Basement storage area in Elwood kept getting broken into. StormBloc with Colorbond cladding and a full-length aluminium lock guard stopped the forced entry problem. $2,800 + GST.
The basement storage area in this Elwood building had been broken into more than once. The existing door was the problem — lightweight construction and a standard latch that didn’t resist forced entry. Once someone knew the door could be shouldered open or levered at the latch point, it became a repeated target.
Cameras didn’t stop it. Better lighting didn’t stop it. The door itself needed to change.
We replaced the door with a custom StormBloc unit clad in Surfmist Colorbond steel. The composite steel-faced construction is a different proposition to the door it replaced — heavier, more rigid, and built to resist the kinds of forces that defeat hollow-core and lightweight flush panel doors.
The critical addition was a full-length aluminium lock guard running the full height of the closing stile. A lock guard covers the gap between the door edge and the jamb where a tool would be inserted to lever the latch. From top to bottom, there’s no exposed edge to attack. The forced entry method that had worked on the previous door won’t work on this one.
The existing mortise lock was in good working order and retained — it’s a quality lock that was never the weak point. The door closer was also kept. Reusing functional hardware that doesn’t need replacing keeps the cost down and avoids disrupting the building’s access procedures. The job was scoped to fix the actual problem, not to change what wasn’t broken.
The break-ins stopped. The full-length lock guard removed the forced entry vulnerability entirely. The StormBloc construction means the door won’t flex or deform under impact the way the previous door did. Existing lock and closer carried over. Total cost: $2,800 + GST for a basement storage door that now actually holds.
Learn more about our stormbloc options, materials, and pricing.
StormBloc: Weatherproof External Doors
