When purchasing a new home, there are numerous issues to be concerned with, but none as important as the safety features that are included. In new homes, safety features are crucial to the security of you and your family.
While many fancy security mechanisms can be found in new homes, your safety often begins with something as simple as doors and locks. The doors you choose for your home should be made of strong material, preferably metal or solid wood. These doors should be equipped with both door knobs that lock and deadbolt locks for added security.
If you have a garage, both the inside and outside garage doors should have locks. Any doors with glass panels should have bars, cages, or double-keyed locks to stop a potential intruder from reaching through or just breaking the glass altogether to get inside. In addition, all sliding doors should be armed with strong locks.
Lighting is another feature in new homes that can be vital in keeping a premises secure. Outdoor lighting that operates on timers or motion activation can be especially helpful, as any potential intruder does not want to be easily seen. These lights should be strategically placed in areas that can be particularly susceptible to possible break-ins such as walkways, patios, garage doors, and dark corners of the home’s exterior and could be in regular use during nighttime hours.
Windows can also guard against potential security threats. Since they can often be visible from the street and are a very popular way of breaking into homes, the latches to them should be locked tightly and secondary mechanisms should be added to avoid someone gaining entry involuntarily. Wooden sticks work well for this purpose if the window is a horizontal sliding window and through-the-frame pins can get the job done for vertical sliding windows. Anti-lift devices such as screws should also be used to keep somebody from lifting the window from the outside.
Staircases can be dangerous if not properly secured in new homes. First and foremost, a strong handrail that can easily be gripped is essential, as it greatly reduces the risk of a fall. Midrails are also very helpful here as they give anybody climbing the stairs something additional to grab onto while going either up or down. Lighting and colors should be conducive to easy visibility because many people slip and hurt themselves on steps they do not see. Staircase maintenance is of the utmost importance, so treads must be kept in good condition and excessive wear and tear must be fixed at any point that it becomes a problem.
In addition to simple fixes, new homes can be properly secured with the help of an alarm system. In many cases, just having visible signs or decals on the lawn or in the window can serve as a major deterrent to potential intruders, as they may find it more convenient to break into a different home that is not protected by an alarm system. Alarm systems function not only as a deterrent and serve to notify the police when triggered, in some cases they can also help to monitor the home and report fires.
Electrical wiring must be safe because there are far too many ways for it to cause hazards if not properly taken care of. Plugs and sockets should not feel burning hot nor should they have brown scorch marks on them. Fuses should not flicker and if they do, they should be replaced immediately. Circuit breakers also should not flicker and if they do, they should be reset right away. Also, do not overload the electrical sockets as that can lead to electrical shorts. Using surge protectors and extension cords so as to not overload wall outlets is a good way to protect against these possible electrical shorts.
Though there is no conclusive proof that cleaning air ducts has health benefits and dirty air ducts have not been proven to cause dirty air, there are many reasons why duct cleaning is a good idea.
Ducts can get dirty when mold or other filthy materials build up, which can lead to coughing, sneezing, and various allergy reactions. With the advent of high-efficiency windows, doors, and greater insulation, the degree to which air is transferred between inside and outside has decreased. This may lead to lower energy costs, but it also hurts ventilation, which increases the possibility of contaminants getting inside and staying inside. With this in mind, it is easy to see why duct cleaning is important from a safety standpoint, since it can remove potentially damaging fungus and mold from a system that is not getting a large degree of ventilation.
Landscaping can be very important to safety in new homes , as well. Trees and bushes can help impede a potential intruder’s ability to get into a home. It’s also important to properly maintain trees and bushes in the yard so that they do not run the risk of becoming too weak to stand, which could fall onto the property of you or your neighbors, causing either property damage or injuries to anybody who lives in those homes.
When purchasing and moving into a new home, knowing that you and your family will be safe is vital to giving you peace of mind. Being that you and the family will spend most of your time in that home, when it comes to the various precautions taken to ensure home security, no stone should ever be left unturned in pursuit of fully securing the premises.