Shed Security: Best Door Locks and the like

Been thinking about beefing up my shed security after a few bike thefts near me.

I have a brick-built slate-roof outhouse in my backyard (old coal shed and outdoor lavvy). It’s visible from my house and the neighbouring houses and the backyard itself is walled and locked.

So moderately secure.

But if I’m going to trust it to my bikes then I’d like to harden the outhouse door – which at the moment is just a simple hasp that is padlocked shut.

Any suggestions?

I don’t want a ton of massive locks on the outside of the door as:

A) it would look awful and
B) it would just advertise that the contents were worth breaking in for

So I was thinking something like a beefier hasp lock that is a little harder to pry, maybe something like this?

http://www.lockshop-warehouse.co.uk/acatalog/abus-130-180-granit-heavy-duty-hasp-and-staple.html

But that is probably considerably stronger than the door itself – so how do I discretely harden the wooden door? Bolt metal bars or plates to the back maybe?

All tips for increasing security welcome.

Get a shed shackle:

and bolts for the door hinges

http://securityforbikes.com/index.php

Hinge bolts? And I’d glue and screw plywood to the back, especially if it’s a door made of upright boards on a frame.

It has a concrete floor so I could fit a ground anchor – but I was just thinking I’d lock the bikes to the child trailer.

Can’t see any thief managing to carry two bikes and a folded-up double kiddie trailer over a five foot garden wall. 😀

Hinges and secure bolts are a good call. As is plywood backing.

These guys do some good door security products (not just this one – look at their other stuff);

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PADLOCK-DROP-IN-DOOR-SECURITY-BARS-window-garage-office-/160354172216

Oooh now we’re talking:

http://r.ebay.com/JBzEl0

😀

Ensure the frame is securely screwed to wall, use longer screws/frame fixings,also as the door may open outwards, hinge bolts on inside edge of door, and a metal bar full lengthe of frame over the locks,security light,possibly a shed alarm, solid fire door with 2 mortice dead locks top and bottom,it t shaped hinges bolts throught he hinges and fit a midle hinge,secure the roof, roofing bars or builders band inside, then plywood or mdf.

Cheap steel door?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15-Point-Locking-Lever-Handle-Security-Steel-Door-Set-Doorset-/171011654592?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Doors_LE&var=470240695837&hash=item27d116c3c0

Cheap steel door?

I don’t think that would quite fit with the country cottage feel. 😆

In fact any bars etc like the one above would really have to sit out-of-sight behind the existing door to get wifely approval.

Security light is on the list – particularly as it would also mean I could see to do some post-sunset bike fettling in the darker months. Probably have to get a sparky in to fit it though.

I have stainless ‘finger plates’ – regular door furniture – epoxied and screwed to the outside face of the door over the two locks. Obviously I cut keyholes. They might slow down or stop someone attacking the locks. And they avoid damaging the paint with the bunch of keys.

Is the roof vulnerable to someone lifting tiles off?

Is the roof vulnerable to someone lifting tiles off?

Probably – but they’d have to do it in full view of our house and the neighbours on either side.

And (if they weren’t killed to death by spiders) they’d have to get through the bike locks then get the bikes back out through the roof.

I think that would give me enough time to find something suitably hard and pointy to help facilitate a discussion with them on the far-reaching social consequences of their actions.

I don’t think that would quite fit with the country cottage feel.

Paint it brown, or just buy a wood effect one….

i bought 2 of these for my 2 sheds: http://bit.ly/ZULwPJ
Great service from the company and i had a long chat with their designer to ensure i got everything i needed. as was mentioned earlier in the thread they do other great products
i’m very happy with them and coupled with a container padlock i think they’re pretty secure.
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red3y3

Beef up the interior as said before ,Ply screwed to the back of the door and maybe Ply screwed to the underside of the batons/joists in the roof.
Plus side on these if you paint them white it will lighten up the interior of the outhouse.

Heavy duty hasp combined with a decent mortice lock will improve security over what you already have.

Plus you could try and integrate a steel bar length ways across the centre of the threshold internally ,a bracket on eitherside of the doorframe internally that the bar slides thru,a hole thru either end with a padlock passed through to lock it in place.
So even if they get through the door trying to get bikes past a bar fixed in place is going to be difficult and time comsuming ,not what a bike thief wants.
To remove the bar just remove the padlocks and slide out of the way.

Is it possible to get a strengthened new door? Maybe timber clad, but reinforced steel or barred under the skin?

I would be looking at decent locks – maybe the kind that bolt up and down and well as mortice into the door frame.

We have a similar shed / outbuilding, coal store one side, wash-house (with chimney) other side. Solid (isn) wooden doors fitted, frame round the door so more difficult to wedge something in the gap, and double locks

Also the window is at the workbench side so less visibility to the bikes (though they could see the detritus on the bench I guess). Skylights for light would now be the weak point !!

I suspect red3y3 is a spammer but as their post is vaguely relevant even on a 2 month old thread it might be worth keeping?

Just saw the new posts on this. Ta all.
(and yeah agree with wwaswas, looks like spam but also a pretty decent product!)

In the end I’ve gone for:

Master Lock 723EURD 140mm High Security Solid Iron Hasp
£9: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001MTERE8

Yale Locks 82 Deadbolt Nightlatch
£31: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004J33YY8

Security Hinge Bolts BZP Steel with Fixing Screws
2 x £1.80: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007JHI694

Not actually got round to fitting it all yet, as a baby sort of got in the way a bit. (Turns out paternity leave isn’t a chance to do lots of DIY). My plan is to beef up the door with plywood and some steel sheet near the locks, with the hinge side being beefed up with those hinge bolts.

I’ve also added a lock to the back courtyard so they’d have to defeat that as well or heft bikes up over a high wall.

You can buy steel builders band for about £10 for 10m, which you can just screw to the inside frame to bolster the whole thing up…

Eg make it very hard to prise the roof of etc or pull the walls apart.

Good calls footflaps – will B&Q have that sort of thing or do I need to go to a proper shop?

B&Q should. Screwfix and Toolstation do it.

I’d do most of the above but don’t make the door look secure from outside as this will attract attention. Make it hard to get in. The weakest spot is going to be the roof, I’d line the inside of the roof with ply so they couldn’t get in or see what was inside when they had a go. Use screws so you can service the roof if needed.
Finally secure the bikes so if they get in they can’t quickly leave with the bikes.

Can’t find it on the B&Q site, this is the closest I found:

Expamet Heavy Duty Zinc 1000 x 27.5 x 5mm Straight = £4.98

Which would probably do the job. They have plenty of sheet steel etc too:
http://www.diy.com/nav/build/building-materials/builders-metal-work

I’d do most of the above but don’t make the door look secure from outside as this will attract attention

Yeah I’m trying to keep it low key on the outside. The big hasp is fairly obvious but the doors were built with big black hinges and black bolts so it doesn’t look out of place.

The Yale will just be a key surround from the outside.

What I really wanted was a big f-off lock that was invisible from the outside except for a little hole in the door for the key.

I have a personal alarm hooked up on my door.

something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Minder-Tii-Personal-protection-attack-alarm-with-strobe-torch-light-143-db-/300923767499?pt=UK_Safety_Alarms&hash=item4610744acb

I have the box on the wall which wont move and then the string on the door on a hook. When the door opens past about 8″ the alarm will go off if the pin comes out.

Very loud so people should hear it going off and hopefully scare the thief off.

I have one similar to this … seems legit ?

I looked at those drummer but decided they wouldn’t fit my door very well (seem better suited to double doors), plus they make it very obvious that there is something worth stealing inside.

Like the look of that alarm dhrider. Like a sonic claymore!

@wwaswas and @GrahamS

my post isnt spam, i agree it does come across a bit that way.
the bolt i bought was from the same company wwaswas linked to earlier in the thread. like you said in your post, “These guys do some good door security products (not just this one – look at their other stuff)”, and thats what i did. i had a look, saw something that suited what i wanted to do and bought it. if you want i can post another pic of the previous bolt i had on my shed that some little sod cut through.
i just wanted to give my opinion on the product i bought and the service i got. i thought thats what this thread was about.

red3y3

No worries red3y3.

It’s just usually when a long dead post gets reincarnated by a product recommendation from someone with no other posting history then it is spam.

Glad it wasn’t and thanks for the recommendation. Looks like a good lock.

if you’ve got an old unused spare Android phone the tech radar website explains how you can use it with free apps as a permanent security camera. Might be worth looking at.

the pacri type bolts are very good- justa keyhole on the outside

pacri bolt