plan if you cannot get it up to bulletproof standards. Specify a “bug-out-location” with your family or roommates so you can regroup should your defenses fall.

Which leads to the next dark truth. You may be unable to stay in your house forever if you’re unprepared. This is especially true if you find yourself in an urban city during an End Of The World As We Know It scenario.

Areas with higher populations are more susceptible to violent riots and high crime levels. So if you live in a big city or around many people, developing a backup plan is certainly in your best interest.

Evacuation doesn’t have to be bad; change can be overcome if you plan on it.

With luck, you’ll never have to defend your home from anyone or anything. That’s the hope.

But if things go south and you must defend your home, you can ensure you are prepared to the highest degree.

Will Brendza

P.s. Are you ready for the tough times ahead?

Find out now by taking my short Readiness Score Quiz – it’s absolutely free.
Once complete, you’ll know exactly where you stand on the “fragile” vs.” resilient” spectrum.

So click here to start the Quiz….And don’t worry; the questions are so easy a 3rd grader could answer them.

Click on the image to begin the Quiz and find out once and for all if you’re part of “The Fragile Masses” or “The Resilient Few.”

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