Like most people, it was only after our recent robbery that we took stock of our security arrangements at home and realised we had several weak points that needed sorting out. One of these was the pedestrian entrance to our garage and it needed a clever solution.
We’ve gone through three doors in this space: two wood and one steel. All three ended up on the scrap heap. The wood doors rotted and the steel one rusted away due to weathering. The location is very exposed as there are no eaves protecting it, so rain, wind and sun all take their toll on whatever we’ve put in here.
The doorway before: tatty and also an open invitation to robbers
The temptation to just leave it open ended after the burglary as we realised that robbers had easy access to all the tools and garden implements that are stored in the garage. Plus, they would also be able to get into the car and take what they liked without alerting anyone or being seen from the road.
We decided on a Trellidor Rollerstyle shutter for several reasons:
- It is aluminium and won’t rust away or rot like the other doors we’d tried.
- It is custom made so it was the perfect solution for a non-standard doorway.
- It looks classy. This was important because the door is in the middle of our entertainment area. The old rusted door framed and tatty doors looked awful, whereas the Trellidor Rollerstyle shutter is elegant and neat.
- You get a wall-mounted remote control which is fitted near a window from which I can see the shutter. If I’ve left it open by mistake I simply press the button.
- You also get a remote control that can be hung on a key ring and kept handy when in the garden or moving from the garage into the house.
- It was fitted by people that know what they are doing! The Trellidor Kempton Park guys installed it for us a real bonus for people like us that aren’t very good at home repair stuff. Plus you have the reassurance that if anything goes wrong with it, they’ll fix it for you.
- It is low maintenance. No varnishing or painting, like the doors we’d had previously. Just a good clean every now and again to keep it looking good and dust-free. All security needs periodic cleaning, but it must be done according to the manufacturers maintenance instruction.
The Trellidor Rollerstyle shutter creates a neat, secure doorway
Layered security still the best approach
The shutter provides an excellent level of security, but as we all know it is best to have several layers of security if at all possible. Nothing is impenetrable if robbers arrive with the right tools and have enough time to break through your defences without any fear of being disturbed.
So you’ll notice in the photographs that we also have an external motion sensor beam next to the garage door. Like all alarm systems, however, it is often switched off when we’re home, providing absolutely no security whatsoever! We keep the Rollerstyle shutter closed, though, as it is so easy to open when we need garage access.
Have a look at other Trellidor Rollerstyle installations and see how beautiful they look on windows, doors, passages, stairs and patios.
Or find a Trellidor RSA franchise or Trellidor International distributor near you and visit their showroom to see these shutters or try them out. Alternatively, they’ll come to you and show you a sample.
Contributor: Lindy Barry
