CasaSugar

Do You Hide an Extra Set of Keys?

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:00:20 -0800

While it's not recommended to hide an extra set of keys around your house, it seems as if most of us do. Do you or don't you?

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How-To: Nine Steps For Keeping Your Home Safe For the Holidays

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:30:10 -0800

If you're going to be out of town over Thanksgiving, or are taking a vacation, you'll want to make sure that your house is secure from burglars. Check out these tips from The National Crime Prevention Council to ensure that your home will be just as cozy as you are, even if you're halfway across the globe. Source

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Cool Idea: This Gate's Gone to the Dolls

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:00:59 -0700

Berkeley, CA-based construction and furniture company Able + Baker creates custom-made pieces for its clients using sustainable materials and processing techniques. One of its more unique projects was for a friend in need of a custom, and incredibly original, gate.

Josh Ganshorn of Able + Baker notes that the gate was dreamed up due to the fact that the lack of gates and fences had led to passersby "helping themselves" to bicycles and other equipment stored in the backyard of the friend's home. Many of the materials for this project were salvaged, including the beams, some joists, and yes, baby doll heads.

Josh explains,

"The basic structure was easy. I put more effort into the heads. The back of each head was carefully removed, and the face was mounted to a plaque. I tried to mount each head according to its position on the horizontal beam so that each would be looking at a pedestrian coming up the center of the drive. This was important because the eyes of each head are lit and triggered by a motion detector. I spent a little time enhancing some of the heads in other ways. I created a "ring-leader baby head" with handlebar mustache and top hat (made from a frosting container) and a "Baby T," with mohawk and sideburns.

I'm pretty smitten with this project, and I would love to see it at night - I'm sure it scares off potential burglars. It's definitely a unique take on home security, and it's a whole lot more fun than a "This Property Protected by ADT" sign in the front yard. Want to see a closeup of the doll heads? Then read more.

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Has Your Home Ever Been Robbed?

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:00:00 -0800

Paris Hilton's Hollywood Hills home had an unfortunate encounter with a thief this morning; it was robbed of an estimated $2 million worth of jewelry and other belongings. Poor thing! While I can't say there's $2 mill. worth of anything laying around my house, I sure wouldn't be a happy camper if a burglar penetrated it. Fortunately, I've never had that displeasure. Has your home ever been robbed?Source and Source

This Just In: Sienna Miller's House Vandalized

CasaSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:30:36 -0700

The London house of Sienna Miller - who has recently been getting slack for dating married actor Balthazar Getty and appearing topless in photos with him - has been vandalized, spray-painted with the word "SLUT" and a pseudo-Satanic circular symbol, according to the Sun. The vandalism apparently occurred despite a burglar alarm system and security lights at the house. We all can think what we want about the couple's relationship, but I think it's pretty terrible that this should happen at Miller's own home. It would certainly make me feel unsafe.

Has your home ever been vandalized? Your neighbors' homes? What security measures do you have installed to prevent and protect yourself from this sort of thing?
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Steal of the Day: Modern-Twist PJ Pocket Pillow

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:00:26 -0700

Whether you desire to hide family heirlooms from burglars, your unmentionables from your cleaning lady, or you just need to quickly get messy knick-knacks out of the way, a storage box in disguise is key. The Modern-Twist PJ Pocket Pillow ($60, reduced from $105) will do just that, revealing your stash of lady mags or gold bullion with a twist of its simple pillow-like façade. Choose from a blue or yellow squirrel pattern, or green or orange elephants. Keep one in the backseat of your car to designate a place for the junk that piles up, or a few in your kid's room to store toys.

Ask Casa: A Home Security System for My Rental? (Part 1)

CasaSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:30:02 -0800

Arielb38 wrote to me asking,

I am about to move into a new rental in a new neighborhood, very different from where I have been living for the last 15 months. I was wondering if you are aware of any places that do a comprehensive review of home security systems. My roommate wants one, and I've never had one and don't really think that it's necessary. Looking at some of the consumer complaints about both ADT and Brinks makes me cringe, and I would rather not be stuck in an expensive, manipulative contract. I know it's not really your thing, but if you have any tips, or feel inclined to pose the question to your readers, I would be grateful.

To offer some advice for Arielb38, and to hear my response, just read more

Even though I've lived in some really rough neighborhoods in the past, I've had the good fortune to never have had my home broken into (though I have been held up at gunpoint). Two of my rental homes had functioning security systems (which the landlords paid for). Our house currently has no security system besides our dog. I also know of families who don't have security systems installed, but have placed signs in their windows advertising that they have an alarm. This may work, to a degree: The Greenwich Study of Residential Security found that homes without alarms were 2.7 to 3.5 times more likely to be burglarized, and that the most effective deterrent was the alarm monitoring company’s yard sign. For more tips on home security systems, go here.

My first word of advice is to find out the crime statistics in your new neighborhood. You can easily access this information through your city's police department website. After that, if you still think you need a security system, talk to your landlord about having him or her install a system and possibly increasing your rent slightly to offset the cost. Your landlord can reset the code for new tenants after you move out.

To see more tips, tune in later today for the rest of my home security advice.
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