Excellent demonstration. I just checked my front door as they look familiar. It appears I'm using the same ones and installed them over 10 years ago. We have a decorative glass door that has a window the same height as those sidelights and I installed the same brand on it.
I installed one of these on the back door to our deck last year. It was a nice solution, if a bit expensive. Installation was really easy just like Scott showed.
Years ago we needed a new French door and wanted blinds too. The door contractor said "add the blinds to the outside" and didn't elaborate. We thought he dumb so we ordered doors with blinds between glass (also, for security- impact rated glass). Fast forward, and we saw these at Lowes and finally understood what he meant. We are dreading the day when the built-in blind cord breaks and the whole door needs replacement. Side note: We live in a not so great 'hood so impact glass was a priority. After getting that, we will NEVER not get impact rated glass- it's so quiet. It's so solid. It's like knocking on a solid hardwood door. Yeah, you could get in with an ax... but 10 neighbors will be calling 911.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs I want to say the cost of the french doors was about 2x- but it was standard Home Despot Jeld-Wen door prices (10 yrs ago). So about $800 for standard and $1600 for impact rated. Again, well worth it for the noise if anything. Also, the impact rated was a special purchase item, but available because they sell those things in Florida for hurricane building codes. I'm sure if we tried to get our windows replaced by a local business here (Mid-Atlantic) and asked for impact rated, they'd just say it's not available. But if you use a product that also sells in Florida, then it should be available, but might have special shipping costs up from FL.
Also, since we needed more security- French doors usually have puny spring loaded pins on the stationary door. I routed out a 12" long 1/8" steel plate, drilled a hole for the pin and installed with 4" screws, painted to match = invisible. Also 4" screws in the door jam hinges. For the bottom- we were limited on the concrete slab so I filled the hollow threshold with concrete epoxy and routed a hole for the pin. Seems secure enough... yes, you **could** get in, but again- 10 neighbors will be calling 911.
My front door is all glass. The ones they make that cover the whole door is perfect. Our dogs discourage thieves, but they bark at anything going by, so we need the door covered. Thanks for the tip! Our house will be much quieter now.
Love the step one - clean the inside of the panes. But before you install the new blind you should clean the _inside_ glass on the blind for the same reason :)
For privacy this looks great! For security though, you'd better just replace the whole thing. Won't matter much if it's easy enough to go through another door or a windows though.
Agreed. It's like saying the tempered glass on a car makes it more secure from break in. All you need is a hammer with a point on the end which also is effective at smashing glass.
I have one on our back patio door. It looks great and works really well too! I didn’t know that they made them for side lights. I think order them as well. Thanks!🙏
It's more common for burglars to come through a door using a pry bar. It's very fast, effective, and the lower pitch sound attracts less attention than breaking glass. Unless it's a very heavy duty door, and there is a lot re-enforcement of the jam, doors and locks are only a minor inconvenience to a burglar. A high quality metal security door is a bigger deterrent than another layer of glass.
A metal frame will be USELESS in this situation. The door is attached to the side lights (not framing). Not very secure via lock side or hinge side. Put a bank vault door on it and you still have the SAME weak spots. Save your money!
@@danaparish1644 Not sure, are you referring to my comment about a metal security door? Those have a steel frame attached to the wood framing using deep large lag screws in several places, typically 3-4 on each side. OR, are you talking about a regular door, just one that is metal, in that case you are correct, which was my original point. I can't tell if you are agreeing with my comment or disagreeing, or really what you are talking about.
@@Zeric1 Either one sir…No disrespect, but look at the material the frame is screwed into. It is screwed into the “trim” around the sidelights (which in and of itself is not at all secure). I know, I’ve replaced sidelights on my front door much like the ones shown here. Unless you’re screwing into double or triple 2 x 4’s which makeup the actual framing around the door (and not the sidelight frame) any door is as weak as the sidelight frame.
@@danaparish1644 @Dana Parish There still seems to be some miscommunication so I'll try again. It seems like you are talking about some variety of casement door, that's not what I'm talking about. A security door consists of horizontal and vertical steel bars with an all steel frame that is mounted on the outside (surface mounted), and is bolted to the 2 x 4 framing using many large lag screws. It is completely separate from, and in addition to, the normal casement door. It does not depend on the casement door trim at all. I have helped someone before with a security door, and if they are installed properly, they are a significant deterrent. No home is impenetrable, but it's very unlikely they will come in through a properly installed security door as there will be other easier ways to get in.
I agree, however if the burglar is casing your house and knows you're on vacation they might try those sidelights anyway. Because they know you're not home so the noise won't matter. And they don't care about alarms because they'll try to grab whatever they can quickly and leave.
Saw this and immediately knew it would be an improvement over the curtain we had over the sidelight. I didn't see the full-length ones for the framed window on Amazon, but found Home Depot carries these. Had to order online, but got free shipping. I had a little concern when I went to remove the plugs over the screws. I was carefully cutting around the outside, but couldn't seem to get the plug to come out. As I kept at it, I discovered that there was no wooden plug in the hole; it appeared to have been filled with spackle or drywall compound! That made quick work of clearing the other holes. The rest of the installation was easy, and it looks great. Even with the blinds closed, it is brighter than the dark curtain we had over the sidelight previously. A great addition.
I actually have the same style but old original all wood. I changed out all the glass and put thick plexiglass in it's place then i frosted for privacy. Very durable and hard to break
I have these and they are amazing. My house faces the street and you could look through my sidelights into my living room from across the street. This solves that problem and they function great. Easy to install as well for diy. Great video.
I have something similar for my back door it's about a 2 ft square. It did not have any of those metal clips, you just loosen the frame enough so you can fold in those security flaps.
I was thinking of ordering some frosted security film. I think that might even be more resilient to a crossbar or hammer. I like the idea of being able to draw back the blinds so went the ODL route. Thanks for the feedback!
@@EverydayHomeRepairs I’ve seen those before, I wish they made them in a way that was like a one way mirror, like some tint is so you can still see outside. Guess that’s what cameras are for though Ultimate security would be zombie apocalypse style sliding metal plates that unroll and cover the windows LOL
@@BDBD16 no, I mean from the futuristic movies (and cartoons) where a house goes on lockdown and all the openings to the house have steel plates that roll down and cover them. And most garage doors from my knowledge are either a hard plastic material, a lightweight metal with foam in it as support, or wood
I have to point out that tempered glass does not have resistance to breakage. The “safety” aspect is that the pieces it comes apart in are not as sharp as regular glass so you don’t get cut. It is like the side/rear windows on an vehicle. Only resistance here is the invader would have two pieces of glass to break through instead of one.
I really wanted to get this for my door, but as it turns out, the windowed part of my door does not detach in any way. It’s just a single molded piece, at least I’m not about to tear into it to find out. But a great idea.
My perfect door would come with an electric shock option for any one stepping on the stoop after midnight. Maybe also a siren, and maybe a light guaranteed bright enough o cause eye damage if they withstood the shock and the door knob area is touched. 😉😉
For our house, its more likely a break-in would be attempted on the back door, rather than the front where they'd be very visible from the street. On our backdoor, I just got a piece of Lexan, about 24 inches square, and screwed it to our wooden door.
@@auberjean6873 It looks like about $10/sq-ft for the least expensive style over at Home depot, so that's about $40. But that seems low to me. Lexan can be hard to work with - it tends to melt then re-solidify around the cutting tool. But I persevered and was able to do it, including a cut-out for the dead-bolt handle.
My sidelights are 1/2 length of door, not full length, so I installed shorter ODL units. Safety people advise if there's a breakable glass IN or NEAR the deadbolt, it would be wise to install a 'double cylinder' deadbolt - it needs a key or keypad for BOTH sides, inner & outer.
It’s an ok-looking add-on, but the sheen and color doesn’t match the trim around the window. Also I disagree with the significance of the security deterrence of this product. How does it really deter someone from trying to break in, if they can’t even see the extra layer of glass? There are plenty of decorative window options with built-metal tracery that would work a lot better. But if you really want blinds, and you’re in a rental or sometching, this is a cool cheap option.
So a word of caution. When trying to lower the blind...the internal cord seems to bind an will not allow the blind to completely lower. I'm assuming a fix for this will be to add some kind of weight to the bottom. For $300 for the set...this shouldn't be an existing problem!
I mean, most front doors around here have a big window right on the door. Many have a giant oval window almost as tall as the door itself! The concern isn’t only limited to “side lights.”
Excellent video. Just having trouble hearing you. I put on headphones and I hear you better. Might need to adjust your microphone, or have an auxiliary microphone on your shirt or something. One suggestion I have with windows by doors and the such is to have a deadbolt that requires a key, from both inside AND outside and keep the key next to the door, where someone isn't likely to know where it is, unless they've been in your home. That lets you and those inside get out if they need to, and if someone on the outside breaks the window, they won't be able to unlock that door. I recommend the same for a storm door. Get one with thick glass and bars. My Grandpa had one. It needed a key to unlock inside and out so that if someone broke the glass, they would not be able to simply reach in and unlock it. To get into my Grandpa's house you would have had to pull the door out of the frame. I suppose the Fire Department could get in if they really had to also. But definitely blinds too. I am for privacy which is why I have one phone I keep in a Faraday bag, and no Alexis, or Echo, Or Google, or Siri speakers... Getting harder and harder to maintain privacy, especially if you need electrics and electronics.
A double-key deadbolt could prevent someone from escaping from the house in the event of a fire. Certainly the key could be hidden somewhere close by but out of reach of anyone breaking the window but trying to find that key in a dark, smoke-filled house could be problematic. I'm not sure if there's a better solution for securing doors with sidelights out there.
Here is where I list both the sidelite and door blinds from ODL. www.amazon.com/shop/everydayhomerepairs/list/M0MM74E1LBUT?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
You mentioned increased security at the beginning….. but never really mentioned an obvious relatively inexpensive improvement. That deadbolt needs to be replaced with one that requires a key on both sides. No one living in a high risk environment with glass on or near an entry door should be using single cylinder deadbolts!
The door and the doors glass is good now, hmm lets just break one of the other 10 windows downstairs and get in. 😅 thats like locking your truck doors but leaving the rear sliding glass window open...
Folks need to realize that breaking a door takes a few seconds for most people. Get 3 inch screws and a larger strike plate. $10-$15 to get a much stronger door that will resist a ton more force than your standard 5/8 screws and tiny strike plate.
This is really silly - mostly for urban dwellers. Anyone actually wanting security will use filigreed steel bars on their doors and windows. A griz, for instance, coming through an unprotected door or window is just as threatening as a human marauder in East L.A. If you want security, get it right the first time, not after a devastating break-in!!
You said it’s tempered glass.. that’s not impressive.. now if it was laminated glass that would be a different story. Tempered glass breaks very easily lol
This is against fire code (illegal) in most places if it's on an egress door. It may be legal for you, but others should check before installing. Even if legal, they are considered unsafe unless there is an alternate means of egress immediately adjacent that doesn't require a key.
Interesting product but I highly doubt a few more panes of glass will deter a criminal. Breaking 3 windows is just as easy as breaking one. Currently unavailable on Amazon, just like it showed in the video. Hmmmm.