How to protect plastic windows on the first floor - 11 methods from thieves and tampering

An apartment on the ground floor is the cherished dream of many residents of big cities. But the owners of this dream know that it also has disadvantages. The main one is the great vulnerability for robbers. Today, the women's website “Beautiful and Successful” will tell its readers about how to protect plastic windows on the first floor and thus make housing more comfortable and safer. If you want to know what to do for a restful sleep in a ground floor apartment, read on.

Option from the past: bars on windows

This method of protection came to cities back in the 90s, when crime began to flourish. There were no double-glazed windows then; there were ordinary wooden windows everywhere, which were not difficult to break open. Owners of residential premises on the lower floors began to install bars on their windows, not particularly caring about the aesthetic properties of such protection.

When unreliable wooden windows replaced reliable metal profiles and plastic double-glazed windows, it became much more difficult to break into an apartment on the first floor: breaking such a device is more difficult than a regular frame. However, robbers quickly learned to cope with them, so today new plastic double-glazed windows are also often covered with metal bars.

This method has its advantages:

If there are bars, opening plastic windows from the outside becomes much more difficult. In order to get inside the premises in such conditions, robbers will have to arm themselves with a special tool. They will do this only if there is a chance of a really big jackpot, which is unlikely to be found in the apartment of the average city dweller.
Modern grille models make it possible to make windows truly original and beautiful.

Unfortunately, grilles have much more disadvantages . These include:

Psychological discomfort. Few people, seeing bars outside their window, will feel light and joyful. Although, on the other hand, many people fall asleep much more peacefully when they know that their windows are reliably protected by forged metal bars.
Installation restrictions due to fire hazards. Not every window is allowed to install such protection.
Inconvenience of maintenance of the structure. Cleaning the glass unit behind the bars is quite difficult.
Difficulty of repair. As a rule, if any of the elements are damaged, the grille is completely replaced. Repairs of this kind require time and money.

A modern alternative to forged products are transparent polycarbonate gratings. Essentially these are vertical or horizontal lamellas about 50 mm wide and up to 6 mm thick. They are mounted on metal guides. Unlike glass, polycarbonate has higher elasticity and strength. Plastic slats have light transmittance and help avoid the prison effect.

Modern polycarbonate anti-burglary systems have a number of advantages: they are non-flammable, easy to install, and last a long time.

However, they also have a disadvantage: they refract and absorb the sun's rays. In addition, to comply with fire safety requirements, such grilles must be equipped with a special system. The cost of polycarbonate protection is also not the lowest. In other words, installing protection in the form of some kind of grating is a costly affair. In addition, a house with barred windows takes on, at best, the appearance of an impregnable castle, and at worst, the severity of a government institution, which few people associate with comfort and a pleasant atmosphere. That is why many owners of private houses or apartments on the first floors prefer other methods of protection. Fortunately, as the site sympaty.net found out, today there are enough of them.

Polycarbonate structures - an alternative to window bars

Windows, first floor: how to close them from prying eyes.

Residents of the first floors have many problems with windows. The age-old dilemma of “sunlight or privacy not in full view of the whole street” is one of them. I tried many options: I used curtains of various types, glued film, installed blinds. I offer for your consideration a list of the most popular options.

Sun protection film

Self-adhesive frosted film is the best option for quickly and inexpensively protecting glass from the sun and idle glances of passersby. In this case, light will penetrate into the room.

The coating is easy to attach - just wet the adhesive side, stick it on the glass and smooth it out, expelling any air bubbles with a cloth.

Removing the film is no more difficult than gluing it. In addition, after use there are no traces left at all.

The only drawback of the product is that the film reflects the sun's rays, so those who like flowers on the windowsill will have to place them in another place or abandon the idea of the film.

Tip: you can stick a film on the outside to prevent the glass from overheating by reflected ultraviolet radiation.

Mirror film

Mirror technology allows you to see everything that is happening outside, but no one can see anything from the street. From a privacy point of view, this is a unique solution.

The disadvantages are the same as those of the matte analogue: the film slightly, but still darkens the room. This can be a good thing on a hot summer afternoon and depends on whether the windows face south or north. But still, most of the year, I want to get more daylight into the apartment. Increasing the flow of sunlight into the first floor windows, especially if they are northern, is not an easy task. To smooth out this drawback, I installed windows with a low frame Ilmari Solo, which significantly improved the situation. But it did not protect him from curious glances from the street.

Advice: buy a mesh mirror coating rather than a solid one. Both you and light-loving plants will like it.

Stained glass

Stained glass is an interesting design solution that carries a touch of noble antiquity. A composition of multi-colored glass will decorate a spacious living room designed in a vintage spirit, but it is unlikely to be suitable for a small apartment. In addition, stained glass requires wide frames. In general, the material perfectly transmits the rays of the sun, beautifully refracting light through yellow-green-red “filters”.

Note! Now stained glass can be framed not only in a wooden, but also in a plastic frame. The pattern, as in the case of forged gratings, is selected from a catalog or developed individually by the client.

Curtaining

There are many modern varieties of curtains and drapes that can successfully replace tulle, roller and regular curtains:

a “cafe” curtain like those hung on trains;
pleated.

“Wagon” curtains cover the floor of the window (its lower part), as they are attached to the center of the glass unit. The disadvantage of such curtains is that they can only be used if your windows are located high from the ground. Otherwise, you can forget about privacy.

Pleated curtains are a technically advanced option for residents of the 1st floor. Pleats cover the windows, but only on one side (top or bottom).

Green spaces under the window

Decorative bushes right under the window perform several tasks at once:

protect personal space (in summer - due to the thick crown, in winter - thanks to the snow cap on the branches);
do not obscure the sun (for example, lilacs do not grow higher than 3 m);
fill the air with aromas during the flowering period.

Important: it is best to plant lilacs under the window: they are quite thick and not too tall.

Alternative options

Garlands of LED lamps around the entire perimeter of the window are good as a distraction. They draw the attention of passers-by to themselves, so it is uncomfortable to look inside your apartment.

So, the choice of protecting the first floor windows from excessive attention from passers-by and too bright sun depends entirely on the homeowners.

If you absolutely do not like the film, tint the windows. If you want something original, order stained glass from a catalog or your own drawing. Even leaving traditional window textiles, you can show your imagination in terms of curtain design.

Roller shutters are a pleasant alternative to bars

Designs in the form of shutters in a roll are a very attractive modern option for protecting windows from burglary. They are similar to regular roller blinds, which are wound on a drum closed in a casing. For a tighter fit to the glass unit, roller shutters are equipped with side guides. The advantage of the design is that it can be installed both outside the building and indoors. Experts also call other advantages of roller shutters:

the ability to darken the room at any time;
additional protection of windows from rain, wind or other natural pollution factors;
additional insulation of the room.

There is also a minus. Roller shutters must be constantly raised and lowered. But equipping the system with an electric drive solves this problem.

Those who decide to install roller shutters are recommended to give preference to the metal option. It will cost more than plastic ones, but will pay for itself: PVC products cannot be called reliable protection against burglary and robbery. Although they are quite suitable for covering windows from street dirt. You can install such shutters on profiles protected with anti-burglary fittings.

Some consider the disadvantage of shutters to be their appearance: they, like grilles, do not fit with any architectural style. That is why in some parts of many European cities such structures are prohibited from being installed. There are also such bans in large cities of our country. Fortunately, there are not many such areas.

What can replace tulle?

How to replace impractical tulle in the kitchen: 5 ideas

Signs of impractical tulle
Tulle threads
Horizontal blinds
Vertical blinds
Roller blinds
Curtains-cafe

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Modern methods of window protection

Modern engineering has come up with several ways to additionally insure window structures against burglary. Professionals in this business assure that choosing only one of them is stupid and short-sighted, since protecting windows is a complex undertaking. To prevent burglary, it is necessary to additionally strengthen the window frame itself, the sash locking system, and protect the light openings. The use of special anti-burglary fittings will help with this.

Beautiful and Successful knows what will help protect against burglary >>

How to restrict access to a window opening

Increasing the burglary resistance of a window structure gives property owners up to 30 minutes. This is exactly how much it may take to open the sash using a tool. This time can be increased by installing in the opening:

metal gratings;
protective roller shutters;
shutter.

If the first option is chosen, then the grilles on the windows of the first floor are installed taking into account fire safety requirements - they must be opened from the inside. This will allow you to get out of the room and into the street. For shutters and roller shutters, it is also necessary to provide for the possibility of opening from inside the premises.

Advantages of special fittings for windows

Most often, thieves enter through the window sash, since this method is the most silent and requires little time. That is why window fittings are so important in the process of protecting a room from robbery. Its main task is to prevent the door from opening quickly. When installing such mechanisms, it becomes very difficult to press it or remove it.

High-quality anti-burglary systems can even withstand a mount and can protect locking connections. Only a grinder or some kind of electrical cutting device can cope with it. But even such a tool will not cope with a protected window at the right time. Faced with security fittings, a burglar will quickly realize that he is taking too much risk and give up. Reinforced mechanisms also have additional advantages:

the sash opening system will last longer;
the likelihood of corrosion on metal parts is reduced;
the processes of closing and opening the doors become smoother;
windows become more airtight.

Anti-burglary locks differ from a conventional system in their design:

It has more locking points, making opening the sash much easier.
At the top of the design of such windows there is a special part - a mushroom-shaped eccentric. Thanks to its shape, it reliably holds the locking elements; it is almost impossible to tear the sash off the eccentric, since a continuous recess is made in the window plate specifically for it.
The metal parts in anti-burglary profiles are made not from powder alloys, but from more reliable alloys. There are also profiles with titanium elements on sale. It is extremely difficult to open such a structure from the outside.
To solve the problem of how to protect plastic windows from being opened from the outside, manufacturers of especially durable profiles have created handles equipped with a blocking function. This is ensured by a built-in latch that holds the entire mechanism and does not allow it to be opened through the ventilation system. Thanks to the lock, it is impossible to open the window from the outside even through broken glass.
The handle mechanism is insured with a special titanium plate. This will help protect it from being drilled from the outside.
The transfer angle in the lower hinge area helps to further strengthen the doors against skilled thieves. Such protection complicates the process of removing the sash.

Additional protection can be installed in other window elements.

Roller shutters can be fixed indoors or outdoors

Reinforced PVC profiles

Among the various profile models, there are those that are distinguished by higher burglary resistance. This property, for example, is available in variants with a mounting depth of 70 mm or more. Frames and sashes with steel reinforcement also provide good protection against theft. Such multi-chamber, reliable double-glazed windows have other advantages compared to conventional profiles:

retain heat better;
have higher wear resistance;
differ in rigidity.

High-quality anti-burglary systems have no disadvantages. When choosing windows equipped with tamper-evident protection, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the plastic. Remember: a fake will not provide the properties that manufacturers guarantee.

Triple glass windows

Double-glazed windows with triplex also provide additional protection against thieves and are often used in country houses or private homes. Triplex allows you to provide protection against the penetration of thieves through light openings. They are made of two full-fledged durable glasses with a special elastic layer, which complicates the process of breaking the glass.

The soft layer inside the triplex gives the product other attractive properties:

Provide additional protection for children's safety.
Increases the level of sound and thermal insulation of the room.

The only drawback of triplex windows is that they are heavier. Knowing this, experienced manufacturers, complete with triple glazing, use reinforced hinges that securely hold the sashes.

Additional anti-burglary fittings

One of the most convenient moments for intruders is the time to ventilate the room. In the summer, owners often leave windows on ventilation mode, which allows thieves to quickly open the window and enter the apartment.

To protect the room from burglary in this case, it is necessary to equip the windows with an air microcirculation system. Specialists can do this in two ways: by embedding special ventilation valves into the profile itself or by equipping the window with a micro-slit ventilation system. Any of these methods will ensure good circulation in the room without opening the doors.

Another way to protect plastic windows from opening during ventilation is to equip the windows with an electric drive.

Other protection measures

To protect your home from thieves, you can use other measures. Some of them will be cheaper:

Signaling. Window sensors are very popular today because they provide reliable protection from burglars. You can find systems on sale at quite attractive prices.
Protective film on glass. This measure will make it more difficult to break the window and will also be inexpensive. It is worth noting that for a low price you can purchase material that can protect glass even from a traumatic pistol bullet. If you need to not only strengthen the window, but also protect your apartment from the prying glances of passers-by, you can choose a mirror version of the film. Aesthetes will highly appreciate film with a pattern.
Locks on profiles. Another budget option is locks on plastic windows to prevent thieves. They are a mechanism that is installed indoors and does not allow the doors to open. This lock is inexpensive. You can find several types of locks on sale: latches, latches, chains, etc.
Sliding bars for the inside of the window. They can be removed during the day and moved apart at night. This will allow the apartment owners to feel safe.

Experts recommend resorting to comprehensive window protection measures, using several strengthening measures at once. Of course, this will require some costs. But the investment will be worth it, since the damage from burglary and robbery will be many times greater than these costs.

Website www.sympaty.net – Beautiful and Successful. Author: Elena Burenyuk. Learn more about the site's authors.

Is it necessary to install bars if there is a guard and an alarm system?

Even with alarms and security, bars are needed. The reason is that the attacker may not be aware of the presence of these tools, since they are not visible or noticeable. For a dishonest person, the temptation to profit from something attractive to himself, seen through uncurtained windows, may be too strong.

The alarm and security guard will, of course, do their job, but by that time the window will already be broken or damaged, causing damage to property or people inside. The presence of visible protective structures may be the main factor stopping uninvited guests

Sometimes preventing a crime is much better than solving it right away.