Snowbird Open and Close
Two seasonal visits a year for absent owners. Open the house in October to December, close it in April or May.
Lock Installation in Palm Beach County
New deadbolts and entry locks fitted into the door prep you already have.
What is included
- Replacing deadbolts, knobs, and levers on existing door preps
- Upgrading a light knob-only entry to a deadbolt where a bore already exists
- Keying new locks alike so one key runs the whole home
- Strike plate replacement with longer screws into framing
- Sliding patio door locks and secondary latches
- Mailbox and storage locker locks where the association permits
- Hardware finish guidance for coastal and exposed doors
- Adjusting the door and frame so the bolt throws fully
- Removing and disposing of the old hardware
How the job runs
- Step 1
Check the door before choosing hardware
We measure the backset and bore, check the door thickness, and look at how the door sits in the frame. Buying hardware before that step is how people end up with a lock that will not fit or a bolt that misses the strike.
- Step 2
Fit and align
Old hardware out, new hardware in, strike plate replaced and anchored with long screws into framing rather than into the jamb alone. A deadbolt is only as strong as what the strike is screwed into, and that is the part most installations skip.
- Step 3
Key alike and test
New locks keyed to match each other, and to your existing locks where the hardware allows, so you carry one key. Then we operate every door from both sides, check full bolt throw, and hand over keys with a written note of what was fitted.
When new hardware is the right answer
Most lock calls in this county are solved by a rekey. Replacement earns its place in a few specific situations. The cylinder has corroded to the point that it binds even after cleaning. The entry has only a knob lock and the door is already bored for a deadbolt that was never fitted. The hardware is builder grade on a door that faces a parking lot or an open catwalk. Or the finish has simply given up and the owner wants the door to look cared for.
We will tell you which of those you have. If your locks are sound, we say so and rekey them instead. Selling hardware nobody needs is a short term business and we would rather be the company you call for the next four things.
Fitting into the prep the door already has
We fit new locks into the bore and backset your door already carries. We do not bore a new opening in a door that has none. That limitation is deliberate and we hold to it. If your door needs a new opening cut, that goes to the licensed trades we refer out, and we will tell you that at the quote rather than at the door with a hole saw in hand.
In practice this covers nearly every job. Almost all entry doors in Palm Beach County housing stock, from 1960s coastal ranch homes to 1980s condo units to new Valencia community homes, are already bored for both a knob and a deadbolt. Where the deadbolt bore was left unused, fitting one is straightforward.
The strike plate is the part that matters
A deadbolt resists force through the strike plate and the screws behind it. A strike anchored with short screws into the jamb trim alone will pull free, and the quality of the deadbolt makes no difference at that point. Long screws that reach past the jamb into framing turn the same lock into something meaningfully stronger.
This gets missed constantly, including on doors where an expensive lock was fitted. We replace strikes and anchor them properly as a standard part of every lock installation. On older condo entry doors in metal frames, the approach is different and we adjust to what the frame allows, but the principle holds.
Choosing hardware that survives the coast
Hardware on an exposed door within a few miles of the water lives a hard life. Salt aerosol settles on the finish, works into the keyway, and pits plated surfaces within a season. Owners in buildings along the barrier island and in coastal communities like Highland Beach, Ocean Ridge, Juno Beach, and Palm Beach Shores see this constantly, while identical hardware on an interior door in the same unit stays fine for twenty years.
So the finish choice on an exposed entry is a functional decision, not a decorative one. We steer coastal properties toward hardware built for that exposure and away from the plated products that look identical in the store. We also flag when your association sets the finish for doors facing common area, since that constrains the choice.
Keying it all together
The most useful thing about installing locks as a set is that they can all be keyed alike, including to the locks you are keeping. One key for the front door, the patio door, the storage locker, and the mailbox is a small quality of life change that matters most for owners who are only here part of the year and for anyone managing a property remotely.
We will tell you honestly if mixed hardware cannot all be matched, which happens when a home has collected different brands over decades. In that case we lay out which doors can share a key and what it would take to bring the odd ones in.
Book it on a schedule
Packages that usually include this work.
Rental Turnover
Punch list work between guests: locks reset, walls touched up, blinds and furniture repaired, photo report on completion.
Senior Home Safety
Grab bars, handrails, lever handles, treads, and night lighting installed and load tested, with a written walkthrough.
Condo and HOA Program
A standing program for associations and management firms: unit turns, punch lists, painting, and lock work on one monthly invoice.
Where we work
We cover 39 cities, villages, and towns in Palm Beach County. These are the seven largest.
See all 39 service areasQuestions about this work
Can you add a deadbolt to my door?
If the door is already bored for one, yes, and most entry doors in Palm Beach County housing stock are, even when the bore was never used. We do not cut a new opening in a door that has none. If your door needs that, we will refer you to the licensed trades we refer out instead of taking the job.
Do I need new locks or just a rekey?
Rekey covers most situations, since it kills every existing key without new hardware. Replacement is right when a cylinder is corroded and binding, the hardware is too light for an entry door, or the finish has failed. We look at the doors and tell you which case applies rather than defaulting to selling hardware.
Will new locks work with my existing keys?
We can key new locks alike to each other and, where brands and keyways allow, to locks you are keeping, so you carry one key. Mixed hardware collected over decades sometimes cannot all be matched. We check before ordering anything and tell you which doors can share a key.
Why do you replace the strike plate too?
Because a deadbolt resists force through the strike and the screws behind it. A strike anchored into jamb trim with short screws pulls free regardless of how good the lock is. We anchor strikes with long screws reaching into framing, which is the cheapest real security improvement available on any door.
What hardware holds up near the ocean?
Hardware built for coastal exposure, not standard plated finishes that look identical in the store and pit within a season. On an exposed entry along the barrier island or in a beachfront building, finish choice is functional. We steer you toward what survives and flag any finish rule your association sets for doors facing common area.
Do you install locks on community gates or building doors?
No. Gate hardware, building entry systems, and anything hardwired or controlled belongs to the association and its own provider. We work on your unit door, patio door, mailbox, and storage locker where the building permits. We also do no automotive work at all.
Get a quote for lock installation
Tell us what you need done and roughly where in Palm Beach County you are. Photos help. We come back with a price, not a sales visit.