Home Safety While Traveling: How To Get The Best Door on a Budget?
Everyone considers safety when traveling; you want to avoid pick pockets, drive on the right (or left!) side of the road, and generally stay out of danger. But one thing many travelers overlook is locking down their home to ensure the house is safe while you’re gone.
In an age of social media and instant posting, the majority of us broadcast to the world, or at least our neighbors, when we’re leaving our home vacant. It can be a dangerous thing posting live for this reason, but a lot of the time we just can’t help it!
There are many things you can do to ensure you guard your home against theft and break in while you’re abroad; making sure your mail is held so the box doesn’t overflow, putting lights and sprinklers on a timer, making sure windows have locks, and installing a security alarm. Though one big part of home safety are your doors.
When you’ve already blown your budget on an over water bungalow in the Maldives, it’s hard to want to prioritize money for something as boring as a door. But it’s not difficult to find a strong door on a budget, which will secure your home while you’re gone. Canadian Choice Windows And Doors in Etobicoke is just one example of the availability of affordable doors!
What kind of doors are best?
The best type of door for your home will really vary depending on where you live, and the style of your home (for instance if you live in Canada, you’ll probably consider vinyl doors that protect your home against the elements and also reduce your utiliy bills).
Keep in mind that the fanciest door isn’t always the most secure, and if you buy a door with a lot of glass, this means people can (a) see in, and (b) makes it easier to smash (or at least gives the appearence of being easier to smash, and let’s remember that most crime is opportunistic).
Being that most crime happens if a win looks easy, aim for a door which presents a tough exterior, and projects strength. Heavy doors cost a lot more, so the lighter you go, the more you’ll be able to find a door on a budget, but lighter doors are easier to crack, so aim to strike that balance.
The door you’re going to buy must be light in weight. Heavy doors also cost higher. So, they’re difficult to afford.
Factors to consider when buying a door
Material
The first thing to consider is the material. Vinyl doors are longlasting, and wooden doors can also be a strong choice. Remember to consider the environment you live in when choosing the material for your door; if you live in a place which sustains a lot of rain, flooding, wind damage, dust storms, etc, you’ll need to make sure you source material which can stand up against the elements. If your home is weakened by the elements, or door blown in while you’re away, the home is an open invite for crime.
Color
Color is the next factor to consider, and this can be about safety and security just as much as it is about matching your interior design. Big bold doors that scream to the street ‘look at me!’, will atract a lot of attention and make your house stand out. If you travel a lot, and are away from home for considerable periods of time, you might want to go for a more muted color tone, so your house blends in.
Price
As we mentioned above, price when you’re looking for doors on a budget will be something you consider carefully; you want to invest in quality. Don’t buy the cheapest thing out there, as this could cause vulnerabilities, but you also don’t need to spend the whole budget of your next trip. Expensive doesn’t always mean it’s quality – aim for something mid range which is strong, sturdy, and will last. When you’re looking for doors on a budget you don’t have to go designer. Consider too whether your door comes with a warranty if you need to exchange or return the door.
