Your Neighbor Just Spent Five Thousand On Security

Your neighbor's door got kicked in last Tuesday.

The repair bill hit $5,000. New door. New frame. New trim. New peace of mind that won't come back for months.

The prevention cost? Under $100.

After 37 years installing locks across Calgary, I've watched this pattern repeat hundreds of times. Someone calls after a break-in. We fix everything. They ask why we didn't meet six months earlier.

The answer matters more now than ever.

Calgary's Security Landscape Just Changed

Break-ins aren't confined to downtown anymore.

The LRT expansion created something unexpected. People who used to stay in the core can now reach Tuscany, Mahogany, Arbour Lake in 30 minutes. Crime statistics show overall incidents dropped 7% last year, but the distribution shifted.

Your neighborhood that felt immune five years ago? It's on the map now.

Here's what I'm seeing on service calls. Someone walks through a community looking for specific triggers. An open garage door. Packages on the porch. No visible security measures.

They knock. Nobody answers. They come back later.

Sometimes they kick the door. Sometimes they pry it with a small crowbar. Either way, if your security is invisible, you're the easy target.

The Foundation That Electronic Systems Can't Replace

Everyone wants smart locks and camera systems.

Our technicians install dozens of locks each week. But here's what most people miss.

Electronic security is your backup layer. It notifies you when someone breaches the physical barrier. That barrier needs to exist first.

Think about it. Your smart lock is sophisticated. It logs every entry. It sends alerts to your phone. But if someone kicks your door hard enough, the frame splits before the lock ever matters.

The door frame is where most break-ins succeed or fail.

Standard installation uses short screws. Maybe an inch long. They hold the strike plate to thin trim, not the actual stud. One solid kick and the whole assembly rips out.

The bolt buddy with installation costs under $150. It's two plates on either side of the frame connected by two large bolts hidden inside the frame, making it virtually impossible to kick the inside plate through. Testing shows reinforced frames withstand 50+ full-force kicks.

Here's the part that matters most. It a security deterrent that a would be thief can see from the outside, making them less likely to try kicking the door in.

Why Visibility Beats Sophistication

Criminals make rapid risk calculations.

They're not master planners. They're opportunists looking for the path of least resistance. When they see visible security measures, they move on.

The bolt buddy shows on your door frame. It's steel. It's obvious. It says "this homeowner thought about security."

Your neighbor without one? That's the easier choice.

I've had customers call me years after we secured their first home. They moved to a new property and wanted the same setup immediately. Not because they had problems at the previous place. Because they never had problems.

That's the point of proactive security.

You're not waiting for an incident to justify the investment. You're making the investment to prevent the incident. The math is simple. Nearly half of homeowners faced over $5,000 in unexpected repair costs last year.

Your $150 door reinforcement just paid for itself 33 times over.

The Three-Layer Approach That Actually Works

Security works best when you stack defenses.

Layer one is mechanical. Quality deadbolts. Reinforced frames. Strike plates with long screws. This layer slows or stops physical entry.

Layer two is electronic. Door sensors. Window sensors. Glass break detectors. Motion sensors. This layer notifies you when someone breaches layer one.

Layer three is visibility. Security system signs. Visible cameras. That bolt buddy on your door frame. This layer changes the criminal's target selection before they even try.

Here's how it plays out in real scenarios.

Urban setting, busy street, neighbors close by. Your mechanical security probably stops the attempt. Nobody wants to spend five minutes fighting a reinforced door when someone might look out a window.

Rural setting, isolated property, response time measured in minutes not seconds. Your mechanical security buys time. Your electronic security alerts you and authorities. Both layers work together.

The mistake is thinking one replaces the other.

Your smart lock is excellent. But if someone can kick your door in, they're inside before your phone even buzzes with the alert. The smart lock needs a door that can't be kicked in.

What Calgary Homeowners Need Right Now

Start with your locks.

First question: Do you have the only keys to your house?

Previous owners might have copies. Contractors who worked on the property might have copies. The realtor might have copies floating around. You don't know.

Rekeying costs $80 to $150 depending on how many locks you have. Now you control access completely.

Second question: Can your deadbolt resist a crowbar?

Cheap deadbolts have thin bolts and weak cylinders. A small pry bar slips between door and frame, pops the bolt right out. Quality deadbolts like a Mul-t-lock High Security Deadbolt have thick bolts, reinforced cylinders, and hardened steel components.

The upgrade costs $150 to $300 per door. That's still a fraction of repair costs.

Third question: Is your frame reinforced?

This is where most people have zero protection. Standard installation, short screws, weak trim. The bolt buddy or similar reinforcement solves this for around $150.

Those three upgrades create your mechanical foundation.

Now add your electronic layer. A basic home security system with door sensors, window sensors, and motion detection runs $300 to $800 depending on monitoring options.

You're looking at $700 to $1,400 total for comprehensive protection.

Compare that to the $5,000+ repair bill plus the stolen items plus the insurance deductible plus the increased premiums plus the psychological impact of someone violating your home.

The question becomes: Why would you wait?

The Business Security Problem Nobody Discusses

Employee turnover creates a massive vulnerability.

You hire someone. You give them keys. They quit. They return the keys.

But did they make copies?

You have no way to know.

Most businesses handle this wrong — rekeying every time (expensive) or not rekeying at all (risky).

The solution: Key Control Systems.

High-security keys like Mul-T-Lock are restricted. The key blank requires authorization. You’re the only one who can request duplicates.

Employee leaves? You get the key back. No copies. No uncertainty.

It eliminates the rekey cycle and saves thousands long term.

Add electronic access control (fobs or codes), and you’re even more protected.
Someone leaves — you delete their access in 30 seconds.

The system logs every entry. You know exactly who accessed the building and when. That visibility alone prevents internal theft.

Your Security Roadmap Starting Today

You don’t need to do everything at once.

Start with the highest-impact, lowest-cost upgrades.
Rekey your locks. Add door reinforcement. Upgrade to quality deadbolts.

That’s your foundation — $500 or less for most homes.

Then add visibility — doorbell camera, system signs — deterrent value before the full system is even installed.

Then layer in electronic security. Start small, expand over time.

The goal is simple: make your property harder to breach than the one next door.
Criminals take the easier option every single time.

That’s not cynical. It’s practical.
You’re not trying to create a fortress — just enough friction that an opportunist moves on.

The Investment That Pays Before You Need It

Security feels like insurance — but it’s smarter.

You pay for something hoping you never use it, but unlike insurance, it prevents the incident instead of just covering the cost.

Every customer who calls back after securing their first home proves this.
They’re not buying security because they had a break-in. They’re buying it because they never had one.

That’s the point of proactive security.

Calgary’s changing. The LRT expansion, economic shifts, new access routes — neighborhoods that felt safe five years ago need reassessment now.

The good news? The solutions are affordable.

The mechanical foundation costs less than a month of car payments.
The electronic layer costs less than a new appliance.

The repair bill after a break-in costs more than both combined.

Your neighbor learned this the expensive way. You don’t have to.

Start with your door frames. Add quality locks. Make your security visible. Layer in electronic backup.

That’s proactive security — an investment that saves you thousands before you ever have to find out if it works. This is exactly why our slogan is “Be proactive, not reactive.” Call us today!