Walk your property like a professional. In the time it takes to make dinner.
A printable companion to MakeMyHomeMyFortress.com
What you’ll do in the next 30 minutes:
- Walk the perimeter of your house like a stranger would
- Identify the 3–5 cheapest moves that visibly harden your house
- Score your current setup against an 8-category scorecard
- Walk away with a prioritized punch list
What you’ll need:
- A pen (and this printout)
- A flashlight (or your phone’s)
- 30 minutes
- The willingness to look at your own house honestly
Property: _________________________________________________
Date of audit: _____________________________________________
HOW TO USE THIS CHECKLIST
How This Works
Set a timer for thirty minutes. Start at the curb. Work clockwise around the house. Check off items as you go, and circle anything that needs attention later. The point isn’t to fix everything tonight — it’s to find everything tonight, so you can prioritize.
Each section has a time budget. Don’t get stuck. Move on, come back to anything you’re unsure about.
At the end, the scorecard at the end gives you a number out of 100 and a recommended next-purchase tier based on what you found.
The Five Time Zones
0–5 min — Curb walk 5–10 min — Perimeter walk 10–15 min — Doors 15–20 min — Windows 20–25 min — Garage 25–30 min — Inside sweep + scoring
Print Tip
Use your browser’s Print button (Ctrl/Cmd + P) to print this page. The inspection sections go on a clipboard and get worked in order. The scorecard and punch list come back inside with you.
CURB WALK & PERIMETER (10 minutes)
Stand at the street, in front of your driveway. Look at your house the way a stranger would.
| Check | ✓ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Front door is clearly visible from the street (no tall hedges blocking it) | □ | |
| Address numbers are 3”+ tall and visible at night | □ | |
| Porch / front-door light is functional (test after dark) | □ | |
| Walkway is unobstructed and well-lit | □ | |
| No ladder, trash can, or step stool sits within 6 feet of any window | □ | |
| Trees and shrubs follow the 3-and-6 rule (under 3 ft near walkways, under 6 ft near windows) | □ | |
| No tools (shovels, axes, pruners) left visible in the yard | □ |
Now walk the full perimeter, clockwise around the house.
| Check | ✓ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Every side of the house has an unobstructed sightline from the street OR a neighbor’s window | □ | |
| Side gates latch and lock | □ | |
| No tree limbs reach within 4 ft of an upper window | □ | |
| HVAC, electrical, gas meter access points are visible (not screened) | □ | |
| Trash and recycling bins are stored inside a fence or behind a locked gate | □ | |
| Hose bibs and outdoor outlets are not in concealed locations | □ | |
| Defensive landscaping (thorny plants) under any first-floor accessible windows | □ |
Photographs to take this round (for insurance baseline):
- Front of house from the street
- Back of house
- Each side of house
EVERY EXTERIOR DOOR (5 minutes)
Visit each exterior door (front, back, side, garage interior, garage side door). Check all four items at every door.
| Door | Strike plate has 3” screws | Deadbolt throws full 1” | Frame gap < 1/4” | Peephole or smart doorbell | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | □ | □ | □ | □ | |
| Back | □ | □ | □ | □ | |
| Side / patio | □ | □ | □ | □ | |
| Garage to house | □ | □ | □ | □ | |
| Garage side | □ | □ | □ | □ |
Bonus checks (per door):
- Door is solid-core (not hollow)
- Hinge screws are 3-inch (not factory short)
- No glass within arm’s reach of the deadbolt — or, if there is glass, it has security film or a guard
- Door has a secondary lock (floor lock, second deadbolt, or door bar) for nighttime use
Sliding glass doors (if any):
- Factory latch is supplemented by a security bar or wooden dowel in the track
- Locking pin is installed at the top of the door (prevents lift-out attack)
EVERY ACCESSIBLE WINDOW (5 minutes)
Walk the inside of the house and visit every window. Pay closest attention to ground-floor windows and any second-story windows reachable from a roof, balcony, deck, or low climbing route.
| Room / Window | Lock works | Secondary lock installed | Sensor present | Visible target inside (laptop, jewelry, etc.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
| □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
| □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
| □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
| □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
| □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
| □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
| □ | □ | □ | □ |
Ground-floor & accessible-window flags:
- At least one window has security film installed (or impact glass)
- Glass-break sensor present in any room with three or more windows
- Curtains or blinds available on every accessible window
GARAGE & INSIDE SWEEP (10 minutes)
Garage
| Check | ✓ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Garage door opener is post-2005 (rolling-code) | □ | |
| Emergency-release cord is shielded or zip-tied | □ | |
| Manual side-lock on garage door (engaged when traveling) | □ | |
| Garage interior door has a deadbolt + reinforced strike + 3” screws | □ | |
| Garage interior door is solid-core, not hollow | □ | |
| Garage windows have secondary locks AND obscuring film | □ | |
| Side door (if any) is reinforced like a front door | □ |
Inside Sweep
| Check | ✓ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No spare key hidden outside (under mat, in fake rock, above doorframe) | □ | |
| Trusted neighbor or family member has a spare key — OR — smart lock installed | □ | |
| Alarm panel is not visible from the front window | □ | |
| Fireproof safe is bolted to the floor or to a fixed structure | □ | |
| Important documents (passports, SS cards, deeds) are in the safe — not in a desk drawer | □ | |
| Photo backup of valuables (for insurance) saved to cloud storage | □ | |
| Smart-home account has 2-factor authentication enabled | □ | |
| At least 3 indoor lights are on smart plugs or timers (for vacation simulation) | □ |
Lighting Sweep (do this after dark tonight)
| Check | ✓ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Front porch light works and reaches the walkway | □ | |
| Motion lights fire at every entry point | □ | |
| No exterior bulbs are out | □ | |
| Address numbers are readable from the street at night | □ |
SCORECARD
Add up your checked items in each category. Maximum is 100.
| Category | Items | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Curb & Perimeter | 14 max | ___ /14 |
| Exterior Doors | 5 doors × 4 main checks = 20 max + 4 bonus = 24 max | ___ /24 |
| Accessible Windows | up to 16 (4 checks × first 4 windows + 3 flag items) | ___ /16 |
| Sliding Doors | 2 max | ___ /2 |
| Garage | 7 max | ___ /7 |
| Inside Sweep | 8 max | ___ /8 |
| Lighting (after dark) | 4 max | ___ /4 |
| Defensive Landscaping | 1 (perimeter checklist) | ___ /1 |
| Documentation (photos taken) | 3 max | ___ /3 |
| Adjusted Total | (scaled to 100) | ___ /100 |
Score interpretation:
| Score | What it means | Recommended next move |
|---|---|---|
| 85–100 | Strong baseline. Target gear-level upgrades. | Cameras, smart-home automation, second-layer foliage |
| 65–84 | Solid foundation, real gaps. Spend on the gaps first. | Door reinforcement, secondary window locks, audit fixes |
| 40–64 | Common starting point. Big gains available cheaply. | Strike plates + 3” screws + window secondary locks |
| Under 40 | Builder-grade. Almost everything is upside. | Start with the doors. Then windows. Then plants. |
YOUR PUNCH LIST
Three Things to Do This Weekend
(under $50 each, take less than two hours total)
Three Things to Do This Month
($50–200 range)
Three Things for Later
($200+ projects, plan now and execute on a deliberate timeline)
Don’t Try to Fix Everything
The biggest mistake homeowners make after an audit is trying to fix everything in the next two weeks. The point of this checklist is to find the cheapest, highest-leverage 3–5 moves — not to turn your house into a fortress overnight.
A reinforced front door, a secondary lock on every accessible window, motion lights at every entry, and a barberry hedge under the dining-room window will, together, do more for your security than any single $1,500 purchase. Stack the cheap fixes first.
What This Audit Doesn’t Cover
This walk addresses opportunistic burglary risk — the dominant residential threat. It is not a defense plan against:
- A determined adversary specifically targeting you
- Stalking situations
- A crew working from inside information (a former contractor, ex-partner, etc.)
If any of those apply to your situation, get a licensed security consultant on site. That’s a different problem and merits a different plan.
Where to Go Next
When you’re ready to dig in, the matched articles on MakeMyHomeMyFortress.com walk through each fix in detail:
- Doors: the four upgrades that stop most kick-ins
- Windows: film, locks, and the right layered approach
- Garage: the most-forgotten door in your house
- Tactical foliage: defensive plants by zone
- Cameras under $200: what’s worth buying in 2026
- Vacation prep: the 7-day pre-departure checklist
Want the next walkthrough in your inbox? Join the free Fortress Newsletter at the bottom of this page.
Print this. Walk your house. Fix the cheap stuff. Repeat once a year.
— Randy
General guidance, not professional advice.