When it comes to the spaces we live in every day, the security of our belongings is always, at some level, on our minds. But what about the spaces we don't live in every day? For those of us who own cottages, cabins, and summer homes outside the city, we often take for granted that everything will be sorted out during our working months. However, a second home is still a home, and any home can benefit from security. This blog will explain some of the risks that these second homes might have to deal with, and give tips on how to keep them secure and ready for your vacations and holidays.

Risks to Your Second Home

Often the kinds of second homes mentioned above are deliberately situated out in the countryside, or even places that are flat-out wild. That makes sense - they are a place to get away from it all, after all. Break-Ins We tend to imagine that we keep all of our most valuable possessions at home, but modern cottages are likely to feature plenty that are attractive to thieves. If you have any kind of electronics or fancy furnishes, those alone could warrant a break-in. And think about all the things that might make your summer home a uniquely tempting target. Do you have a wine cellar there, with valuable vintages? A garage with all-terrain vehicles worth taking? A home gun safe with valuable firearms?

Water Damage

Many summer homes can be found along the edges of lakes and rivers. This isn't a bad choice - waterskiing, boating, and swimming are all a blast in the summer. However, any area with large bodies of water (or near mountains prone to winter melt) is at risk of flooding or mudslides. Nature isn't interested in breaking in to take a few valuables - it just wants to get all over everything you own.

Storm Damage

If it's not the water it's the wind. If you have a beach house somewhere, depending on the area, you may need to reckon with the fact that it could plain blow down someday. Even if your cottage is located in picturesque lake country, all it takes is one big storm to put a tree through a window… or wall if you're very unlucky.

Fire Damage

If there's one type of natural disaster that's dominating the news cycles, it would have to be wildfires. And as the planet keeps getting hotter, we're only going to see more and more of these raging infernos. When it comes to summer homes, they can very often be located in or near the forested areas where wildfires are common. Even discounting wildfires, small blazes can break out at summer homes due to unforeseen circumstances, such as electrical failures or lightning strikes. The problem with cottage fires is that their remote location can often lead to delays in getting a response from emergency personnel - so you had best hope that your most important items out there were in a fireproof safe.

Protecting Your Summer Home… and Everything Inside

If you're freaking out, we have to apologize. We weren't intending to cause a cottage-based panic attack! However, a lot of these concerns are real, and you should be doing your best to try and address them. Prevention and protection are the names of the game. The more effort you put into those, the less worry you'll have to take on yourself. Following are some tips to get you started.

Location, Location, Location

We probably built up nature as a rather intimidating force. However, humanity has been learning to live around nature since our earliest days - and you can too, with a little planning. The safest summer homes are those that had an intelligently selected location. This could mean making sure that your home is on elevated ground, to prevent the worst of flooding damage or mudslides. It also means that you'll want to try and reduce the number of large trees near your property. They might look impressive, but trust us - they're just waiting to fall on your home in a storm, or help spread a wildfire.

Plan For The Worst

When constructing your cottage or summer home, it pays to imagine the worst-case scenario. What if it does become flooded? Probably better to avoid drywall and hardwood on lower levels like basements. What if there is a wildfire? Better that you avoid flammable materials on your roof like wood shingles, no matter how rustic they look. A well-trimmed lawn and gutters free of dried leaves and pine needles can also go a long way towards reducing fire risk. There's no need to be paranoid, but you should sensibly prepare your summer home in case the worst does occur. And of course, it goes without saying that insurance is your friend here. Too often people will ensure everything at their place of residence but totally forget their other properties. Don't be the one to make this mistake.

Give Your Valuables Special Attention

So let's say that no matter your precautions, something has broken into your summer home. It could be a falling tree, a forest fire, a burglar, Bigfoot - you name it. What can you do in this case? There are two scenarios where this can happen. In the first, you're at your cottage when some sort of natural disaster is happening. In this case, you'll want your most important belongings at your cottage to be immediately accessible and on hand to grab. However, it could also be that you're not actually at your cottage when the threat to your valuables arrives. This creates something of a paradox - you need your valuables to be easily reachable, but also secured. This is why it's a great idea to invest in the most secure home safes possible for your summer home. By buying fireproof safes (like our great Firecube), you can make sure that your cottage valuables are protected against the elements even if you aren't around. At the same time, these secure home safes will also let you always know where your belongings are at any given moment, letting you streamline the process of collecting them if you need to leave your cottage altogether. From home gun safes to a place to put your laptop while visiting, all your most important items will be covered. And once you're covered, you can get back to the important things - like enjoying your time off and the great outdoors.