Hear from Our Customers
You know what happens when door knob installation goes wrong. The latch doesn’t catch. The knob wobbles. You can’t lock it from the inside, or worse—you lock yourself out because the mechanism wasn’t aligned properly.
That’s what happens when measurements are off by even a quarter inch or when someone rushes through the boring parts like checking the backset and making sure the strike plate actually lines up. Most people don’t think about door knob replacement until something breaks, and by then, you just want it fixed fast.
Here’s what actually matters: the hardware fits your door thickness, the holes are drilled clean, the latch engages every time, and the whole thing feels solid when you turn it. That’s the difference between a quick fix and a proper installation. You get a door knob or lever that works the way it’s supposed to, installed by someone who’s done this enough times to spot problems before they happen.
The McCausland family has been doing locksmith work since the late 1800s. That’s not marketing talk—it’s just how long we’ve been around Delaware County helping people with locks, keys, and door hardware that actually works.
Tom McCausland runs the largest locksmith operation in the Delaware Valley out of our Prospect Park storefront, and his daughter Chrissy works right alongside him. We’re not a franchise. We’re not a call center that dispatches whoever’s available.
When you call us for door knob installation in Garnet Valley, PA, you’re getting a technician who knows Kwikset, Schlage, and Medeco hardware inside and out. We stock OEM parts because cheap replacements fail faster, and we’d rather do the job once than get called back in six months because the latch spring gave out.
First, we look at what you’ve got. Is this an interior door or exterior? What’s the backset measurement—the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the knob? Is the door solid wood, hollow core, or metal? All of that changes how we approach the install.
If you’re replacing an old knob, we check whether the existing holes line up with your new hardware. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t, and we need to fill old holes or drill new ones. If it’s a fresh install, we measure twice, mark the spots, and drill clean holes at the right height and depth so everything sits flush.
Then comes the actual installation: mounting the latch, setting the knob or lever on both sides, making sure the spindle turns smoothly, and adjusting the strike plate so the latch catches without you having to slam the door. We test it a few times—locked, unlocked, from both sides—because that’s how you catch alignment issues before they become your problem. You end up with door hardware that works right and doesn’t need a follow-up visit.
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You’re getting more than just someone who knows how to turn a screwdriver. Our mobile workshop shows up with the tools and parts you actually need—not a half-stocked van that requires a trip to the hardware store mid-job.
We handle interior and exterior door knob installation, lever installation, and full door knob replacement on residential properties throughout Garnet Valley and Delaware County. If you need multiple doors done, we do them all in one visit. If you want to rekey your locks while we’re there, we can handle that too. If your door frame is damaged or your strike plate is stripped out, we’ll tell you what it takes to fix it properly.
Garnet Valley homes—especially the older ones—sometimes have non-standard door prep or vintage hardware that doesn’t match modern sizing. We’ve seen it all. We carry adapters, fill plates, and enough experience to make mismatched hardware work without compromising security or function. You get transparent pricing before we start, OEM parts that last, and a locksmith who doesn’t leave until your door closes the way it should.
It depends on what you’re installing and what condition your door is in. A straightforward interior door knob replacement on a standard pre-drilled door costs less than installing a new exterior lever set on a door that’s never had hardware.
If we’re working with existing holes that match your new hardware, the job goes faster. If we need to drill fresh holes, patch old ones, or adapt non-standard sizing, that adds time and materials. Exterior door hardware also costs more because the components are heavier-duty and the installation requires more precision for weather sealing and security.
We give you a clear price before we touch anything. No surprises, no “oh, by the way” charges after the fact. You’ll know what the labor costs, what the hardware costs if you’re buying through us, and whether there’s any extra work needed to make everything fit right.
Yes, but here’s what you need to know. If you buy the hardware yourself, make sure it matches your door’s backset—that’s the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the knob. Most residential doors use a 2-3/8″ or 2-3/4″ backset. If you get the wrong one, it won’t line up with your existing holes.
Also, not all door knobs are created equal. Big box store hardware sometimes uses thinner metal, plastic internal parts, or non-standard sizing that makes installation harder than it should be. We stock Kwikset, Schlage, and Medeco because those brands use quality components and standard measurements. If you bring us something off-brand, we’ll install it, but we can’t warranty hardware we didn’t supply.
If you’re not sure what to buy, just call us first. We’d rather point you in the right direction than show up and tell you the hardware won’t work with your door.
A door knob is round and you twist it to open the door. A lever is a handle you push down. Functionally, they do the same thing, but levers are easier to operate if you’ve got your hands full, you’re dealing with arthritis, or you just prefer not having to grip and twist.
Levers are also required by ADA accessibility standards for commercial properties, and a lot of homeowners are switching to them for that reason. They’re easier for kids and older adults to use without fumbling. The downside is that pets—especially large dogs—can sometimes learn to paw down a lever and open a door. If that’s a concern, stick with a knob.
For exterior doors, either works, but make sure you’re getting a lockset with a deadbolt or at least a keyed entry. Interior doors usually just need a privacy lock for bedrooms and bathrooms or a passage set for hallways and closets. We’ll walk you through what makes sense for each door when we’re on-site.
A standard replacement on a door that’s already prepped takes about 20 to 30 minutes per door. If we’re installing hardware on a brand-new door or one that’s never had a lockset, it takes longer—usually 45 minutes to an hour because we’re drilling holes, chiseling out the latch plate mortise, and making sure everything is aligned from scratch.
If there are complications—stripped screw holes, a warped door, a frame that’s out of square—it takes as long as it takes to do it right. We’re not going to rush through a job and leave you with a knob that doesn’t latch or a door that sticks every time you try to close it.
Most homeowners who call us for door knob installation in Garnet Valley have two or three doors they want done at once. We can handle multiple doors in a single visit, and that’s usually more efficient than scheduling separate trips. You’re looking at a couple of hours for a whole-house hardware upgrade, depending on how many doors you’ve got.
If your door knob is loose, it’s usually because the screws have backed out or the internal mechanism is worn. Sometimes it’s a quick tightening job. Other times, the spindle is stripped or the rosette isn’t sitting flush, and you need a replacement.
If the latch isn’t catching, that’s almost always an alignment problem. Either the strike plate is mounted too high or too low, the door has settled and the latch no longer lines up with the hole in the frame, or someone installed the hardware without checking that the latch bolt actually extends far enough to engage. We see this all the time with DIY installs—everything looks fine until you try to close the door and realize it won’t stay shut.
Lever repair and door knob services aren’t always about replacing the whole thing. Sometimes we can adjust the strike plate, tighten the set screws, or swap out a worn latch. But if the hardware is old, cheap, or damaged beyond a simple fix, replacement is the smarter move. We’ll tell you which one makes sense when we look at it.
Yes. We’re based in Prospect Park, and we’ve been serving Garnet Valley, Delaware County, and the surrounding areas for decades. We also cover parts of Philadelphia, Chester County, Montgomery County, and Bucks County, depending on the job.
Our service area is large because we’ve built the infrastructure to handle it—multiple technicians, fully stocked mobile workshops, and a dispatch system that gets someone to you fast. If you’re in Garnet Valley and you need door knob installation, residential locksmith services, or any kind of lock and key work, we’ll get there.
We’re not subcontracting your job out to someone we’ve never met. You’re getting a McCausland Lock Service technician who’s been trained on the systems we use, the brands we carry, and the standards we hold. That’s how we’ve stayed in business for over 140 years—by showing up when we say we will and doing the work right the first time.
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