Your house is your castle, therefore it’s crucial to maintain privacy within your house at all times. Having privacy enables you to feel relaxed, comfortable, and in control of things around your house.
To increase the protection of your house, whether from nosy neighbors or potential intruders looking to break-in in your absence, we recommend doing the following things to maintain and enhance the privacy of your dwelling.
How to increase the privacy of your house?
Install a fence
Installing a fence around your perimeter it’s a quick and easy way to increase the privacy of your house, regardless of how small or big your house is. There are plenty of fence options to choose from, different colors, shapes, materials, etc, which enables you to blend the fence with the aesthetic of your house.
Placing a fence around your property can be a DIY project or you can hire a company to properly install it. It’s easy to install it if the house is situated in a flat lot. But it can’t get complicated if there are slopes. In some cases, the fence needs a deep foundation to stay in place. While it’s definitely doable by yourself, you may get better results if you hire professionals.
Some things to consider: get a relatively high fence so it will be difficult for people to peek over. Also, don’t go for a see-through fence such as a chain-type fence. After all, you don’t want other people to see your house, it’s better to go with a fence that completely blocks the view.
Strategically place plants and thick shrubbery
Shrubs, trees, and other plants are an ideal way to create privacy around your house. There are large plants that can be planted around the perimeter that offer great protection against curious eyes.
Visit your local nursery and shop around for plants and shrubs that act as a natural fence. Opt for plants that grow outwards, that spread wide, and can become particularly tall.
The best way to find out where to place the plants is by walking around the property and putting yourself in an intruder’s shoes. What can they see from that spot? Once you find vulnerable spots in your perimeter, plant trees, shrubs, or flowers to obstruct the view.
Here are some plants ideal for adding privacy to your house:
- Arborvitae
- Bamboo
- Skip Laurel
- Privet
- Holly
- Boxwood
- Hydrangeas
- Ivy
- Euonymus
- Ipomoea
- Moonlight runner beans
Add window dressings
Another quick way to secure privacy in your house is by installing blinds, shutters, curtains, or net curtains. These window dressings make all the difference when it comes to intruders peering into your home.
It’s always recommended to have curtains in your windows, especially solid curtains that don’t allow people to see-through. Not only could window dressings be useful at night, but they can serve the same purpose during the day. When you’re at work or away and the house will be empty, close blinds and put up the curtains to obstruct any possible view from the street.
Make sure the windows and doors are locked
That’s obvious, right? An increasing number of thieves and criminals are trying their luck by attempting to open front and back doors in the hope that they’ve been left unlocked. If they manage to get a hit, the house will be burglarized.
Make sure all the windows and doors are locked, ensure that there are no faulty locks or a window that doesn’t close properly. Address any issues you may have before leaving the house empty and taking a long trip.
Additionally, there are a few important items that should not be kept near the front or back door. These items can be fished out by thieves:
- Car keys
- Front or back door keys
- Purses, wallets, handbags
- Smart devices (mobiles, tablets, laptops)
- Family heirlooms and expensive items
To increase security, you may install light sensors to your front and back doors, this will alert you if someone is lurking around your home.
Install a security camera system
Installing a security camera system will increase the privacy and the security of your house. It’s a worthwhile investment that will provide you peace of mind, especially when you’re away from your home. Here you can read about a few affordable and reliable security camera systems.
Moreover, security cameras are so advanced nowadays that you can get super clear images at day and night time, notifications and alerts, recordings for weeks, etc. You can even view or control the cameras from anywhere using your phone.
A few ways in which you can benefit from the installation of a security camera system include:
Crime prevention: security cameras act as a deterrent for potential criminals, therefore protecting your family and your possessions. When a thief sees the cameras around the property, it’s likely that he will move to another target.
Having evidence of incidents: security cameras may also cover the street you live on. If any incident outside your home, on the street, then the recordings will be strong evidence to the police that may help them capture the intruders. Some security camera systems are able to record for a few months.
Videos are the best evidence: if you catch someone attempting to burglarize your property or break-in
, then you’ll have solid evidence if the whole action is recorded by the cameras. The best evidence to the police is a high definition and super clear video of the perpetrator committing a felony.
Apart from security cameras, you can install an alarm system (burglar alarm) which enables you to place sensors on all doors, windows, motion sensors inside the rooms. If the system is armed and the sensors are triggered by an intruder, the alarm company will dispatch the local police forces toward your location. It may be a bit pricey to install but it’s totally worth the money.
Conclusion
It’s important to maintain privacy around your house. This can be done by installing fences on the perimeter, dressing on the windows, locking the doors properly, planting trees and shrubs in strategic spots, and obviously installing a security camera system.
