Dear PoP – French Door Security?

Photo by PoPville flickr user Bogotron

“Dear PoP,

I’m in the process of renovating an old crackhouse that I bought out of foreclosure about 15 months ago in the Truxton Circle neighborhood.

I’m planning to install double French patio-style doors from my dining room to a porch in my backyard garden. There’s plenty of crime in my neighborhood, including an unsuccessful attempted break-in to my basement. So security of the French doors is a major concern. I’m contemplating two options: (1) standard iron bar security doors or (2) a roll-up security grille of the sort you see at the entrance to retail stores in malls, installed on the interior of my French doors. My concern with option (1) is that I’m not crazy about the look of bars on doors/windows and the only option I’ve found so far seemingly requires a permanent metal post in the middle of the doorway, which defeats my purpose of putting in French doors (e.g., I want to be able to move appliances and furniture into the house through the French doors, because my front door is only 32″ wide). My concern with option (2) is cost, though I haven’t yet gotten an estimate. Do any PoP readers have secured French doors in the city or ideas about how to do it?”