Re: Window next to front door, deadbolt side -- best way to secure?

Or consider replacing the glass with Lexan, if you want to keep the look but have it be shatterproof. The good stuff ain't cheap, unfortunately.

Given that the post you are replying to is almost 5 months old he has probably fixed it by now if it was a big problem.

Lexan and Plexiglass also become cloudy over time.

Is there any kind of label on the glass? Usually etched in one of the corners. Its possible that it may be a safety glass or laminated. Since the size of the side light is so large (11" x 58") it will be tough to meaningfully secure. Just by way of comparison UL standards for burgalar alarms consider anything larger than 96 inches square(with one side not less than 6 '') to be a "man sized opening. conventional wisdom would be to use a dual cylinder deadbolt in an application like this but since the opening is so large i don't see that it buys you much. The key question is how likely is it that someone would attack your front door? Is it visible to the street and neighbors? Is the glass a higher grade than ordinary window pane? And as others have mentioned, do you have other adequate means of evaquation in case of fire?

Part of this is how careful you are in cleaning 'em; they do scratch more easily than glass. Lexan less so.

For some folks it's still the best option, even if they wind up replacing the Lexan once or twice a decade.

Damn, I gotta quit switching servers. Long article retention is nice, but it has its drawbacks.

It is true that the stuff scratches easy but it also seems to have to do with UV exposure as it seems to become cloudy faster when constantly exposed to sunlight.

If the OP wants security and doesn't want the big risk (an unacceptable one IMHO) of having a keyed inside lock - then the security risk of that large window *must* be taken care of.

Lexan (polycarbonate) is one solution (if the perimeter of the lexan is securely fastened) - and if it becomes cloudy - so what? It can be replaced every decade - and I don't think that a requirment of clarity was stated. Another solution is to replace the large window with a solid wall. But that may be unacceptable because of esthetics. Yet another solution that can look good and let in light - is to replace the window with a decorative window (e.g. stained glass) with a lexan sheet behind (inside) it. That way the lexan is protected, and cloudiness becomes less of an issue.

I like it... though I might suggest the other way around, since that way the lexan protects the decorative glass. This is partly a question of whether you want it to look its best from inside or outside, admittedly.

I always use Lexan for my window projects.

Thanks for the suggestion