Home Security Systems Blog

Landscaping can have dual purposes in benefiting your home: aesthetically improving its appearance and an advantageous component to your security plan. Combined with your traditional home alarm security system, developing simple landscaping techniques that are sometimes overlooked by homeowners will effectively deter potential burglars and thieves from choosing your home as their next target.

• Mow the lawn regularly. An overgrown lawn suggests that the property is unoccupied or the owners are away on vacation-the ideal time for an easy burglary.

• Trees are beautiful but also need to be maintained. Any tree branches that are close to the home, porch, windows, or balcony should be trimmed so that intruders cannot climb or use the branches as aid to gain access to your secure home.

• Keep yard tools, such as ladders, locked securely in a backyard shed or garage. Do not leave them lying in the yard or under the deck-doing so is basically an invite for thieves!

• Opt for buried utilities, rather than exposed. Buried utilities are less-likely to be interrupted by storms and criminals alike. The last thing a home owner wants in the case of an emergency is for the phones to be disconnected due to the work of a crafty criminal. If your utilities are exposed, locate their generation point and verify that it is protected by a fenced-in area.

• Shrubs that offer privacy can also breed hiding spaces for thieves. Keep shrubs, especially those near the doors and windows, short so the views to these entrance ways are not obstructed. If neighbors can see the front and back doors, they can also see burglary attempts.

• Bushes, vines, and cacti with plenty of thorns are especially effective in deterring intruders. Ouch! Grow these near windows and along fences throughout the backyard.

• Video surveillance security systems can be added to monitor sheds, gates, and doors.

• Protect first floor windows from disturbance by choosing to landscape with gravel instead of mulch as it is noisier and will call attention to any uninvited guests.

• The yard should be well-lit and can be done so cost-effectively by installing lights with motion detecting sensors that will only turn on when activated by a movement in the yard.

• Place a security company sign at the end of your driveway and put the stickers in your windows so that your home security precautions are both visible from the street and up close.

Following through with these landscaping techniques decreases the likelihood that your home will be broken into-thieves and burglars are not looking to do more work than they need to gain access. Your home will be protected and your yard will look well kept, a win-win situation-a little neighbor jealousy isn’t a bad thing!