From high-resolution security cameras to concrete walls and even safe rooms, some luxury homeowners are taking the idea of home security to a new level.
The Wall Street Journal says high-end homeowners are adopting “James Bond-esque” security measures to combat potential burglars, kidnappers, and even terror attacks. They’re willing to spend millions on such measures too. Some middle-class homes are taking a smaller scale approach.
Security firm Gaffco Ballistics says its sales are rapidly growing, increasing by 60 percent in 2015 alone.
“There is a higher level of perceived threat out there, and it’s growing every year,” says Tom Gaffney, chief executive of the company. Gaffco Ballistics sells bullet-resistant doors, safe rooms, and ventilation systems to guard against the effects of nuclear, chemical, or biological attacks.
High security is becoming a selling point in the luxury market. Sotheby’s International Realty is launching an international marketing campaign for the Hollywood Hills home of Jed Lieber, a musician and studio owner. The campaign is emphasizing the 12,000-square-foot home’s lavish security features. The home, known as “the Fortress,” includes a safe room in the master bedroom suite that is built into one of the dressing areas and concealed by a bulletproof plate that slides down from the ceiling.
Real estate agents say that luxury buyers are coming to expect a smart home with security systems. Video surveillance is particularly in demand, Tim McKinney, director of custom home services for ADT Security Services in North America, told The Wall Street Journal.
Source: “Spending Millions to Keep a Home Safe,” The Wall Street Journal (March 6, 2017)
