Hear from Our Customers
You shouldn’t have to lift, push, and twist just to get your front door open. When your door knob is installed correctly, the latch lines up. The handle turns smoothly. You’re not standing there with groceries in both hands wondering why something so simple has to be so frustrating.
Most door knob problems come down to installation mistakes. The hole wasn’t drilled straight. The strike plate sits a quarter-inch too high. The screws got overtightened and now the mechanism binds. These aren’t things you notice until you’re late for work and your door won’t latch.
Professional door knob installation means the hardware fits the door—not the other way around. The boring is clean and centered. The latch bolt aligns with the strike plate on the first try. Your new lever or knob turns without resistance because everything was measured, positioned, and secured correctly. You get hardware that works the way it’s supposed to, installed by someone who’s done this a few thousand times.
We’ve been handling locksmith work since the late 1800s. Tom McCausland and his daughter Chrissy run the largest locksmith operation in the Delaware Valley, working out of our Prospect Park storefront just minutes from Concord.
That’s not a marketing line. Families in Delaware County have been calling us for over 140 years because the work gets done right. When you’re dealing with door hardware, locks, and home security, you want someone who knows the difference between a quick fix and a proper installation.
Concord residents deal with the same issues as the rest of Delaware County—older homes with doors that have settled, new construction that needs upgraded hardware, and security concerns that come with living near a growing metro area. We’ve seen it all, and we know how to handle it without damaging your door, your frame, or your schedule.
You call or message us with what you need. We ask a few questions about your door type, the hardware you want installed, and whether this is a replacement or a new installation. If you already have the door knob or lever, great. If not, we can bring options from Kwikset, Schlage, or Medeco—brands that actually last.
We schedule a time that works for you. Most residential locksmith jobs in Concord happen within a day or two, unless it’s an emergency. For lockouts or urgent security issues, we’re typically there in 20 to 30 minutes.
When we arrive, we assess the door and the existing hardware. If it’s a replacement, we remove the old knob or lever and check the bore hole and strike plate alignment. If something’s off, we fix it before installing the new hardware. The new door knob or lever goes in, gets tested for smooth operation, and we make sure the latch engages properly every single time. The whole process takes 5 to 10 minutes for a standard replacement—longer if we’re correcting previous installation errors or upgrading to smart lock technology.
Ready to get started?
Door knob installation includes removal of old hardware, alignment checks, bore hole adjustments if needed, and installation of your new lever or knob with proper strike plate positioning. If you’re upgrading to a smart lock or electronic deadbolt, we handle the wiring, programming, and connectivity setup so it actually works with your phone or keypad.
Concord has a mix of older homes and newer developments, and that matters when you’re installing door hardware. Older doors might need reinforcement or adjustment before new hardware goes on. Newer builds sometimes have cheap builder-grade locks that need upgrading for real security. We adjust our approach based on what your door actually needs—not what’s fastest.
If you’re dealing with a loose door knob, a lever that won’t latch, or a handle that jiggles, those are alignment issues. We fix the root cause, not just the symptom. That means checking the door frame, the hinge positioning, and the strike plate depth. A properly installed door knob doesn’t come loose in six months. It stays tight and functional because it was installed with the right torque and the correct alignment from the start.
Professional door knob installation typically runs between $150 and $357 for exterior doors and $232 to $480 for interior doors, depending on the complexity of the job and the hardware you’re installing. That includes labor, alignment checks, and any minor adjustments needed to make sure everything works smoothly.
If you’re replacing a standard door knob with another standard knob, you’re looking at the lower end of that range. If you’re upgrading to a smart lock, installing a lever set with a deadbolt, or dealing with a door that needs frame adjustments, the cost goes up. The price reflects the time, expertise, and equipment needed to do the job without damaging your door or leaving you with hardware that doesn’t work right.
Cheap installations fail. Screws strip out. Latches don’t align. Handles come loose after a few weeks. You end up paying twice—once for the bad install and again to fix it. Professional installation costs more upfront because you’re paying for someone who knows how to measure, drill, and align correctly the first time.
You can install a door knob yourself if you have the right tools, a steady hand, and experience drilling precise holes in doors. Most people don’t. One misaligned hole and your door knob won’t latch. One stripped screw and your handle wobbles. One miscalculation on the strike plate and you’re forcing the door closed every single time.
The actual installation takes 5 to 10 minutes when you know what you’re doing. But getting to that point requires a hole saw, a chisel, a drill, a tape measure, and the ability to keep everything level and centered while you’re working. If the bore hole is off by even a quarter inch, the latch won’t engage. If the strike plate isn’t recessed properly, the door won’t close.
Hiring a locksmith makes sense when you want it done right without the trial and error. We bring the tools, the templates, and the experience to install your door knob so it works smoothly from day one. No second attempts. No patching mistakes. Just functional hardware that does its job.
A standard door knob replacement takes 5 to 10 minutes once the old hardware is removed. If we’re installing a new knob where there wasn’t one before, or if we’re correcting alignment issues from a previous bad install, it can take 20 to 30 minutes.
Smart lock installations take longer—usually 30 to 45 minutes—because we’re dealing with wiring, programming, and connectivity setup. You want your smart lock to actually connect to your phone and respond when you unlock it remotely. That requires testing, calibration, and making sure the electronic components are installed correctly.
The time varies based on your door condition and the hardware you’re installing. An old door with a settled frame might need adjustments before the new knob goes on. A new door with a clean bore hole is faster. Either way, we don’t rush it. You’re paying for a job that works, not a job that’s fast and sloppy.
A door knob is round and requires you to grip and twist to operate the latch. A door lever has a handle you push down, which makes it easier to open if your hands are full or if you have mobility issues. Both do the same job—they retract the latch so the door opens—but levers are more accessible and increasingly required by building codes for commercial spaces.
Levers are easier to use. You can open a lever-style door with your elbow, your forearm, or even your hip if you’re carrying something. Knobs require a free hand and a twisting motion. For older adults, people with arthritis, or anyone dealing with hand mobility issues, levers make a real difference.
From a security standpoint, both can be equally secure depending on the lock mechanism inside. A high-quality knob with a deadbolt is just as secure as a high-quality lever with a deadbolt. The difference is usability, not protection. If you’re upgrading your door hardware, consider who’s using the door and whether ease of access matters. We install both, and we can walk you through which option makes sense for your situation.
Yes. We install smart locks, electronic deadbolts, keypad entry systems, and biometric locks for residential and commercial properties in Concord. Smart lock installation is more involved than standard door knob installation because you’re dealing with batteries, wiring, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity, and programming.
The smart lock market is growing fast—16.1% annually—because people want the convenience of unlocking their door with a phone app, a code, or a fingerprint instead of fumbling for keys. But smart locks only work if they’re installed correctly. The strike plate alignment has to be perfect or the electronic latch won’t engage. The power source has to be secure. The connectivity has to be tested.
We handle the full setup. That means installing the hardware, connecting it to your home network, programming your access codes, and testing it to make sure it locks and unlocks reliably. If you’re upgrading to smart lock technology, you want someone who understands both the physical lock mechanics and the electronic components. We’ve been doing locksmith work for over 140 years, and we’ve kept up with the technology. Your smart lock will work the way it’s supposed to.
If your door knob is loose, check the screws first. Most door knobs have a set screw on the interior handle that holds the knob onto the spindle. If that screw loosens, the handle wobbles. Tightening it might solve the problem temporarily, but if it keeps coming loose, the threads are probably stripped or the installation was done incorrectly.
If your door knob won’t latch, the issue is usually alignment. Either the strike plate on the door frame is positioned wrong, or the door has settled and the latch bolt no longer lines up with the strike plate hole. You can test this by looking at where the latch hits the frame when you close the door. If it’s hitting above or below the strike plate, that’s your problem.
Fixing a loose or misaligned door knob isn’t always a DIY project. If the bore hole is damaged, if the strike plate needs repositioning, or if the door frame itself is out of square, you need someone with the tools and experience to correct it. We handle these repairs regularly in Concord. Most of the time, we can fix it during the same visit without replacing the entire lockset. You get a door knob that stays tight and latches correctly, and you’re not dealing with the same problem again in three months.
Local Resources
