How do we make our home secure?

Q. Our house is undergoing changes, and we forgot to ask about who does the alarms. Neither the contractor nor the electrician wants to do it, and told us to get an alarm company. While we can’t blame them for not figuring the cost into the work, we feel put upon to start interviewing security people, especially with full-time jobs and with everyone seeming ready to take other jobs if we don’t decide fast. We also want to know if we should have security cameras installed. Do people really use them? What do you suggest?

A. In my experience, the alarm system is a touchy subject, for several reasons. One is liability. The electrician, like many I have had this conversation with, doesn’t want the responsibility for installing a system only to learn that the alarm company comes in like a Monday-morning quarterback and wants to make changes to what the electrician did in order to take responsibility for the system.

Also, the electrician, in many cases, doesn’t want to be involved in knowing the system’s possible defects or weak points in case someone does break in. This is a liability the electrician and contractor would rather leave to the security company.
Add security cameras and computer monitoring and the whole system is more complicated. Although I have seen clients install camera systems themselves, the overlay of separate alarm and video systems can be integrated into the open walls before the insulation goes in and tends to be more discreet.

A video system is great for verifying just who and what was done during an intrusion, and I recommend using video. A security company specialist is your best bet, just like having a plumber or electrician buy the fixtures they install. Sharing responsibility leads to complications that nobody wants.