Hear from Our Customers
When your door knob is installed right, you don’t think about it. The latch catches cleanly every time. The handle sits flush and turns smoothly. There’s no play in the mechanism, no grinding when you lock it at night.
That’s what matters. Not just getting hardware mounted to a door, but getting it aligned, secured, and functioning the way it’s supposed to from day one.
You’re not dealing with a loose knob six months later. You’re not calling someone back because the bolt doesn’t line up. The door closes properly, the lock engages without forcing it, and the whole thing feels solid when you use it. That’s the difference between door knob installation done quickly and door knob replacement done correctly.
We’ve been in the locksmith business since the late 1800s. That’s not marketing language—it’s just what happened. The McCausland family stayed in this trade, passed it down, and kept the storefront open in Prospect Park.
Tom and his daughter Chrissy run the shop now. Chuck’s semi-retired but still around. We’re the fourth and fifth generation doing this work, serving Upper Darby and the surrounding Delaware County area the same way our family always has.
You’re working with the largest locksmith company in the Delaware Valley, but we’re still a family operation. That means you get someone who knows the work, knows the area, and isn’t going anywhere after the job’s done.
You reach out, and we talk through what you need. Interior door knobs, exterior hardware, lever installation, whatever’s not working or needs replacing. We’ll ask about the door type, the existing hardware, and what you’re trying to accomplish.
Then we come out and take a look. Sometimes the issue isn’t the knob itself—it’s the alignment, the strike plate, or how the door sits in the frame. We measure, check the backset, and make sure the new hardware will actually fit your door before we start removing anything.
Once we know what’s needed, we handle the door knob replacement or installation. That means pulling the old hardware, prepping the bore holes if necessary, installing the new lockset, and making sure everything lines up. We test the latch, adjust the strike, and confirm the door closes and locks properly before we leave. If it’s an exterior door, we make sure the deadbolt aligns and the whole system works together.
Ready to get started?
You’re getting the labor, the expertise, and the installation itself. We bring the tools, handle the measurements, and deal with any adjustments needed to make the hardware function correctly. If your door requires a specific backset or prep work for compatibility, that’s part of the job.
In Upper Darby and throughout Delaware County, a lot of homes have older doors that don’t fit standard modern hardware. That’s common. We work with those situations regularly—whether it’s finding the right knob for an unusual bore size or modifying the strike plate so everything aligns.
We also carry quality brands and factory OEM products. You’re not getting hardware that’ll need replacing again in two years. And if you’re upgrading for security reasons—loose knobs, worn locks, or just outdated hardware—we’ll walk you through what makes sense for your situation. Lever installation, keyed entry sets, privacy locks for bathrooms, passage knobs for interior doors. Whatever you actually need, not what’s easiest to sell you.
Most door knob installation jobs in the Upper Darby area run between $95 and $135 per door for standard passage or privacy knobs. If you’re installing exterior locksets with deadbolts or dealing with doors that need prep work, expect closer to $150 to $250 per door depending on complexity.
Labor usually accounts for $50 to $125 of that, and the rest is hardware. The price changes based on what you’re installing and what condition the door is in. If we’re working with an older door that has non-standard measurements or needs the bore holes adjusted, that adds time.
We’ll give you a clear number before we start. No surprises, no padding the bill. You’ll know what the door knob replacement costs and why.
Yes. Older homes in Upper Darby often have doors with different backsets, unusual bore sizes, or hardware configurations that don’t match what’s sold at big box stores today. That’s not a problem—it just means you need the right knob and someone who knows how to make it work.
Sometimes we source specific hardware that fits your door’s existing setup. Other times we modify the door slightly to accept modern locksets, depending on what makes sense. We’ve been doing this long enough to know what works and what doesn’t.
The key is measuring correctly before ordering anything. That’s where most DIY jobs and inexperienced installers run into trouble. They assume standard sizing, and then the knob doesn’t fit, or the latch doesn’t align, and now you’ve got a bigger problem than when you started.
Functionally, they’re similar—you’re installing a latch mechanism and handle on a door. The main difference is the handle style. Knobs turn, levers push down. Levers are often easier to use if you have mobility issues or you’re carrying things, which is why they’re popular for interior doors and required by code in some commercial settings.
The installation process is nearly identical. Both require proper alignment, correct backset measurement, and a strike plate that lines up with the latch. Both can be installed on interior or exterior doors, though exterior lever sets usually include a deadbolt for security.
If you’re deciding between the two, it’s mostly personal preference and functionality. Levers are easier to operate, knobs are more traditional. Either way, the installation needs to be done right or you’ll have issues with latching and alignment regardless of which style you choose.
For a straightforward door knob replacement on a standard door, usually 30 to 45 minutes per door. If we’re installing hardware on a new door, dealing with misalignment issues, or working with non-standard sizing, it can take longer—sometimes an hour or more per door.
The time adds up when we’re doing multiple doors or handling exterior locksets with deadbolts. But we’re not rushing through it. The goal is to get it installed correctly so it works properly and lasts.
Most of the time goes into alignment and adjustment. Anyone can bolt a knob onto a door. Making sure the latch engages smoothly, the strike plate is positioned correctly, and the door closes without resistance—that’s where the actual skill comes in. That’s also what prevents callbacks and problems down the road.
You can do them one at a time. There’s no requirement to replace every door knob in your house at once unless you’re trying to match finishes or you’re doing a whole-home update for consistency.
Most people start with the doors that are actually causing problems—the one that sticks, the knob that’s loose, the exterior lock that doesn’t feel secure anymore. Then they add others as budget allows or as more hardware wears out.
If you’re thinking about aesthetics and want everything to match, it makes sense to plan it out and do them together. But from a functional standpoint, you can absolutely prioritize the doors that need attention now and handle the rest later. We’re here when you’re ready, whether that’s one door or ten.
First, check if it’s just loose screws. Sometimes the set screws on the handle or the screws holding the lockset to the door work themselves loose over time. Tightening them might solve the problem temporarily.
If tightening doesn’t help, or if the knob keeps coming loose, there’s usually a bigger issue. The bore hole might be worn out, the latch mechanism could be damaged, or the door itself might have shifted so the latch and strike plate no longer align. That’s when you need someone to actually look at it.
A loose door knob isn’t just annoying—it’s a security risk. If the lockset isn’t secured properly, it’s easier to force open. And if the latch isn’t catching, your door isn’t really locked even when you think it is. Better to get it handled correctly than to keep tightening screws every few weeks and hoping it holds.
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