Roller Shutters: Keep out the Unwanted!

Roller shutters have long been a trademark of European homes and are recently being used more in the US as well. They are overhead shutters that are made of slats hinged together. They roll down over windows and doors, and can be rolled up into a casing or housing designed to blend in with your home’s architecture.

While an investment for your home, roller shutters offer many benefits, not the least of which being added protection against burglars and vandalism. These shutters also protect your home from the elements. They keep out both cold and heat and can also act as a sound and light diminisher.

They are available in all colors to match the style and colors of your home. There are also various styles of slats, some are solid, and others are mesh work. Obviously, the mesh does not offer the same protection from light, sound and weather, but still protects your home from intruders.

Roller shutters can come with an electric switch to open and close them. You can also buy shutters that are manually operated with a hand crank. Some shutter companies also offer a battery powered option so that they can open and close even in the case of a power supply interruption.

As you can imagine, roller shutters add a lot of versatility to your home. They give you the option to block out the day light, wind and cold, keep out the sun’s heat, and they are very difficult to break into. When looking into options to secure your home, the versatility of these shutters should certainly be considered. While they boost your home’s security, they also add a degree of comfort that other security options do not. They are easy to handle, manage and set up.

What are Roller Garage Doors?

I've posted about roller garage doors on many occasions, both on this blog and elsewhere, but I just wanted to take things back to basics for a moment. I'm sure you're familiar with 'garage doors', but are you familiar with the ones that roll? If not, please read on!

For years people have enjoyed the convenience and protection of roller garage doors, but to the newbie the question remains: what are roller garage doors?
Roller garage doors are garage doors that slide over the garage opening thus protecting the interior of the garage. These doors offer a variety of great features in regards to convenience, protection, and comfort in knowing that you have a door that can easily be used.

These roller garage doors come in both automatic and manual. You can just reach up and pull them down over the garage opening or you can use a panel or even remote control to control the opening and closing. There are also automatic timers to lower and raise the doors. The features are in that these doors can be customized with insulation and even decorative faces. Some people go to lengths of having some customized artwork like airbrush or decals done on their roller garage doors to spruce them up and stand out.
Another major feature is that these doors provide protection against the heat and cold. When constructed properly they keep that heat in lessening the costs of energy. In the warm and hot months they keep that air conditioning in and if you use your garage for work or play you'll appreciate this bonus. Also they can keep the outside noise levels down as well.

In addition, roller garage doors have safety features to prevent accidentally closing on an object or person. As mentioned earlier, there are various additional features to these devices as well as decorative choices. It's funny to see that there's a secondary market where people actually customize these doors with airbrushed art and even hand painted murals and decals. Let your creative side loose when you install these devices.

So if you're looking for convenience, protection, energy efficiency and peace of mind, you might consider getting roller garage doors to replace the ones you have.

Security Tips about Roller Garage Doors

With crime, break-ins and vandalism a growing concern of our time, residential homeowners and businesses need to consider all possible ways to protect one of their most valuable and cherished possessions, their home. A home or business should be able to rest at ease once it’s protected, knowing that there will be effective barriers installed. Besides the primary concern of securing doors and windows by installed special security grilles for protection, there remains another just as important consideration which is the garage space. If a garage is not included in a fortified security plan that can hold the potential to become a major security concern later on, if left unprotected. Therefore it’s not hard to understand why roller garage doors are so universally accepted today as an important security feature of a home or business.

Heavy insulated slats, called laths, are given extra strength through bonding two separate layers of aluminium with injected foam. This unique design of the laths gives the final product, the roller shutters, very strong appeal as a protective barrier. Roller garage doors are earmarked with another beneficial security feature, that of the auto lock. These roller doors come with an auto lock system which makes it virtually impossible to open the door once it has been closed. Then add to that the electromagnetic brake that stops the door from opening, and it makes for a very impressive security package.

From the safety vantage point of view, jumping to another important feature, the roller garage doors contain a set of photocells which will stop the door from hitting an obstacle while closing. And these powerful little garage doors do come equipped with a standard override manual crank system in case of power failure, or doing electrical work on the property.

How secure are Garage Roller Doors?

Garage roller doors are a great way to protect your garage possessions such as cars, tools and general stuff! However, not all garage doors are as secure as you might think.

Using a garage roller door is just as good as using an ordinary garage door, however there are much more benefits to a garage roller door, which is why I always refer to them as this.

So why are garage roller doors so secure? Well depending on automatic or manual, garage roller doors use cylinder locks that are extremely protective against intruders. Not on this but a lot of garage doors are insulated so that they protect against possible extreme temperatures and the elements. They may also be fitted with a rubber lining that allows them to fit more securely to the entry point creating a far more secure environment.

Here is what you should get when buying a garage roller door:

1. A door with a secure cylinder lock.
2. A garage roller door made from high quality, abrasive materials.
3. Insulation and/or rubber lining.

For automatic doors things are a bit different. You may have operate the door remotely and in which case being able to disable the remote control err... remotely is a very good idea. So be sure that there is a manual opening and locking system fitted to the door as well as the automation.

Automatic doors can also be far more secure due to a brake motor that is fitted to the garage roller door. This locks in place and makes it extremely difficult for any movement of the door. The only possible intrusion attempt will be through an alternative window/door or actually cutting through the garage roller door! (Pretty unlikely)!

Frequently Asked Questions - Roller Garage Doors

Are roller garage doors different to normal garage doors?

Absolutely! Roller garage doors allow you to have more space in your garage. This is because as you open the garage door, it is rolled up into a small space allowing for extra storage.

Do roller garage doors have drawbacks?

Not really, if you are going to get a garage door - the most sensible option is to get a roller garage door as it is a great way to maximise the benefit of having a garage. Of course the one draw back is that roller garage doors are slightly more expensive.

How do you install a roller garage door?

Of course, every garage is different. When you order the door from a reputable supplier, you will be given step by step instructions. This means you can install the roller garage door without any need to pay for expensive and unnecessary labour!

Are garage roller doors safe?

Garage roller doors are absolutely safe. Remote garage doors will always come fitted with sensors to stop any damage or injury to a car or individual. They are also fitted with locks that will fix the door in place so there is no risk of the garage door falling.

For more information about roller garage doors, check out EasyFitGarage doors - the UK's favourite supplier.

The best garages in the world

Hi everyone,

I've thrown together a collection of what I think are the best and most beautiful garages I think I've ever seen. Of course, they're not the average garage, most of these are larger than the average house!

I'll kick it off with this garage. It's more about what's inside.

Perhaps a bit tacky but I wouldn't be complaining.

Now this garage is probably far too over the top.

Maybe it's the maserati parked inside, or the blatant air brushing... but this garage looks truly phenomenal!

Ok, it's not easy to get hold of one of these garages, but you can definitely get hold of the garage doors! Check out more beautiful roller garage doors

How important are roller garage doors for security?

A roller garage door is absolutely vital for garage security. So what should you be looking for when considering the purchase of a garage door?

Well there are a number of things that are really important:

1. Quality of the product is absolutely paramount. Some sellers do not take care to accurately carry out measurements and so the door may not even fit your garage! There is also the need to have a garage door made from quality materials. Any sort of poor quality or brittle material is likely to become a weak spot for any prospective burglar. Make sure you get a garage door that is quality assured and not a cheap knock-off. After all, one of your most expensive assets - your car, is worth the security checks.

2. ALARM!

Always remember an alarm. If your garage is worth protecting, which it usually is - fitting an alarm to your garage roller door is absolutely key. In most cases the garage is separate or at least distant from the main household and so it is a prime target for burglars. Be sure to fit an alarm to your garage roller door to maximise household security.