Should I Hire a Locksmith?

['Key]

then leave ONE (not re-keyed) for the contractors use and rekey that one at the end.

my2¢

-- "Key"

---snip---

['Key]

depends on the consturction.

['Key]

good advice...

[HeyBub]

Pin sets are available for < $50. You can re-key the locks yourself.

[mm]

It&#39;s been 22 years since any problem here, but the first summer went out for dinner at about 6 on a Sunday and came home at 8.

The front door had been kicked in. Stayed home the next day and repaired the damage to the door and frame, and finished installing the burglar alarm.

I put in the longest screws I could get in the strike plates, to reach not just the door frame but the stud that was beyond it. I still suppose it can be kicked in, but so far so good.

And the elephant repellant is working also.

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[Charles Spitzer]

got any windows in your house? today&#39;s wall construction can be kicked easier than going through the door.

locks keep out the honest people.

[No]

You got some good advice but I want to give you a slightly different way to look at it in making your decision.

1st - What&#39;s your time worth vs. the savings - Do the math. 2nd - compare price from locksmith and builder. make sure same hardware is specified so you can compare prices to each others as well as your own &#39;price&#39;. 3rd - Make sure you, and your locksmith, knows if the doors have just holes or if they have holes and mortises. The hole is the easy part, the mortise for the strike plate and the latch are tedious to do and require a little bit of skill with a chisel. I have done a lot of these but its sort of a pain in the neck.

So, I figure I can install a passage or lockset in a pre-drilled, pre-mortised, door/jamb in just a couple of minutes. If its significant savings I would do it myself. If its just a couple of dollars savings I would let someone else do it. if it involved mortises then I would look for an easier way to cut the mortises.

One last thing to consider. if the doors are pre-drilled and pre-mortised, and they are not hung perfectly, then the striker will not line up with the strike plate. There is some play available but not too much. Will your carpenter come back, after the lockset is installed, to re-plumb the door if its not aligned? There are benefits to having your builder do it. if they encounter a problem with the door install then they will quickly be able to make adjustments.

Have fun, let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out.

[trader4]

"he probably gave ya good advice. the (pre-drilled) holes and strikes will probably need to be adjusted ! "

I was thinking along those lines too. I doubt it&#39;s as easy as using a screw driver, as some have suggested. For example, are the locations for the strike plates mortised out? If you don;t have the proper tools or skills and screw this up, it can be a lot more work to do correct than to do right the first time.

Also, some people claim that the same model locks sold by locksmiths are of a better grade than those sold at the big stores. Based on my experience, I don&#39;t believe it. I have Kwikset&#39;s on my front doors. I would gladly replace them with a costlier and better lock, but only Kwikset&#39;s will fit. I bought Kwikset&#39;s from a locksmith that appeared identical to the ones sold at Lowes and HD. I had bought locks at Lowes, but had to keep taking them back. One was all scuffed up, another had a trim piece that obviously had not even been plated properly.

The Locksmith assured me that while his looked the same and had the same model #&#39;s, that the ones they sell to locksmiths are in fact higher quality. So, I paid a premium price. And what I got is the same junk that within 2 years is already seriously tarnished. And the location they are in is well protected by a huge porch overhang. I would avoid Kwikset, if possible, at least for any lock that you want to look good.

[Philip Lewis]

I believe the old method is to coat with a little shellac. you might try waxing it, or a period wipedown with an ammonia base cleaning product.

[--Shiva--]

There are 3 grades of locks.. Houses use grade 3. SOME &#39;house grade locks&#39; can/will say &#39;equal to a grade 2&#39; on the box.. however, they are at best IMO, a slightly better grade of grade 3. a grade 2 is a semi commercial. it takes more force to &#39;break&#39; a

2 than a 3. a grade 1 is a commercial. designed for a LOT of every day use..for a long time. I have seen some grade 1 that are over 40 years old, used in a school door, and there is nothing at all wrong with them after all these years. Some need an occasional repinning, but that is all.

I just installed a grade 2 on a room a little bit earlier-list price on it, a plain knob- keyed entry is I believe $135

for this situation, barring someone attempting to break in or such, it should last 10 or more years. I have sold to a local school, over 400 grade 1 handicapped lever types, and in the last 8 years, had one give a problem and it took a 65 cent spring to fix.

GO find the ANSI requirements for the locks and see how they are rated..

some fun reading. or --Shiva--

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Lacquer

[mm]

I read the paper. No one kicks in walls around here, whether it can be done or not.

Honest people don&#39;t even try to open a door. They wait for someone inside to open it.

Locks keep out thieves.

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[Edwin Pawlowski]

No, it slows them down. If they really want to get in, they will get in. Same with locking your car.

[fredisdead]

Do you listen to everything people tell you? If so, go stick your head in your toilet and flush it.

Why are you even asking? Just install them yourself, and quit wasting everyones time on this newsgroup. By the time you posted your message you could have installed one lock. With the holes pre-drilled, there is little to do except turn a few screws.

Personally, I never heard of a builder that cant install locks though... I&#39;d not let this guy build my place....

[Larry Bud]

Locks discourage thieves, who end up going to your neighbor that believes locks keep out honest people.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I don&#39;t believe in locking my car. I&#39;ve had it broken into twice in all the years of driving and total losses are about $2 for a can of oil and windshield spray. Cars that were parked near me were all locked. they had broken windows, scratched paint, slashed convertible top, etc. With mine, they open the door, look around, find nothing and move on.

[mm]

Thanks, and also to Philip.

Summer comes soon.

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[coorslte]

"Sweat Equity"

[ameijers]

Chuckle- BTDT myself. I put a restraint cable on the 2-way, and only leave cheap flashlights/tools/etc in the car. Cheaper than replacing busted glass or slap-hammered hatch lock, both of which I have had to do. The rules at work say to lock the cars, even when parking &#39;inside the perimeter&#39;, but I ignore them.

aem sends...

[ameijers]

Just buy them keyed alike in the first place- that is why the boxes have those numbers on them. Every shipping lot includes several multiples of the same keying, enough for an average house. You may have to wait until the weekly shipment comes in, and have them hold X entry sets for you, with the same number on the box. I redid all 3 entry doors on this place when I bought it, with grade 2 Schlages, and had no problem getting keyed alike. 3 knobs, 3 deadbolts, all the same keys. Of course, installing locksets was one of the first chores they put me on as a kid, so DIY was no problem for me. I think the hardware came to a little over 100 bucks- not the cheapest, but also not the super-fancy ones with the frills. It&#39;s just a damn doorknob, after all.

aem sends....