From a motion light that finally makes the back door feel less dark to the honest question of whether a monitored alarm is worth $40 a month, home security is mostly calm, boring decisions made in advance — not fear. These tools compare the real costs, rank the door-and-window fixes that matter, sanity-check the actual break-in numbers for your neighbourhood, and walk you through trips, rentals, packages and pets step by step. Most break-ins are opportunistic: lock the opportunity, keep the receipts, sleep properly. The full detailed report costs less than a coffee: $2.95.
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Most households secure the front door like Fort Knox and the attached garage like a garden shed — which is backwards, because the garage interior door is a second front door, and the garage-door opener sitting in the car is the key to it. This guide walks the honest hierarchy: lock the interior door between garage and house like an exterior door (solid core, decent lock), secure the pedestrian door with a deadbolt, then deal with the big door — the manual-release guard that stops the coat-hanger trick, a keypad opener so a stolen remote is useless, and never a door left partially open. It finishes with the contents reality: bikes, tools and stored boxes are among the most stolen household categories, so lock the toolbox, inventory the valuable tools with serial numbers, and bring the ladder inside.
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Harden the garage, shed and workshop — the attached garage is a direct route into your home, and the tools inside are the tools burglars use to get into everything else.
Why it matters
The attached garage is a second front door that most people secure like a shed: the interior door from garage to house is often a hollow-core door with a basic knob, and the garage door opener in the car is the key to it — a thief who breaks into the car (or grabs the opener from an unlocked car in the driveway) is inside your garage in seconds.
The honest hierarchy for garage security: lock the interior door like an exterior door (deadbolt or at least a solid core with a decent lock), then secure the pedestrian door, then the big door, then the contents.
Tools are the multiplier: a garage full of tools is how burglars defeat everything else — pry bars, hammers and power tools are the break-in kit, so lock the toolbox and the shed, and mark or photograph the valuable tools for insurance and recovery.
The overhead door has three cheap fixes: disable the manual release or secure it (a zip-tie or a purpose-made lock stops the coat-hanger trick through the top seal), fit a smart or keypad opener so a stolen remote is useless, and never leave the door partially open — a gap is an invitation.
The honest contents advice: bikes, tools, lawn gear and stored boxes are the most stolen household categories after jewellery and electronics — a $30 shed padlock and an inventory with serial numbers are the minimum, and a camera or light covering the garage doors is the upgrade.
Your checklist
Check the interior door between garage and house: if it is hollow-core with a knob lock, that is your first upgrade (solid door or deadbolt).
Never leave the garage-door remote in an unlocked car — carry it or lock the car, and disable the remote after a car is sold or written off.
Fit the manual-release guard on the overhead door and test that the door stops and reverses on obstruction.
Lock the pedestrian door with a deadbolt and secure any windows with pin locks or bars.
Inventory the valuable tools and bikes: photos, serial numbers, approximate values — keep it off social media but sendable to insurance.
Lock the toolbox and shed, and bring the ladder inside or chain it — ladders are the burglars' stairway to second-floor windows.
If you park outside, treat the car as a storage unit: no garage opener, no house keys, no wallet left in it overnight.
❓ Garage & Workshop Security: The Overlooked Entry — FAQ
Can burglars get into the house through the garage?
Yes — the attached garage is a second front door. A thief who breaks into the car (or grabs an opener from an unlocked car in the driveway) opens the garage, and the interior door to the house is often hollow-core with a basic knob. Lock that door like an exterior door.
How do I stop the coat-hanger trick on my garage door?
Secure the manual release: a zip-tie or a purpose-made lock on the release mechanism stops a coat hanger pushed through the top seal from opening the door. Fit a smart or keypad opener as well, so a stolen remote is useless.
Are tools and bikes really a target?
Bikes, tools, lawn gear and stored boxes are among the most stolen household categories after jewellery and electronics — and the tools themselves are how burglars defeat everything else. Lock the toolbox and shed, and keep photos and serial numbers for insurance.
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