Keeping your home and garden sheds secure

When you make an investment in your property, such as purchasing a Garden Building, you're going to want to protect it to the best of your ability. 

Even if your house itself hasn’t been targeted, it is often the case that Gardens Sheds, Summerhouses, Garages, Studios and other outbuildings can offer enough of a temptation to an opportunistic burglar. Think about what you have in your own shed… a lawnmower, garden furniture, bikes, tools, gadgets, electrical equipment perhaps? Larger workshops carry the potential for even greater value, especially if used for a profession or hobby such as wood turning or car restoration. It's likely that you keep many valuable items in your garden building, so you should take their security as seriously as you do your home or car.

If you are currently thinking about purchasing a garden building it is worth considering the below security tips:

• Think about where your shed will be situated in your garden. Will it be visible from your home, or the street? Can you see if someone is trying to break in? If the prospect of your garden building being visible to passers by makes you uncomfortable, let us know and we can discuss placement options for you. 
• Even if your building is visible from your home you may not necessarily be looking out of the window, so assess if you will be able to hear anything if someone does try and break in? Gravel around the building will mean that you have more of a chance of detecting a break-in sooner, giving you time to call the police.
• Alarms and light activated sensors are an excellent means of alerting you to the presence of unwanted persons in your garden. However, it's worth bearing in mind that these can also be set off by neighbourhood pets.
• A tall fence or a prickly bush, such as holly or pyracantha, could also act as deterrents to thieves. Make sure though, if you place a shed close to the boundary of your property, that it doesn’t exceed 2.5m in height. If it does, you will need to apply for planning permission.

We have devised our own optional integrated security pack, available with all of our garden sheds and timber garages, which offers maximum protection for your possessions. It consists of a heavy duty sliding bolt with a fully-encased seven lever, anti-pick, anti-crop lock, security screws in the door hinges that are impossible to unscrew and 13mm stainless steel window bars built into the fabric of the windows, so you can be assured of your shed’s safety.

If you're concerned about security, you can see for yourself how robust and reliable our Garden Buildings are. We invite all first time buyers to visit our National Show Centre, to see our products up close. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.