Just tarting up the back garden at the moment, and the current timber garage doors are past their sell by date. I could replace with another pair of timber side hung doors, but wondering what's most secure? Traditional, up and over, sectional or roller? Or what locks and brackets work best to up the security of a regular door? Security is normally assisted by a big noisy dog and the garage is in the back garden and will almost never be used for a car. Cheers.

I would go for an up and over steel door (plenty more noise breaking in than wooden ones) and if you only need the big door opened occasionaly you could screw down the sides into the wooden frame and concentrate your security on the side door.

My up and over door has pins in all corners upon locking, which is nice, no idea on the make though, sorry. But they are out there!

I would suggest going and asking on a motorbike forum. They suffer from kit being pinched even more than we do.

I had this problem recently. On shop advice I got a Hormann sectional one with an electric opener. The electric opener is so that people can't drill a hole in the door and operate the catch.

Get an up and over one and then (obviously) don't use it to park your car in – keep the car outside and just reverse up right close to it and job done – no-one can open it unless they nick your car too!

Auric – round our way, someone nicked a motorbike by crawling under the car and snipping the handbrake cable, then busting open the garage.

Also, that won't work when you're away, will it?

No keeping the buggers out when they are bent on getting in!

Father-in-law just had a nice electonic roll up job fitted – looks and feels very secure, so could be another option?

I've been going to get one of those roll up jobs, they look good and will stop the leaves and general crap blowing under the up & over I currently have (2" gap leaves the garage real nippy during the winter)
Not really looked into it much, any recommends out there?

No keeping the buggers out when they are bent on getting in!

You won't make it impregnable, but you will make it too difficult for a percentage of your local scrotes.

Up and over doors are easier and quicker to open than a tin of sardines. Getting into a sectional door might take a fair bit of beating and destruction, taking a little while and alerting the neighbours.

2" gap

Oh dear.. the gap under the door makes it as easy as possible to rip open. I reckon it'd be faster to get in that way than to use the key and open it properly.

What have your neighbours got? No point fitting swanky new security doors if everyone else on your street has knackered old timber ones. You'll stick out like a sore thumb. I'd replace like for like but try to fit a few hidden bolts etc inside, presuming you have a side door to your garage as well.

When I enquired with various companies, they mostly said sectional was the most secure. Unfortunately I had limited space so had a roller door as the next best thing. It would be hard to get open, probably harder than climbing on the roof and ripping it off (it's only ply + the bitumen stuff).

Best thing is to be descrete, I have a black curtain hung up around my bike so that anyone passing when I have the door open can't see it. Everythings locked inside as well and alarmed and fnially insured should the worse happen.

A while ago after a few of the garages at my place got broken into (where all of the doors are the conventional type) I went and got something called "garage door defender". It consist of a plate which is rawlbolted to the floor infront of the door and then a Tbar locks onto it and the padlock is encased, making it harder to tamper with. It means that even if the door lock is burst open then the door cant swing up. I sprayed mine grey to make it blend in more. It never going to keep the most persistent from getting in but it makes it a hell of a lot harder to get into yours than anybody else, and helps me sleep at night. I have my bikes a motor bike and work tools kept in my garage.

Ive just googled "garage door defender" and its there on the front page £40

hth

I have and up and over door and use a long steel T-bar through the eyelet at the top of it so even with the handle turned the door won't open without removing it and a couple of slide bolts at the bottom the stop it being peeled up. cheap and works a treat.

Thanks all, have been googling and roller doors seem to be coming down in price, I might have a punt on one of those, I'll have to get about and look at some. I haven't got a side door but am toying with the idea of putting a door through from the utility room, but the loss of wall storage on both sides is a worry. There's a fair bit of work to do to the garage anyway to smarten it up.

Midlife email sent to you.

We just fitted a roller door on our garage. Ordered from here, took about 2-3 hours to remove old up and over door and fit/wire in new roller door. Seems loads more secure than the old door. Excellent service from the company it came from too 🙂

Whatever you do dont keep a decent bike in there! A mate of mine had two Trek remedys stolen on two seperate occasions, from a garage that was belled to death and anchored to the floor with rounded off bolts and locked together to lots of other bikes and covered. They went through the side door of the garage and that doesnt mean they cant get through the garage door. Ive known people to have there bike stolen from inside there flat. Sleep well tonight folks and lock your bike to your ankle…Oh forgot to mention my friend has decided to become a roadie. Funnily enough noone wants to steal that!