Burglar-proofed Basement Storage Window

[Kentaclinta78]

Hello

I need help with material selection for so-called burglar-proof basement windows in a budget version.

You professionals have probably done this several times =

I want to make a window grille installation as cheap but still as strong as possible.

* My idea is to attach/mount beams/boards to the concrete wall that are at least wide and thick enough as a wooden frame around the inside of the window on the concrete wall. By, for example, drilling and screwing with suitable concrete screws and/or nails or something else with plugs or not.

* And then cut the rebar so that at least 2 grille holes are over the beam or more. Then I want to attach the grille to the beam with suitable screws/nails or staple-like things.

Of course, the beams/frame must not crack when attaching the grille/rebar to the beams, so it's important too.

And possible obvious info:

The basement window/basement storage window is rectangular and recessed in the hard concrete wall that it probably consists of. That is, the wall consists of hard concrete.

The choice of material and method does not need to be stronger than what a human can manage to kick and hit with iron bars and other things to break through the grille.

The point is to make it burglar-proof against at least several kicks and hits from the outside.. of course That is, in case a burglar decides to smash the window and clear it out and then start kicking and hitting possibly with some tool (and not cut through the grille, that is) the window grille should withstand that and 100 kicks and hits.

General images of basement windows =

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.0druTWrMHEm01_J5hS7AiwHaFj&cb=iwp2&pid=Api&f=1&ipt=1c58656735dbe1d52b4edad4ca6a3a0f411540fac72cfbd90b462364c4fecd51&ipo=images

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://static.byggahus.se/attachments/images/large/672/672880-fe8cc9b2ea974b1c7a9ab89664ca52e5.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=95bdae11ed028c3a6639c39d36da0f4e140eb81546071095c5881cfa4a81bcef

Simple direction I've made =

https://ibb.co/sdB3Btz9

Question:

1. What boards/beams/wood should I buy/choose in dimensions? That is, thickness and width?

2. What screws/nails should I buy/choose to attach the beam? - Keep in mind that it must withstand hard blows and kicks to push in and loosen the grille from the outside.

3. What fastening methods and materials are best or good enough for me to buy/choose so that the grille/rebar is attached strongly enough against violence and blows from the outside and the force it generates?

4. Should I choose a thicker rebar?

Thankful for help with good choices of items with measurements and everything that can withstand a lot of force from human burglary violence.

That is, it doesn't need to withstand such pressure and stress that a forklift would use to force the grille with the forks, if I am to be ridiculously explicit.

 

[S.Hellman]

Anti-burglar protection.
There are ready-made ones that are a bit nicer than rebar, and which you attach directly to the wall without a frame of studs inside. For example:
https://www.stgeorge.se/inkrypningsskydd-rikamo-3-pinnar-lang.html
https://www.clasohlson.com/se/search?text=fönstergaller

 

[hempularen]

The construction you describe can probably be made kick-proof, but not much more. I believe a moderate crowbar is enough to break it loose if the irons are attached to a wooden frame.

But it certainly works as a deterrent, difficult for the thief to see in advance how well/badly it is secured.

I would think that 8mm rebar is sufficient. If the thief comes with a reciprocating saw, angle grinder, or bolt cutters, no rebar will suffice, regardless of dimension. I don't think there is any need for special attachment of the irons in the frame. Drill holes that do not go all the way through and adjust the length of the irons so they cannot be lifted when the construction is in place. Durability against violence with a crowbar or pry bar is not affected by the attachment; it'll be the frame that cracks instead.

But I am doubtful of the utility; it will marginally improve the protection, but at the same time, it might signal to thieves that there is something the owner is worried about being stolen. If you install, for example, window locks instead, I believe that provides about the same level of protection. The least a thief would have to do then is to break the window and clear the glass to be able to crawl in. A window lock protects against a thief making a small hole and opening the window, as well as against lighter prying; a strong screwdriver is no longer enough. If the thief has better equipment to pry open a window with window locks, he will also break your grille construction.

Window locks also have the advantage of not signaling from afar that there's something worth stealing here. A more determined thief will bring suitable equipment to get through your grille.

 

[Kentaclinta78]

Crawl space protection.
There are ready-made ones that are a bit nicer than rebar, and you attach them directly to the wall without a frame of studs inside. For example:
[link]
[link]

Exactly, there are of course many ready-made solutions to protect windows from burglary, no doubt about that.
The more complicated screw attachments that can be protected with something that makes it more invisible and more difficult to unscrew, the better.

But as in the first link, you can screw into the window frame or the sash a bit with short screws and then secure it in the concrete around the window (due to the angle in the iron for 2 different angles) since the window is recessed in the concrete wall. If it's only screwed into the concrete, everything becomes easier/faster to unscrew from the outside as in the second link =
https://www.clasohlson.com/se/Mottez-B948V-fonstergaller,-3-stanger-99–188-cm/p/41-8036-1
So it's really a bad option, I think.

Just break open the window and unscrew on the sides, then the grille is gone.

 

[Kentaclinta78]

The construction you describe can probably be made resistant to kicks, but not much more. I believe a moderate crowbar would suffice to break it loose if the bars are attached to a wooden frame.

However, it will certainly act as a deterrent, making it difficult for the thief to assess the quality beforehand.

I would think that 8mm rebar would suffice. If the thief comes with a reciprocating saw, angle grinder, or bolt cutters, no rebar, regardless of dimension, would hold up. I don't think any special fastening of the bars into the frame is necessary. Drill holes that don’t go all the way through and adjust the length of the bars so they can’t be lifted when the construction is in place. The resistance to force with a crowbar or pry bar is not affected by the anchoring, it would instead be the frame that would crack.

But I am doubtful about the usefulness, it will improve the protection marginally, and at the same time, it might signal to thieves that there’s something valuable here that the owner is worried about being stolen. If you install window locks, for example, I think it would provide about the same level of protection. At the very least, a burglar would have to break the window and clear the glass to crawl in. A window lock protects against the burglar making a small hole to open the window as well as light prying; a strong screwdriver would no longer suffice. If the thief comes with better equipment capable of prying open windows with window locks, then they will break your grill construction as well.

Window locks also have the advantage of not signaling from a distance that there’s something worth stealing here. A more determined thief will bring appropriate equipment to get through your grill.

It depends. If you drill holes in the frame and insert the grill into the small holes in the wood and also add a glued board or thin metal sheet glued on top, etc., or if you mount the grill outside the frames and then add a board that you screw in and mill some grooves for the grill if you want to do some finesse and details. Well, that makes for too many screws and drill holes in the wood anyway, so I see it would be better to buy a ready-made grill instead.

I tend to think the opposite. The more unprotected the window is, the more interesting it is to both look in and break in. That is, not spending time forcing a bunch of grills, lock bars, etc. Moreover, the window is well placed, right in the middle of a community with other houses, a street outside, and apartment buildings opposite on the sides and everywhere with 20-30-50 tenants where many have their windows, eyes directed at the building to catch a burglary by pure chance while looking out the window, where I will have my rented basement storage in the building. I don't live there but have rented the storage.

Window locks can be a complementary lock, and the more difficult it is to open from the outside with a smashed window, the better.

So, I will probably exclude the idea of building my own window grill with frames with rebar in this case. It feels too complicated and involves too many large holes in the concrete for the frame and too many screw holes for the fastenings in the frame.

 

[S.Hellman]

Exactly, there are many ready-made solutions to protect windows against burglary, no doubt about that. The more complicated the screw fastenings can be, protected with something that makes it more invisible and more difficult to unscrew, the better.

But as in the first link, you can both screw into the window frame or the sash a little bit maybe with short screws and then fasten it into the concrete around the window (due to the angle in the iron for 2 different angles) since the window is embedded in the concrete wall. If it's only screwed into the concrete, everything becomes easier/faster to unscrew from the outside as in the second link =
[link]
So it's really a bad alternative I think

Just pry open the window and unscrew on the sides, then the grid is gone

Sure, but people typically use one-way screws/security screws for this
Example:

https://www.xlbygg.se/produkt/envag...JAE-5IBtGSR1ageyooLodZ7SAlJVWBJK4NK5Qk9Q2D7HI

 

[z_bumbi]

22 mm plywood strips or panel boards attached to the wall. A beam with recesses for the reinforcement mesh. The mesh should preferably be clamped, meaning the recesses should be slightly smaller than the mesh. The reinforcement mesh should be large enough to extend beyond the beam. Screw some sturdy screws through the beam and plywood/board into the wall with plugs or attach a threaded rod in the wall with anchoring compound, then secure with a washer and nuts. Paint everything gray so that it doesn't appear that it's reinforcement mesh and wood. This is probably the simplest solution type for a grid if you're not experienced. If you don't want to easily remove it from the inside in the future, you can also glue all the wood with mounting adhesive. However, I would calculate the difference between buying something ready-made or a kit. If you don't have materials at home, there will be quite a bit left over.

Then the question is whether it needs to withstand force or just appear to withstand force. Four slightly longer hooks that the mesh is hung on can look from the outside like there is a mesh, and it's also not entirely easy to remove.

The simplest solution is to screw on a plexiglass sheet on the inside of the window.

 

[Kentaclinta78]

22 mm plywood strips or panel boards attached to the wall. A batten with cutouts for the reinforcing mesh. The mesh should be clamped, meaning the cutouts should be slightly smaller than the mesh.
The reinforcing mesh should be large enough to stick out beyond the batten.
Screw a few solid screws through the batten and plywood/board and into the wall with plugs or attach threaded rod into the wall with anchor compound and secure with a washer and nuts.
Paint everything gray so it's not obvious that it's reinforcing mesh and wood.
It's probably the simplest solution type for bars if you're not very experienced.
If you don't want to easily remove it from the inside in the future, you can also glue all the wood with mounting adhesive.
However, I would calculate the difference in cost between buying something ready-made or a kit. If you don't have the materials at home, there will be quite a bit left over.

The question is whether it must withstand force or just look like it can. Four slightly longer hooks for hanging the mesh would make it look like there's a mesh from the outside, and it's not entirely easy to remove either.

The simplest thing is to screw a plexiglass sheet to the inside of the window.

Plexiglass sounds very interesting, and I understand what you mean with your construction. It's essentially the same method I described above, but you mention the type of wood.