Unique Home Fortification Tactics To Punish An Invader

By "Just In Case" Jack | Updated: 03/26/2024

Home FortificationToday I have something extremely important to share…

A Complete Guide To Fortifying Your Home Against Attacks

Because IF you want to protect your family, you must become a home fortification expert.

Now, modern home fortification doesn’t require a moat (or mangled barbed wire fence) ringing your lawn.

Creating a secure home can be done with a few simple but effective tactics.

  • Because the more difficult your home is to penetrate…
  • The more likely a criminal will choose an easier target…
TOPICS IN THIS GUIDE…    ↓(click to jump)
Prepper Checklist eBook Cover - with gas mask on a SHTF scenery background

Want a free 78 item preppers checklist?

Enter your email below to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary. 👇 👇

Introduction – How To Fortify Your Home

Here are 2 videos that do a solid job covering many of the best home fortification tactics worth watching:

↓ Home Fortifications for SHTF, Home Invasion, and Burglary Prevention

↓ HOME HARDENING | Fortifying a Place of Residence

Home Break In Statistics

Focus On The High Risk & Weak Points First

It might seem intuitive to you, but you’d be surprised how many people are shocked when burglars gain access to their homes.

Normally it’s through an unlocked window or a fragile sliding glass door!

Let’s break it down statistically and take a look.

Here are the top seven common points of access criminals use to invade homes:

  • 34% – Through the front exterior door
  • 23% – Through the first-floor windows
  • 22% – Through a back exterior door
  •   9% – Through the garage doors
  •   6% – Though unlocked storage areas
  •   4% – Through basement or window
  •   2% – Through the second-floor window

The most important places to fortify are the front and back doors.

Next are all the first-floor windows.

But don’t stop there; you should reinforce all possible entry points for maximum security.

Dead Bolt Locks 2

1. Reinforcing Front/Back Doors

Since most break-ins occur through doors or windows – that’s where you should spend most of your efforts!

Armor Concepts Door Armor

Door Reinforcement Armor

Armor Concepts sells door armor! 

Door Armor is a patented door security device that reinforces your existing doors’ weak points.

So you should always reinforce those points of entry as best as you can.

These products help you do just that!

And the cost of these products is very reasonable if you ask me – especially for what you get like: “insane peace of mind.”

Watch the following video on how well this door reinforcement device works.

↓ Door Armor Independent Security Testing

2. Security Cameras

A simple Google search will provide many home security and surveillance options.

Systems you can purchase and have installed directly into your home.

Usually, these security services allow you to “arm” your home when you are not there or after you have gone to sleep.

Once the system is armed, any windows breaking or doors being forced open will trigger an alarm that notifies local authorities.

They call 911 for you when someone breaks in.

However, this constant monitoring is not cheap.

Basic DIY surveillance systems are cheaper and can be set up relatively easily.

However, you can’t personally watch them 24/7.

So you have to decide which home fortification option is right for you…

The good news is that a potential intruder doesn’t know if that security camera is tied to a monitoring system (or not).

They see cameras and will likely move on to an easier target.

However, if you’re not willing to take that gamble and have the dollars to spend, there are quite a few home security and surveillance systems you could look into.

Just do your homework before signing a long-term monitoring contract.

NOTE: Since this article was written, DIY surveillance systems, home security systems, and even doorbell cameras have dramatically improved.

Most can alert you with a notification on your phone when they detect motion and allow you to talk and listen through the devices.

↓ 7 Common Security Camera Installation FAILS and How to Avoid Them

Prepper Checklist eBook Cover - with gas mask on a SHTF scenery background

Want a free 78 item prepper checklist?

Enter your email below to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary. 👇 👇

3. Protecting Your Windows

Once all your standard entry points are protected with an alarm system, you should focus on your windows.

I will assume all your windows have locks – make sure you use them.

But I’m not a big fan of window alarms.

Why? Because a burglar can shatter and break a window out WITHOUT having to slide the window.

If the window doesn’t slide – traditional window alarms are useless.

Instead, you have two better options…

First is burglar bars. They are a great deterrent, but they’re not the best-looking option.

So if you want extra security and want it to look good, research security window film

The film will slow intruders down and force them to make more noise.

First, if you’re serious about protecting your windows – you should read our article about Security Window Film.

It covers many details we don’t have time to discuss here…

There are several film types and other window security solutions, such as burglar bars, riot glass, or security screens.

But for most people who want a quick, good-looking window security upgrade, window security film is your best bet.

↓ 5 Easy Ways to Fortify Your Windows – Downtown Tactical

4. Motion Triggered Lights

These handy motion-sensing illuminators are a cheap, simple way of detecting when intruders are intruding.

Fair warning, though: you will doubtlessly catch some unsuspecting wildlife by surprise occasionally.

↓ Home Perimeter Motion Alert System

Survival Gear Checklist eBook Cover -with fire piston on a rock and campfire in the background

Want a free 54 item survival gear checklist?

Enter your email below to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary. 👇 👇

5. Bells or Chimes

Hang a doorknob chime on your door or some chimes just inside your door.

Your mind will become accustomed to the jingling sound of your doors opening and closing.

If you are asleep and wake in the middle of the night to jingling and jangling 

You know something unusual is afoot.

6. Securing Your Walls

Usually, walls do not present a problem … unless the hulk is trying to break into your home (in which case: GOOD LUCK).

But if someone decides to start shooting at the exterior of your home, drywall and wooden studs will not save you.

Brick or stone walls are the best for mitigating this threat.

But leave yourself “loopholes.”

These are small openings from which you can see and shoot without being seen or shot at.

7. Block Up Those Chimneys

Who knows, right? Maybe someone is so intent on breaking into your home that they decide to take the ash-tunnel route.

If you are in extreme danger and must fortify to the greatest extent possible, block up your chimney.

You don’t want any bad Santa’s coming down the pipes.

8. Guard Dogs | Exotic Pets

Whether you like them or not, these furry companions are one of the most effective home protectors.

Big dogs are better, for obvious reasons, but even little dogs can serve as an alarm or a deterrent.

↓ Military Canine Handler’s Top 5 Home Protection Dogs

While a dog can be a good option, sometimes more exotic pets can offer an extra level of intimidation.

If someone breaks into a house and comes face-to-face with a Bengal tiger living in it, there is no way they will follow through with their villainous intentions.

But proceed with caution.

Wild animals don’t always understand the difference between “good guys” and “bad guys.”

Prepper Checklist eBook Cover - with gas mask on a SHTF scenery background

Want a free 78 item prepper checklist?

Enter your email below to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary. 👇 👇

9. Strategic Fencing

The age-old technology of the fence is one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments.

They keep people out of places you don’t want them to be.

Install one if you’re concerned with home fortification.

Just be smart about it.

They can create a false sense of security and even make you a target.

A fence too close to the home will provide cover for a thief.

Keeping him hidden while he performs his evil bidding.

Plus, most home fences are easily scaled.

Instead, use strategic fencing to create choke points, visual deterrents, and psychological effects.

↓ How to Defend Your Home from THE PURGE!

Big flamboyant houses with exuberant features and huge fences make for excellent targets.

It shouts,

“We have lots of expensive stuff. So expensive we put up a huge fence.”

NOTE: Click here to see why you should avoid a tall fence around your home

Not all fences are bad, but most are child’s play for an experienced criminal or a desperate mob.

But there are ways to help conceal your house, protect your privacy, and provide security.

Mother Nature’s got you covered.

Criminals won’t be able to scope your property and develop a solid game plan if they can’t see your windows from the street.

10. Landscaping – Trees & Shrubs

If you are lucky enough to live in a house with a lawn or acreage…use it.

Planting a lot of trees and shrubs around your home is not just good for property values; it is also effective at concealing your privacy.

They can also help block windows and driveways, front doors, patios, or backyards from view.

And the fewer prying eyes roam your home, the better.

Shrubs can be planted strategically to funnel invaders into defined areas that are easy to watch.

Thorny bushes like blackberry and raspberry vines can act as physical barriers against threats.

↓ Landscaping with Home Security in Mind

Bug Out Bag Checklist eBook Cover - a man walking away wearing a military style backpack

Want a free 104 item bug out bag checklist?

Enter your email below to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary. 👇 👇

11. Nature’s Barbed Wire – Cacti

These are nature’s barbed wire fences. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spaniards would plant Mesquite around the perimeters of their homes.

This gangly, wild-looking cactus would grow to well over 8 feet tall.

It can serve as a perfect means of protection against unwelcome intruders.

Don’t underestimate a well-placed thorn bush or Cacti beneath your first-floor windows.

I don’t care how motivated you are to break in; nobody wants to get stuck with a bunch of thorns trying.

Image Source

full length window blinds

Don’t Allow Anyone To Peer In Your Windows When You’re Not At Home

12. Blend In – Don’t Stick Out

Eye-catching, expensive-looking houses are more likely to become targets.

So do your best to keep your home flying under the radar.

You do not have to paint the house with a camouflage green to achieve this (actually, that would stick out worse in most neighborhoods).

Avoid bright colors and stick to more natural hues.

Park your vehicles in garages, around the back, or hide them under tarps.

Also, use window blinds or curtains to keep outsiders from seeing valuables or expensive items you might have.

13. Train Your Family

No sane individual would knowingly break into a house full of highly trained, sharp-shooters.

Not only does a well-trained clan deter potential intruders but it also ensures that every family member is capable of self-defense.

This alone will grant you some semblance of peace of mind.

But before you ship your relatives off to an army boot camp, do everything you can to prepare them with simpler means first.

Prepper Checklist eBook Cover - with gas mask on a SHTF scenery background

Want a free 78 item prepper checklist?

Enter your email below to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary. 👇 👇

14. Take Your Family Shooting

It can be survival rifles, .22s, .357s, AK-47s, or a survival bow.

You’ve done your job as long as you get your loved ones to understand how guns work, how to use them, and how to stay safe.

Shooting is a great skill everyone should learn.

It is useful for hunting and imperative for effective self-defense.

15. Martial Arts

Enrolling in a martial arts school is one of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for a home invasion.

I’d rather have a firearm than not.

But I won’t be a sitting duck if I end up unarmed.

Picking a specific style can be difficult.

Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Mui Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu are decent options for getting started.

16. Melee Weapons

A simple kitchen knife, baseball bat, or golf club can become an effective self-defense weapon.

But only if it’s in the hands of someone who knows how to use it effectively.

The bottom line:

Your entire family should be physically and mentally prepared to keep intruders at bay.

Prepper Checklist eBook Cover - with gas mask on a SHTF scenery background

Want a free 78 item prepper checklist?

Enter your email below to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary. 👇 👇

Tactitcal Walls

17. Firepower | Boobie Traps

Ensure you are well-armed and equipped to manage a home invasion situation.

Planting trees, painting the house, and getting a German Shepard is great, but it is not always enough.

You need to outfit your home fortification with as much firepower and ammunition as is necessary.

If you are serious about home defense (and you should), fortify your home.

Things like tripwires with bells attached can be enough to alert you to intruders.

But please, do not set up any lethal traps inside your house.

First off, they are highly illegal.

People have died at their own hands because they set off a booby trap they set.

Be careful when you set traps. If you are not vigilant, you might catch yourself.

↓ DIY Perimeter Defense – Area Denial Devices

Warning Sign

Home Fortification – A Final Warning

Here’s the rub:

Don’t forget if someone is 100% determined to enter your home and rob you (or cause bodily harm), they probably can.

Unless you have a well-defended bulletproof home, it can be broken into if a large enough group coordinates an attack.

So you have 2 choices:

  1. Work towards making your home bulletproof.
  2. Have a backup plan if you cannot get it up to bulletproof standards. Specify a “bug-out-location” with your family or roommates to regroup should your defenses fall.

Which leads to the next dark truth.

You may be unable to stay in your house forever if you’re unprepared.

This is especially true if you find yourself in an urban city during an End Of The World As We Know It scenario.

Areas with higher populations are more susceptible to violent riots and high crime levels.

So if you live in a big city or around many people, developing a backup plan is certainly in your best interest.

Evacuation doesn’t have to be bad; change can be overcome if you plan on it.

With luck, you’ll never have to defend your home from anyone or anything.

That’s the hope.

But if things go south and you must defend your home, you can ensure you are prepared to the highest degree.

Why Trust Skilled Survival...

Go here now to review a full breakdown of:

  • Who We Are
  • Our Credentials
  • Our Mission
  • & Product Recommendations...

Here are a few highlights of our teams credentials & certifications:

  • Certified Member of a Mountain Search & Rescue Organization
  • Plant Emergency & Safety Leader for a Major Food Manufacturer
  • Member of the 10TH Mountain Division Hut Association
  • Certifications: Avalanche 1, WFR, CPR
  • Official Gear Tester for Numerous Outdoor Gear Companies
  • Countless Multiday Backpacking trips into Remote Wilderness
  • Bachelor's Degree In Mechanical Engineering 
  • Bachelor's Degree In Civil Engineering
  • Bachelor's Degree In Biomedical Engineering

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." - Warren Buffett

We're fully aware that trust is NOT something you GET but is EARNED.

And we'll continue to earn YOUR trust through our forthright and honest approach with each new Blog Post, Guide & Product we create...

Prepare, Adapt & Overcome,

  • Cofounder Of Skilledsurvival.com & TheResilientLife.com
  • Born & Raised On A Rural Farm In The Midwest
  • Mechanical Engineering Grad From A Major University
  • Engineer With A Major Food Manufacturing Company
  • 10+ Years Researching, Writing, & Teaching Preparedness
  • Mission: Help Folks Stop Living A Life Fragile To The Future
  • P.s - I just took this FREE 60-second 'Readiness Score Quiz'👇
    Readiness Score Quiz
    AND... I've still got a few gaps in my preps...🤔

    But at least, I'm not part of 'The Fragile Masses'. 👍

    Find out where YOU stand by answering a few questions...

    Top Image Source
    Cooking over a rocket stove
    Get My 10 Steps To Basic Preparedness Video For FREE.
    Plus daily survival tips (unsubscribe anytime).