Should You Keep Valuables In Your Garage?
A garage could be a place where you have easy access to storage. But you might worry about leaving your belongings in this area, especially if it is removed from your home security system. There are a few ways to make your garage safer, starting with the garage door:
Choosing the Right Door
When choosing a garage door, stick with tried and true materials. Steel and aluminum parts are common for a reason: they are strong enough to resist intruders, and they are durable enough to last a long time without a heavy maintenance schedule. Keep in mind that when you choose heavy metal doors, you will need to have the features to go with it. For example, a strong chain drive garage door opener is appropriate, while a belt drive is not.
Keep Items Out of View
No one needs to know that you are keeping an expensive bike in your garage. Choose door designs that don't have a lot of transparent parts. If someone can see through the door and get ideas about what they would like to steal, you're asking for trouble.
Have the Appropriate Locks
Treat your garage like any other area of your home in terms of security. In fact, treat it with a little more caution; you probably don't spend a lot of time in your garage, and that is a great reason for intruders to snoop around and potentially break into this part of the home. Check on the lock strength of your garage door and any access doors that lead to your garage. If you have an alarm system within the rest of your home, consider extending it to your garage too.
Lock Valuable Items Up
There is no reason why you can't have an additional layer of security within your garage. For example, you might have a safe in the garage for your most expensive stored items. You could lock bikes to a durable frame within the garage so that they don't "get up and walk away".
Have Good Insurance
What if something does happen to your valuables? Are they items you can afford to replace or lose for good? If not, make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage on them. Your home insurance can protect your valuable possessions as much as it protects the home itself. Just make sure this coverage is included in your policy because it's not a given.
Contact a company like AAA Garage Door, Inc. for more information and assistance.