Lock and deadbolt installation
Most houses collect locks the way they collect paint colors. A deadbolt from the last owner, a knob from the one before, a side door key that lives on its own ring because nothing else fits it. Lock and deadbolt installation sorts that out in a single visit, keyed alike, so one key opens every exterior door you own. It is part of our door repair service.
Keyed alike, and why it is worth asking for
Keyed alike means every cylinder in the house accepts the same key. It costs very little extra at the time of installation and it removes a daily irritation that most homeowners have stopped noticing. It also means a spare with a neighbor actually opens the door they would need to use. We set this up at the bench before anything is fitted.
New house, new locks, and the keys you never got back
Changing the locks after a purchase is the oldest piece of advice in homeownership and it is still right. Contractors, agents, cleaners, previous tenants and family members all held keys, and nobody tracks them. This is the most requested item in our new homeowner package and it is usually done on the first visit.
Rekeying against replacing the hardware
If the hardware is sound and only the key needs to change, rekeying the existing cylinders is cheaper and faster. If the finish is worn, the latch is sloppy or the deadbolt throws short of the frame, replacement is the better buy. We look at both and tell you which applies per door rather than quoting one approach for the whole house.
Grades of lock, explained without the sales pitch
Residential hardware is graded, and the grade describes cycles and force resistance rather than how it looks. The lowest grade is fine for an interior passage door and thin for a front entry. Middle grade suits almost every house we work in. The top grade is commercial hardware and it is usually more lock than a home needs, though we will fit it where somebody wants it.
The part that actually keeps a door shut
A deadbolt is only as strong as the wood it throws into. The common failure is a strike plate held by three-quarter inch screws into soft jamb stock. We fit a reinforced strike with screws long enough to reach the framing behind, which is the single cheapest security improvement available on any exterior door.
- Deadbolts, single or double cylinder, fitted to existing doors
- Knob and lever locksets replaced and keyed to match
- Rekeying where the hardware is sound and only the key changes
- Reinforced strike plates with fasteners into framing
- Spare keys cut and labeled before we leave
Double cylinder locks and the safety trade
A double cylinder deadbolt needs a key on both sides, which stops somebody breaking glass and reaching the thumb turn. It also means anyone inside needs a key to get out, which matters in a fire. We fit them where a homeowner asks and we make sure the trade is understood first. For most houses a single cylinder with reinforced glass framing is the better balance.
Side doors, service doors and the forgotten entry
Front doors get attention. The door from the garage, the basement walkout and the service door at the back are where the weak hardware hides. Those are also the doors where the jamb has usually taken the most water. If yours has soft wood around the strike, the lock is not the fix and that is door adjustment or jamb repair first.
Locks for rentals and turnovers
A rental changing hands needs the cylinder changed between tenants, every time. Landlords running several units usually want a system where each unit is keyed separately but one master opens all of them. That work is quick per door when it is batched and it sits naturally inside rental turnover repairs.
Hardware that matches the rest of the house
Finish matters more than people expect, because the entry hardware is the thing guests touch first. Matching a new deadbolt to an older knob is often impossible, which is why we usually suggest doing all the exterior doors in one finish at one time rather than patching. The same logic applies indoors with lever handle conversion.
Smart locks, and where that conversation goes
If you want keypad or phone access, that is a different product and a different page. We cover it under smart lock installation, including what it needs from your door and what it does not need from your wiring. Plenty of homeowners fit one smart lock at the front door and conventional deadbolts everywhere else, which is a sensible split.
What we check on every door before fitting
The door has to close cleanly before a lock can work properly. We check the gap at the strike, the swing, the hinge screws and the squareness of the existing bores. A lock fitted to a door that is out of alignment will bind within a month, and the homeowner will blame the lock.
- Backset and bore size, measured rather than assumed
- Strike alignment with the door closed and latched
- Jamb condition around the strike, for rot or splitting
- Door thickness, which decides which hardware will fit
- Existing holes, and whether a new plate will cover them
Keys, spares and what leaves with the crew
You get the keys, all of them, counted out. Old cylinders leave with us unless you want them. We label spares if you are handing one to a neighbor or a family member, and we note the keyway on the invoice so a future key can be cut without guesswork.
Locks that show up on an inspection report
Inspectors flag deadbolts that do not throw fully, double cylinder locks on a bedroom escape route and missing hardware on a garage entry door. None of those are expensive to correct and all of them look bad on a report. If you are working through a list before closing, they usually travel with home inspection repairs or with pre-listing home repairs if you are the one selling.
The rest of the exterior hardware
House numbers, handrail brackets, mailbox mounts and storm door closers tend to be replaced in the same visit, because the crew is already there with the ladder and the bits. That work is covered under exterior hardware installation and it is cheaper bundled than booked separately.
Older houses and the hardware they were built with
Houses around Ypsilanti and the older townships often carry mortise locksets, rim locks or bores that predate current standards. Some of that hardware is worth keeping and restoring rather than replacing, particularly on an original front door. Where a homeowner wants both, we fit a modern deadbolt above and leave the original set in place as trim.
Book lock and deadbolt installation
This is a short visit with a long payoff, and most houses are done in a morning. View our Portfolio to see the work our crews stand behind, then contact us now for a free quote. If you are moving in and sorting several small jobs at once, ask about the home repair packages rather than booking them one at a time.
