Hear from Our Customers
A door knob that works isn’t just convenient. It’s one less thing you think about when you’re leaving for work, coming home late, or letting the kids out to play.
When your door hardware is installed correctly, the knob turns smoothly every time. The latch catches without you having to lift the door or jiggle the handle. The lock engages fully, so you’re not second-guessing whether you actually locked it.
You won’t deal with loose screws three months later. You won’t have that annoying rattle when the wind picks up. And you definitely won’t be stuck outside because the mechanism bound up at the worst possible time.
Most homes in Bethel were built in the 1960s. That means a lot of doors have seen decades of use, temperature swings, and settling. Installing new hardware on an older door isn’t the same as slapping it on new construction. The holes might not line up perfectly. The door thickness might be different than what’s standard now. The frame might have shifted.
That’s where experience matters. You need someone who knows how to make modern locksets work with older doors without forcing anything or creating new problems.
We’ve been handling locks in the Delaware Valley since the late 1800s. That’s not a typo. We’re talking over 140 years of locksmithing, passed down through four generations.
Tom McCausland and his daughter Chrissy run the operation now from our Prospect Park storefront. We’re the largest locksmith company serving the Delaware Valley, which means we’ve got the parts, the tools, and the people to handle your door knob installation without making you wait.
We work with Bethel homeowners regularly. We know the housing stock here. We understand that most of you are dealing with older homes that need hardware upgrades, not cookie-cutter new builds. And we’ve seen what happens when someone tries to DIY a lockset installation on a door that’s not perfectly square anymore.
You call or contact us about your door knob installation. We ask a few questions about what you’re dealing with—whether it’s a full replacement, an upgrade, or fixing something that’s not working right.
We schedule a time that works for you. Our technician shows up in a fully equipped mobile workshop. That means we’re not running to the hardware store mid-job or realizing we don’t have the right parts.
Before we touch anything, we explain what needs to happen and what it’s going to cost. No surprises. If your door needs prep work or if we spot an issue with alignment, we tell you before we start drilling.
Then we handle the installation. We make sure the lockset sits flush, the screws are properly torqued, the latch aligns with the strike plate, and everything operates smoothly. We test it multiple times because a door knob that works in our hands needs to work in yours too.
If you want other work done while we’re there—rekeying locks, upgrading to higher security hardware, fixing another door—we can handle it the same visit. Most jobs are wrapped up quickly, and you’re left with door hardware that actually functions the way it should.
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When we install or replace your door hardware, you’re getting manufacturer-approved parts from brands like Kwikset, Schlage, and Medeco. Not the cheapest stuff from the big box store that’ll need replacing in two years.
You’re also getting proper installation that accounts for your specific door. We check the door thickness, the backset measurement, and the bore hole size. If something’s off, we adjust for it instead of forcing parts that don’t quite fit.
In Bethel, where 77% of residents own their homes and the median household income is over $104,000, most people aren’t looking for the fastest or cheapest option. You’re looking for the right option. Something that works reliably and doesn’t become another item on your home maintenance list six months from now.
We handle door lever installation the same way—whether you’re upgrading for accessibility, style, or because the old knobs are worn out. Levers require precise alignment so they return to position correctly and don’t droop over time. That’s not something you can eyeball.
If you’re dealing with a repair instead of a full replacement, we’ll assess whether fixing it makes sense or if you’re better off upgrading. Sometimes a loose door knob just needs tightening and a fresh strike plate. Other times, the internal mechanism is shot and you’re throwing money away trying to patch it.
Professional door knob installation typically runs between $80 and $150 per door, including labor and materials. That price assumes you’re working with a standard door and a mid-range lockset.
If you’re upgrading to high-security hardware, installing on a non-standard door thickness, or dealing with a door that needs repairs before the new hardware can go on, the cost goes up. Same thing if you want multiple doors done or additional services like rekeying.
The reason professional installation costs what it does is because you’re paying for it to be done right. We bring the correct tools, have the parts on hand, know how to handle complications, and won’t damage your door in the process. When you factor in the cost of buying tools you’ll use once, the risk of messing up an expensive door, and the time it takes to troubleshoot issues you’ve never dealt with before, professional installation usually makes sense.
Yes, but it’s not always straightforward. Older doors in Bethel—especially in homes built in the 1960s—can have different bore hole sizes, backset measurements, or door thicknesses than modern locksets expect.
Sometimes the existing holes work fine and the new hardware drops right in. Other times, we need to drill new holes, use adapter plates, or modify the door slightly to accommodate the new lockset. It depends on what you’re replacing and what you’re installing.
The bigger issue with older doors is that they’ve often settled or warped over time. That means even if the lockset installs fine, it might not align properly with the strike plate on the frame. We check for that and make adjustments so your new door knob doesn’t bind or fail to latch. Forcing modern hardware onto an old door without accounting for these issues is how you end up with a knob that technically works but feels wrong every time you use it.
Mechanically, they’re similar. Both involve a latch mechanism, a lockset, and proper alignment with the strike plate. The main difference is in how they operate and what they require for smooth function.
Door levers need to be installed so they return to a horizontal position after you release them. If the screws are over-tightened or the lever isn’t seated correctly, it’ll droop or stick. That’s annoying at best and a sign of premature wear at worst.
Levers are often chosen for accessibility reasons since they’re easier to operate if you have arthritis or limited hand strength. They’re also popular in modern home design. But they require a bit more precision during installation to function properly long-term. A door knob is more forgiving if the installation is slightly off. A lever will let you know immediately if something’s not right.
A loose door knob usually means one of three things: the screws have backed out over time, the internal mechanism is worn, or the lockset wasn’t installed correctly in the first place.
If it’s just loose screws, tightening them might solve it temporarily. But if those screws keep loosening, there’s usually an underlying issue—either the holes are stripped, the door is flexing, or the hardware itself is worn out.
When we fix a loose door knob, we don’t just tighten screws and hope for the best. We check why it came loose. If the screw holes are stripped, we use longer screws or fill and re-drill the holes. If the lockset components are worn, we replace them. If the door knob is loose because the entire mechanism is failing, we’ll tell you it’s time for a replacement. There’s no point in band-aiding something that’s going to fail again in a few weeks.
It depends on what’s wrong and how old the lockset is. If you’ve got a quality lockset from Schlage, Kwikset, or Medeco and the issue is a worn component, we can often replace just that part.
But if you’re dealing with a cheaper lockset that’s failed, replacement usually makes more sense. The cost of diagnosing the problem, sourcing the right part, and installing it often gets close to what a new, better-quality lockset would cost. And the new one comes with a warranty.
We’ll assess it honestly when we’re there. If a repair makes sense and will actually last, we’ll tell you. If you’re going to be calling us back in three months because another part failed, we’d rather replace it now and be done with it. Most homeowners in Bethel would rather invest in something that lasts than keep patching the same problem.
A straightforward door knob installation on a standard door usually takes 20 to 45 minutes. That includes removing the old hardware, prepping the door if needed, installing the new lockset, and testing everything.
If we’re working with an older door that needs adjustments, drilling new holes, or fixing alignment issues with the strike plate, it can take longer. Same thing if you’re having multiple doors done or want additional work like rekeying.
The advantage of calling us is that we show up with everything we need. We’re not making multiple trips to the hardware store or stopping mid-job because we hit a snag we don’t know how to handle. For most Bethel homeowners, the time saved and the peace of mind that it’s done right is worth more than the cost of the service.
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