Composite door

Ive been interested in improving the physical security of my home for a while and have recently invested in a high security front door.
Ive done a bit of research on this and can see that most composites are not made with a steel core but rather various forms of plastics, PVC, fibreglass etc which is then filled with foam insulation. Sometimes they have a police certification or a police approved safety standard, often they don't even have that. Maybe the physical security provided is enough on those doors but when I was sold my house I was told the doors were very secure and yet the guards tell me they know from the break ins in our area that our doors can easily be kicked in. I was looking for an independently assessed review of the security provided for my next door and I wanted it to fit into the look of the other doors in my estate.

I found out that a new safety standard has been accepted by Ireland and is known as the European Security Standard EN 1627 which was introduced in Ireland on May 23, 2011 and is known as Irish "Burglar Resistance" Security Standard IS EN 1627:2011.
Apparently in Eastern Europe most people live in apartment type dwellings and they take it for granted that their doors will be security doors. They dont wait for someone to actually get into their apartment and hope that the alarms and police will prevent any attack or theft. They plan on keeping intruders out in the first place.
The company I got to do my door http://www.securitycertifieddoors.ie/ gets their doors from Eastern Europe where they have been making and testing security doors for years. I was a bit nervous at first thinking the door was going to look like a bit of overkill but it actually looks like a normal front door.

The internal part of the door is made of steel sections filled with insulation material and it is encased in timber giving it the impression of being a wooden door.
The front of the door is brown to fit in with the look of the other doors in the estate but I wanted the inside to be white to fit in with my internal doors and the manufacturers were able to do that .
The door fits into a steel frame locking with bolts going into it top bottom and at the side.The glass is high security glass as well.
As a safety feature you can get out using thumbturns and you don't need a key to get out from the inside so it is not a firehazard.
From the sounds of other quotes here it seems a security door isnt much more than other security doors it cost me 3700 fitted but that was because I ordered the side panels with security glass, it would have been a lot cheaper if I had ordered a door on its own. If I was living in an apartment I would have a security door no question.
I think it crazy all doors and windows are not made to a specified security standard. At least now we have a European security standard maybe more manufacturers will start to make products to fit that standard. They will if we start insisting they do.

Have a look for yourself.
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