Bolt em down. Cast a lead or concrete weight and put it in the bottom of the pot before planting. And if possible brand your address into the pots in any locations not too noticeable. And dont put expensive plants in, obviously.
Arrange disposable flash camera on house wall 8' above each pot, connect to switch under pot. As each is lifted, flash, picture taken. Burglars operate on the assumption theyre in control of the situation, the flashes will let them know theyre not, even if they get half the cameras.
Here in Palo Alto, Ca, there was a recent rash of thefts of exotic plants out of front yards.. Plants like japanese maple trees, etc.. The theory is that landscape contractors are stealing them for other projects.. (the missing plants were professionally unearthed, not just yanked out of the ground..)
Now, Palo Alto isn't a ghetto.. it's a upscale suburb in the Silicon Valley, and has some of the most expensive real estate prices in the country, as well as a low crime rate. It's not a place where you think twice about wanting to live, it's a place where you think twice about being able to afford to live.
The point is, if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
Yeah, but it's still California. I left there 3 years ago, and will never go back!
Nebraska is where I call home now. I leave my keys in the car, rarely remember to lock the house before going to bed, and haven't seen a traffic jam since I've been here.
I had the same problem with a letter box assembly. simple solution. Get one big pot. Pour concret slab around threeded bar pushed into soil [ approx height
- a few inches above pot bottom ] where you want pot [ not too big a slab about 2'x2'x18" deep] , poke hole on pot bottom so threaded rod sticks up in centre. Pour redimix to cover bottom of pot [ about a few inches in bottom but bovers top end of rod ] allow to set. Add soil and plants - NOW try and move the S.O.B.
Another alternative was tried in response to the theft of Kerry political signs from front yards:
formatting link
quote Can't blame people around here if a certain political paranoia has set in. Not when at least 13 of their lawn signs were stolen and vandalized. And privately police told them the number may be closer to 50. But there's one thing the political pilfers didn't know. They were caught on tape. Along Alpine Trail in Eden Prairie... Where Bush-Cheney signs outnumber Kerry-Edwards, a contentious harmony prevailed among these political animals. Until recently. Norbert Gernes isn't alone. At least seven of his neighbors have had their Kerry signs stolen. And returned, well done. But Kim Ross did something else. She set up her video camera at the window, and kept it rolling. And yesterday, as the storm winds moved in, so did the sign bandits. Driving by in a white S-U-V, they're scared off by a neighbor mowing the yard. Another pass. 30 seconds later, they move in, a teenager jumps out, grabs the sign, and they're off. And Eden Prairie is not alone. In Golden Valley, 17 families with Kerry lawn signs got hate mail cursing Kerry, Jews and Gays. In Apple Valley someone else is stealing Kerry signs.But it's also a bi-partisan crime. In Fridley, Mounds View, and St. Paul, it's Bush-Cheney signs that were recently stolen or defaced. This crime also stinks, even though it's just a misdemeanor. Police suspect it's most likely a student at Eden Prairie High. Although none of the kids we talked to recognized the perp. The neighbors on both sides would love to teach the kids a lesson, about tolerance, respect, and fair play. Kim ross wonders if that would be over their heads. #end quote
Either set up a videocam to capture the thieves on tape or when they pull in with their tyruck, blast it in the gas tank with a .303 rifle or both barrels of a 10 gauge shotgun!
The ensuring fire will dramatically demolish their vehicle and melt the pavement of your driveway, but the satisfaction it gives is well worth it.
You could shoot to kill the perpetrators, but doing so with no advance warning might get you a ticket to see your county grand jury.
Demolishing their truck will effectively put them out of business until they can steal another one in a day or two.
"Section 8" snipped-for-privacy@cu.soccer.edu> wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.bubbanews.com:
<SNIP>
Skip the peaceful approach and defend my property. It's probably one person doing it, and they're not going to stop until the consequences far outweight whatever gains (monetary or psychological) they're getting.
OTOH, the "large cameras" bit in your lease...does that apply to temporary mountings, (maybe on a pole u-bolted to something) or is there a window where you could discreetly put a camera inside to watch with? A video including license plates handed over to the local police could be very useful. Also, make sure you're reporting every theft, as establishing a pattern could be helpful too.
I can really sympathize with this persons problem. I mean their hubcaps flowerpots and a ton of other stuff all ripped off. Yesterday my house, garage and driveway were all stolen. If anybody sees a 2800 SF 3 bedroom with front porch the width of the house going down the road along with a double garage and driveway then please call the cops right away. If anybody has any ideas how I can secure my New house, garage and driveway from being trucked off please let me know. Oh yeah the deck was also taken along with the whole front yard. I guess they used one of those sod cutters and just rolled it up. Any ideas how I could at least secure the deck and turf?
If that 2,800 sq ft house was a ranch style with a Perrywinkle Blue garage door, it went past my place yesterday at about 5 pm. You wouldn't believe the size of the Mack truck it was on and how it was messing up the rush hour traffic!
Check your local Yellow Pages under Alarms for a good, reputable alarm installer and monitoring station.
Personally I would recommend an ADEMCO High Security direct panel with provision for fire, burglary, stickup and theft of premises alarms.
Not sure how to secure the lawn and driveway but a knowledgable and experienced alarm installer can probably secure these along with your house, deck, garage and contents and have the whole installation certified Double A by Underwriters Laboratories which will surely reduce your insurance policy premiums.
Perhaps installing a ten foot high wrought iron fence with watchtowers every hundred yards and at corners will help secure your property and contents.
Good reputable alarm companies highly recommended by insurers are:
Chubb Alarms A.D.T. Alarms Burns Alarms, formerly S.I.S. AMPATROL alarms These firms are large, very experienced, and provide alarm services in most of the nation.
Note that the rating of your home alarm system, in addition to being affected by the equipment actually installed and the rating of the monitoring station, is also affected by the response time of your fire and police departments.
So if the estimated average response time for a police response to your home alarm is say 20 minutes, you just are NOT going to get a DOUBLE A rating for burglary, stickup and theft of premises.
However if your Fire Commissioner can send his engines, ladders and such over to you in around 2 minutes, you will have no trouble getting an A.A. Fire rating.
You probably want to install security cameras on your premises too and while you are at it, might as well install a complete Fire sprinkler system including the garage and deck.
You can install a central lawn sprinkler system too while you have the plumbers over and I would strongly recommend you replace your current half-inch water service pipe with a 6 to 12 inch one.
That's the thing they took the damn thing alarm and all.
Yeah for the lawn I was thinking about paving with green concrete but then they did get the driveway too so maybe that wouldn't help much.
I've considered that but that kind of fence would cost alot and they'd probably just steal it too.
I'll keep those in mind. Maybe they have some sort of GPS tracking option so that if they do get away with the house it can be tracked down.
Yeah my insurance is higher already because of my FD's slow average response time. For the cops you would think they could put out an APB or something I mean how many two story houses are being hauled around the area at any given time?
I just want them to show up before the whole thing is carted away.
Not a chance in hell.
That's a really good idea. I could have them off site monitored and that way when the whole house got taken cameras and all there would at least be the tape.
Yeah I'll consider that. That big pipe might slow them down a little if they decide to go for the sprinkler system too. Thing is though I don't usually water the grass. That makes it grow and then you have to cut it.
Well if they steal yoiur house, deck, driveway, garage and lawns together with the fence watchtowers cameras and alarm panel, wait until you see what happens when they break off that six to twelve inch water service pipe! There will be a water fountain fifty feet in the air and the neighborhood for a half mile around you will be underwater up to the rooftops within ten minutes.
At Least you don't need to worry about the thieves starting a fire.
Call one of the alarm companies and ask about what they can provide at your new house. With a 12 inch waterpine into your home and sprinklers, you can probably extinguish any fire well before your fire department arrives and get the lowest fire premium in towen.
However you may want the city to install a Schedule 80 `1 inch pipe as you won't be able to get a policy for damage caused by breakage of your water pipe if it is anything less. Schedule
60 might do but my plumber friend strongly recommends schedule
Brian
Will keep an eye out for a 2 storey house with attadched 2 car garage.
Putyourspamhere ( snipped-for-privacy@aol.com) writes: >>Subject: Re: Stolen House, Garage, Driveway Deck and Front Yard.
Go to a local tire shop and buy some old wheel weights. Add about 30 pounds to each flower pot at the bottom before putting dirt in. You'd be amazed how much difference in weight it would be to pick up.
The grease idea was a great one.
Another idea is to use silicon to glue the pots to the ground. If you try to lift, it will be a no-go. If you slide a thin piece of steel, like a hacksaw blade, you can cut away. This will be easier if you gently raise the bottom of the pot up with a few sticks, then silicon, then let it cure. The hack saw blade will go through the silicon and sticks. Doug
It could be someone just wanting to needle you, or it could be someone who profits from reselling the pots.
Consider planting an anchor such as an old car wheel (ok, I'm joking) or a horizontal length of galvanised water pipe at the bottom of a deep hole in your lawn. Have some strong chain or reinforcing rod secured to that anchor. Fill in the hole, leaving a short length of the chain or rod sticking out. Sit your pot over this so the rod passes through the centre drainage hole in the pot's base. (Drill the hole larger, if necessary.) Now inside the pot close to the base you weld, or bolt, or clamp a flat plate or length of pipe held flat against the base. If this blocks the drainage hole, drill a few more holes nearer the perimeter of the base because you don't want poor drainage. Once you've filled the pot with potting mix no one will ever shift it using brute force alone.
This should give you more peace of mind than lying in wait with a camera to try to catch the culprit in action and then pursuing this through the court, only to see him let off with a warning.
Or just put a steel rod thru the end link in the chain, and have it flat on the bottom of the pot. No need to weld it, the dirt will hold it and that approach makes it a lot easier to change pots later.
The thief wont bother to take the plant and soil out on the off chance the chain is easy to remove that way.
Best approach is an electrically fired shotgun driven by a movement sensor.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.