Home Security Gates and Fences

Secure the Perimeter of Your Home and Property

A secured gate and a property fence is a clear symbol to outsiders—visitors and possible intruders—that the perimeter of your property is accessible only when granted. It gives you control over the entry-points to your home and the peace of mind to strengthen an otherwise weak aspect of your security system.

What types of security gates and fences are available and how much will they cost you to install?

Types of Gates and Security Fencing for Your Home

Consider the materials and purposes of home gate and fence systems before you buy with security in mind.

Basic Fence

Plenty of homeowners have basic wooden fences, particularly for backyard privacy. These affordable and easy to install fences usually come partially pre-assembled, in panels. You can find them at most home improvement stores and you can install most of them yourself or with minor assistance. Security and safety-wise your basic wooden fence and gate structures provide a low level of security that might be exactly what you need. However most are easily exploited, easily broken and/or dismantled to allow direct access to your home and property. Even a padlocked wooden gate offers little resistance to a burglar or other intruder.

Iron and Steel

When you build a fence from iron or steel you eliminate a few weaknesses inherent in a wooden fence: steel and iron take a beating and are largely impervious to breakage. And they are a bit more challenging to scale. Steel and iron gates are also much more formidable. Metal fence and gates come in a large range of styles. Popular systems are galvanized and dipped in decorative weather-resistant paint. The ease with which they may be scaled depends on the fence height, design, construction material and surface finish. Add electricity to a metal fence and gate and you add on a much higher level of resistance to intruders.

Metal entrance gates are either manual or automatic and can be located at the edge of the yard or at the end of a long driveway, offering yet again another layer of perimeter security to your home.

Automated Gates

Driveway security gates can be made manual or automatic. Most homeowners going to the trouble to install this type of deterrent will usually opt for an automatic gate, one electrically or wirelessly opened and closed from somewhere within the home. Two-way voice and/or video intercoms make it feasible to answer the gate from a base station within your home.

Expect steel security fences and gates to cost money. The size of your property and the level of security sophistication you demand will all figure into the final cost. Security gates and fences could provide the first level of perimeter security you need to discourage potential intruders.