Securing Your Building Site

A vital ingredient of any self build, security comes in two main forms: proactive and reactive.

Wherever possible, think in advance and make provision for elements such as materials, personal protection, fire, flood and leak detection, and smart home connectivity during construction (especially at first fix).

This will save you a lot of disruption if things go wrong after completion.

Golden rules

Prevention is better than cure. If you’re trying to manage your project to finish on schedule and on budget, you don’t want to lose time sourcing replacement materials, fixtures and fittings, whether you have insurance or not.

So bear in mind these common-sense tips:

• Let the local police know what you are doing and when. They may make themselves visible at various times.
• If your project is in a populated area, then join the street’s neighbourhood watch scheme (you can find yours at www.ourwatch.org.uk).
• Whenever you leave the site or building, take a photo to refer back to, should you ever need to.
• Most physical security products don’t fully prevent access – but they’ll slow intruders down and buy you time.
• As autumn approaches and daylight dwindles, it may be worth looking at security lighting as a deterrent. Theft increases dramatically once the clocks change in September and peak school run periods begin.
• Only have materials delivered when you need them. Flat packs, valuable metals (copper, zinc and lead) and kitchen and heating equipment are all favourites of thieves, as they’re very easily disposed of.
• Police backing for measures such as Smartwater and Selectamark DNA marking has enhanced their effectiveness. But they don’t stop items going missing in the first place.
• Should a major incident occur on your project, it’s always best to let the professionals deal with it. If you’re warned of an intruder, for instance, never attend the site by yourself because they may still be in the vicinity. Just call the police. Similarly, if you have a fire or flood, don’t go into the build or house yourself. Phone the emergency services.

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