Does privacy compromise home security?

[HippoTwilight]

I sort of see these as competing concepts in terms of your house. Concepts used for privacy on your land, not just inside your house, can be used to facilitate and conceal an attack. Things like tall fences, dense vegetation, long driveways. These things would conceal an attacker from your view as well as the public's view.

My personal preference for my land is to be in a wooded area and have the house concealed from the road all year, even at night in the winter. This would undoubtedly require an elevation difference. Utilize native vegetation to make the driveway a sort of tunnel to disguise the true location of the house. I don't want any trees close enough to fall on the house, so depending on their size I could have a 30-80ft zone of clear land surrounding the house. To regain a bit of security I'm loosely planning on having motion/IR activated floodlights to act as a deterent. Ideally also overlapping camera coverage if the deterrent doesn't work. I just can't shake the feeling that my desire to be private and reclusive also makes me a target for the curious criminal wondering what's at the end of that long driveway.

 

[Sentry18]

It could make you target for criminals, the government, and just plain old hyper curious people. Of course you can do things to disuade all of them too, both physical and by using disinformation. I know a guy who lives in the country that hangs up fake biohazard signs on his property. They even have a fake gov't agency name, logo, and phone number on them. You can't see 'em from the road but you can if you walk in.

 

[Cascadian]

I have the same thoughts. My piece of mind comes in the form of big a$$ fur family. They are never far from our side and always watching. What the chiwawa lacks in size she more than makes up for in twitchy hiper awareness.

 

[Supervisor42]

I have the same thoughts. My piece of mind comes in the form of big a$$ fur family. They are never far from our side and always watching. What the chiwawa lacks in size she more than makes up for in twitchy hiper awareness.View attachment 44315

A smash & grab home invader's worst nightmare!
Coloration reveals she has doberman blood in her veins. I spent a couple of years living with one.
They cannot see well at night and have to rely on only sound and smell.
They are terrified of the dark and it shows.
All the best cameras only help the cops identify who stole your stuff. Nothing more.
Motion floodlights are a far better deterrent.
But if you have a Porsche parked next to the Corvette in your driveway, vegetation won't matter at all.

Now, that girl sitting on the stump, she does not read local ordinance restrictions.
She does not ask for ID, and only knows that you are an alien.
She does not know pity or pain.
And she will clamp down on the leg of any intruder and never let go until told to.

Now that, is not just a deterrent, that is a solution!

 

[Haertig]

I have the same thoughts. My piece of mind comes in the form of big a$$ fur family. They are never far from our side and always watching. What the chiwawa lacks in size she more than makes up for in twitchy hiper awareness.View attachment 44315

Someone told you that is a Chihuaha?

 

[Cascadian]

The rottie is a pure bred and she ain't scared of anything. This is the chiwawa that thinks she is a Rottweiler. sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

[HippoTwilight]

I'm imagining the bad guy's sigh of relief when he thinks he's only up against a rat dog and goes about his business. Then he turns a corner and the rotti knocks him to the ground and stands over him like Hercules in The Sandlot. I'm leaving myself a cliff hanger for what happens next.

I want a dog capable of holding its own, but my wife had bad experiences as a kid and is scared of owning one that could overpower her. I've witnessed firsthand how dogs can sense emotions, and I'd be nervous the dog would sense her apprehension and there'd be tension between them. Ultimately resulting in me having to get rid of the dog. I think knee high and 20-30lbs would be her limit.

 

[zannej]

I miss having guinea hens only because they would let me know if anyone was in or near the property. They would alert even if friends or family drove in & they were loud birdies.
I'm out in the middle of nowhere at a dead end (road ends in my yard) & roads are in bad condition so we don't get many trespassers. The cow with horns tends to scare people off as well. She likes to chase vehicles & people.

 

[Cascadian]

A beagle sounds nice.
http://www.smalldogbreeds.info/under-30-pounds.html