Our rental property was renovated, before we bought it, with modern tilt-in windows. These have two glass sash and a movable outside screen.
Due to a rash of crime in the neighborhood our tenants are interested in improved security this summer. The screens are easily lifted from the outside, for instance; and the only track block for the sash permits a small opening of a couple of inches.
Of course, if the sash is open fully, it would take a swipe of a pocket knife to silently enter the premises. Any kind of latch for the screen seems a waste.
The options seem to be burglar bars on the one hand, and steel grilles on the other. The latter look like heavy screens and are isntalled over the entire window, and seem to be preferred for historic preservation installations and others where architectural looks are a concern. We'd like something along these lines ourselves.
Can anyone give us a general idea of the costs we're looking at, and how to find a local vendor? Is custom-built our only option? Simple, fast, and cheap would be our preference, of course (even if it's "pick any two").
For one window opening on the porch there was a metal grill installed, but it was basically a child-safety grill and when a violent boyfriend wanted entry to that apartment, a while back, he apparently easily bent it out of his way. Obviously that's only useful as a slight deterrent for your average burglar concerned with noise. But there is often nobody obviously around at the building.