Hear from Our Customers
When your door knob gets installed right, you stop thinking about it. The latch catches every time. The lock turns smooth. You’re not standing there jiggling the handle or wondering if it’ll hold when you leave for work.
Most door knob problems come from installation issues, not the hardware itself. The strike plate sits a quarter inch too high. The latch doesn’t align with the hole in the frame. The screws strip out because someone used a drill on high speed instead of hand-tightening the last turn.
We’ve been doing this since the 1800s. Fourth generation now. You get someone who shows up with the right parts already in the truck, installs your door knob in about ten minutes, tests it to make sure everything catches properly, and leaves you with hardware that works the way it should.
Tom McCausland runs the largest locksmith operation in the Delaware Valley from our Prospect Park storefront. His daughter Chrissy works alongside him. That makes them fourth generation, going back to when Charles McCausland Senior learned the trade from his father in the late 1800s.
Manoa sits right in the heart of Delaware County, surrounded by established neighborhoods where families have lived for decades. Many of our customers are second or third generation themselves—their grandparents used McCausland, their parents used McCausland, and now they call us when they need a deadbolt rekeyed or a new door lever installed.
You’re not getting a call center or a subcontractor. You’re getting a fully stocked mobile unit and a technician who’s been trained by people who’ve been doing this for over a century.
You call or message us with what you need. We ask a few questions—what type of door, interior or exterior, what style of knob or lever you’re looking at. If you already bought the hardware, that’s fine. If you haven’t, we stock Kwikset, Schlage, and Medeco and can bring options.
We schedule a time that works for you. Our technician shows up in a fully equipped truck with the tools and parts needed for the job. Most door knob installations take five to ten minutes per door once we’re on site.
The old knob comes off. We check the bore hole and make sure everything’s clean and properly sized. The new knob goes in, gets aligned with the strike plate, and we test it multiple times to confirm the latch catches smoothly and the lock engages without resistance. If the strike plate needs adjustment, we handle that too. You’re left with a door that closes properly and locks securely.
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Door knob installation covers interior and exterior doors, whether you’re replacing old hardware that’s worn out or upgrading to something more secure. We handle standard passage knobs for hallways and bedrooms, privacy locks for bathrooms, and keyed entry locks for exterior doors.
Lever installation works the same way but uses a different mechanism. Levers are easier to operate if you’ve got your hands full or deal with arthritis. They’re also required by ADA standards in commercial settings, though plenty of Manoa homeowners choose them for convenience.
If you’re moving into a home in Manoa or anywhere in Delaware County, you should rekey or replace your locks. You don’t know who has a copy of the old keys—previous owners, contractors, neighbors who used to water the plants. Pennsylvania’s homeownership rate runs higher than the national average, and most of those homes change hands eventually. New locks mean you control who gets in.
We also install smart locks and electronic deadbolts if you want keyless entry. Those take a bit longer to set up because we’re programming codes and making sure the electronics sync properly with your phone, but the process is straightforward and we test everything before we leave.
Most door knob installations take five to ten minutes per door once we’re on site. That’s for a standard replacement where the bore holes are already drilled and we’re swapping out old hardware for new.
If we’re installing a knob on a new door or drilling fresh holes, it takes longer—usually twenty to thirty minutes depending on the door material and whether we need to mortise the latch plate. Solid wood doors take more time than hollow core. Metal doors sometimes need special bits.
The bigger time factor is usually getting the strike plate aligned correctly. If your door frame has shifted or settled over the years, we might need to reposition the strike plate so the latch actually catches when you close the door. That adds another ten minutes but it’s worth doing right so you’re not fighting with your door every time you come home.
Either way works. If you’ve already bought a knob you like, we’ll install it. Just make sure it’s the right size for your door—most residential doors use a standard 2-1/8 inch bore hole, but older homes sometimes have different sizes.
If you haven’t bought hardware yet, we stock Kwikset, Schlage, and Medeco. Those are manufacturer-grade locks, not the builder-grade stuff you find at big box stores. They cost a bit more but they last longer and the internal mechanisms hold up better over time.
We can also bring a few options to show you on site if you’re not sure what you want. That way you can see the finish and feel the weight before deciding. Some people care about matching their other hardware. Others just want something that works and doesn’t look cheap. We keep enough inventory in the truck to handle most preferences without needing a second trip.
We install smart locks and electronic deadbolts regularly. You don’t need an electrician—these run on batteries, not house wiring. Most smart locks use four AA batteries that last six months to a year depending on how often you use them.
The installation process is similar to a regular deadbolt. We drill the holes, mount the lock, and then program it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. That includes setting up your entry codes, connecting it to your phone if it has Bluetooth or WiFi, and making sure the auto-lock feature works if you want that enabled.
The main thing with smart locks is getting the alignment perfect. If the deadbolt doesn’t slide smoothly into the strike plate, the motor will struggle and drain the battery faster. We take extra time to make sure everything lines up so the lock operates quietly and doesn’t jam. Then we test it multiple times—locking and unlocking from inside, outside, and through the app—to confirm it’s working the way it should before we leave.
A door knob turns in your hand. A door lever pushes down. Both do the same job—they retract the latch so you can open the door—but the mechanism and ergonomics are different.
Levers are easier to operate when your hands are full or if you have limited grip strength. You can push a lever down with your elbow or forearm. Knobs require you to grip and twist, which gets harder as you age or if you’re dealing with arthritis. That’s why ADA standards require levers in commercial buildings.
From an installation standpoint, they’re nearly identical. Same bore holes, same backset measurement, same strike plate. The only real difference is the handle mechanism. Some people prefer the look of knobs, especially on older homes in Manoa where traditional hardware matches the architecture. Others want the convenience of levers. It comes down to personal preference and whether ease of use matters more than aesthetics for your situation.
Yes, in most cases. If you call in the morning and we’re not backed up with emergency lockouts, we can usually get someone to your Manoa home the same day. Door knob installation is quick work, so we can often fit it between other jobs.
Emergency lockouts take priority—someone standing outside in the cold because their deadbolt failed gets bumped to the front of the line. But routine installations and replacements typically happen within twenty-four hours of your call, and same-day service is available more often than not.
We keep a fully stocked mobile fleet positioned throughout Delaware County. That means we’re not driving back to the shop for parts or waiting on orders from a supplier. The technician who shows up has what’s needed already in the truck, which is how we can turn jobs around so quickly. If you need something installed today, call us before noon and we’ll tell you straight whether we can make it happen or if tomorrow morning works better.
Installation costs depend on what you’re having done and whether you’re supplying the hardware or we are. For a straightforward replacement where we’re swapping an old knob for a new one, you’re typically looking at labor plus materials if we’re providing the knob.
Standard residential door knobs run anywhere from thirty to seventy dollars depending on the brand and finish. Schlage and Kwikset are on the lower end. Medeco and other high-security options cost more. Smart locks start around one-fifty and go up from there based on features.
Labor for basic installation is usually charged as a service call. If you’re doing multiple doors, the per-door cost drops because we’re already on site. We give you the full price upfront before we start work—no surprises, no hidden fees. You know exactly what it costs before we touch anything, and you can decide whether it makes sense for your situation. Most Manoa homeowners find that professional installation is worth it because the hardware works right and lasts longer when it’s installed correctly the first time.
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