At Dakea, we want to enable house builders, architects and window installers to build more secure houses, starting with the roof windows. There are a range of ways to improve the security performance of your roof windows and skylights to help you, or your buyers, feel safe and secure in their home.
According to The Co Experts, 29% of domestic burglaries occur with the window as the entry point. While roof windows are used less often than windows on lower floors, they can still be vulnerable points in a home. However, there are ways to prevent this from being the case with your home or house build. This includes the design of the roof window, the use of locks, and the placement of the roof window.
Why not read our guide on Secure House Design for even more tips on building or designing a secure house.
Secure roof window design
Roof window security starts with the design of the window. This includes the glazing and locking features, right through to the hinge design and pane features.
Our most secure roof window is the Secure White, which features laminated internal panes, toughened external panes, strong and discrete locks, reinforced hinges and a glued pane to prevent dismantling.
Glazing
Double or triple pane windows are tougher to break than single panes, but the real difference is in choosing laminated glazing, especially if this is paired with a toughened external pane.
Laminated glazing
Laminated glazing is made with two plies of glass that are bonded together with interlayers, making it shatter-proof. Not only is this safer for occupants of the house, it also makes entering a property through the roof window significantly harder.
Toughened glass
Toughened glass is used on the external pane of security roof windows. You might be most familiar with toughened glass from your tempered glass screen protector on your phone. It’s the same material used on roof windows, but on a larger scale.
It’s made by heating glass to a specific temperature and cooling it very quickly. It makes the glass much harder to break. If it does shatter, it also breaks into larger, more blunt pieces that are safer than standard glass shards.
All Dakea’s roof windows are now made with toughened external glass.
Window Placement
With standard vertical windows, their placement in the building is very important for improving overall security. Find out more on our secure house design blog.
However, you should also consider placement for roof windows. For example, keep an eye out for design features that would make it easy for an intruder to climb onto the roof and access the window.
Flat vs Pitched Roof Windows
Flat surfaces provide a safer area for an intruder to stand when trying to access the property through the roof window. Pitched roofs on the other hand are much more hazardous and therefore less appealing to an intruder. Therefore, you could avoid flat roof windows in house designs where security is a key consideration.
Locking Mechanisms
Some locks are tougher than others. Weak locks can be tampered with or broken by force so look for roof windows that are designed to provide better security. These will use stronger locks or multiple locks.
If you want to enhance the security of an existing roof window, you can buy and install a higher quality lock – or an additional lock.
View our Safety Lock for roof windows.
Of course, don’t forget to close your windows and lock them when you’re out of the house.
Discrete locks
It can be preferable to choose a roof window with discrete locks. When locks can’t be seen easily, it prevents an intruder from attempting to tamper with them.
Shutters
Shutters are an additional feature that adds high quality protection to the roof window. They cover over the external side of the window so potential intruders can’t access any part of the window itself. When paired with a window designed to enhance security, such as with laminated glazing or reinforced hinges, you have an extremely secure system.
Shutters have additional benefits including thermal insulation and noise reduction.
Our SSR (solar roller shutter) can be added to any existing roof window, as well as during new installations.
Roof Window Security FAQs
Read commonly asked questions about roof window security.
Are skylights easy to break into?
Many skylights are easy to break into if they aren’t designed with particular security features. However, the placement of a skylight on a pitched roof can make it more hazardous for an intruder compared to ground-level windows.
Are skylights a security risk?
Any windows on a property add security risk as they’re a potential access point for an intruder. However, there are ways to improve their security such as laminated glazing or reinforced hinges.
How can I protect my skylight?
Toughened external panes, like in our Secure White roof window, and laminated glazing not only improve security, but can also protect the roof window from the elements such as hail.
View the Secure White roof window.
