Hear from Our Customers
You’re not looking for the cheapest option. You’re looking for someone who shows up when they say they will, finishes the job during one visit, and doesn’t leave you dealing with a wobbly knob two weeks later.
That’s what proper door knob installation looks like. The latch catches smoothly every time. The handle sits tight against the door. Your deadbolt lines up with the strike plate so you’re not forcing anything closed. It just works.
Most problems with door hardware come down to installation. Holes drilled slightly off-center. Screws overtightened. Strike plates mounted at the wrong height. Those small mistakes add up fast, especially in Wissahickon’s older homes where door frames have settled over decades. You need someone who knows how to adapt modern hardware to doors that weren’t built to today’s measurements.
We handle the full job during one service call. Install the new knob, rekey it to match your other locks if needed, check the alignment, test the latch. You’re not waiting around for parts or dealing with return trips.
We’ve been serving Delaware County since the late 1800s. Tom McCausland and his daughter Chrissy run the largest locksmith operation in the Delaware Valley today, but we still operate the same way the family always has—show up fast, work clean, use parts that last.
We’re based in nearby Prospect Park with a full storefront, not just a call center. That means we stock the hardware you actually need and our mobile technicians carry the right tools to handle whatever your door throws at them. Wissahickon’s mix of historic rowhomes and newer construction means no two jobs are identical, and we’ve seen just about every configuration over 140 years.
Families here have been calling us for generations because we don’t overcomplicate things. You get straight answers about what’s wrong, what it takes to fix it, and what it costs before we start.
You call or contact us with what you need. We ask a few questions about your door type, existing hardware, and whether you’re upgrading to a smart lock or sticking with traditional knobs. That helps us bring the right parts and tools.
We typically arrive within 20 to 30 minutes for emergency calls, or we schedule a time that works for you if it’s not urgent. Our technician examines the door, checks the frame alignment, and confirms measurements before starting any work. If you’re replacing old hardware, we’ll remove it carefully to avoid damaging the door.
Installation takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes per door knob for straightforward jobs. Complex installations—like fitting modern locksets into doors with non-standard bore holes or dealing with frame misalignment—take longer, but we handle it during the same visit. We test everything before we leave. The latch should catch smoothly without forcing the door closed. The knob should turn without binding. If you’re getting the locks rekeyed, we make sure all your keys work across the doors you want keyed alike.
You don’t pay for return trips if something isn’t right. We use OEM parts from manufacturers like Kwikset, Schlage, and Medeco, so the hardware holds up under daily use.
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Door knob installation covers the full scope of getting new hardware working properly. We drill or enlarge bore holes if needed, install the lockset and latch mechanism, mount the strike plate at the correct height, and adjust everything so the door closes smoothly without catching or binding.
If you’re upgrading from a basic passage knob to a locking privacy knob, or switching to a lever-style handle for accessibility, we make sure the new hardware fits your existing door prep. Many Wissahickon homes were built before 1939, which means door thickness and backset measurements don’t always match modern standards. We adapt the installation to fit what you have instead of forcing hardware that won’t work long-term.
Rekeying is included if you want your new locks to match existing keys. We also handle deadbolt installation, smart lock setup, and keyless entry systems if you’re looking to upgrade your home security at the same time. Our technicians carry a full range of finishes—satin nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, polished brass—so your new hardware matches the rest of your home.
For families moving into Wissahickon’s rental properties or recently purchased rowhomes, we recommend rekeying or replacing all door knobs and deadbolts. You don’t know who has copies of the old keys, and it’s a simple way to control access from day one.
A straightforward door knob installation takes 5 to 10 minutes per door once we’re on-site. That’s for doors with standard bore holes and proper frame alignment where we’re swapping out old hardware for new.
More complex jobs take longer. If we’re installing a lockset on a door that’s never had one, we need to drill the bore hole and mortise the latch plate, which adds time. Older homes in Wissahickon sometimes have doors that have settled or frames that aren’t perfectly square, so we spend extra time adjusting the strike plate position and shimming the latch to make sure everything lines up. Smart lock installations also take longer because we’re connecting the system to your home network and programming access codes.
Most jobs are completed during one service call. We don’t leave until the door knob works the way it should—smooth operation, solid feel, proper security.
Yes. We’ve been working on older homes in this area for over 140 years, so non-standard door sizes and vintage hardware configurations aren’t new to us.
Historic homes often have doors with different thickness, backset measurements, or bore hole sizes than modern locksets expect. We adapt the installation to fit your door instead of trying to force standard hardware into a space that won’t support it properly. Sometimes that means using adapter plates, adjusting the strike plate position, or selecting locksets specifically designed for retrofit applications.
The goal is to give you modern security and functionality without damaging original doors or frames. If you want to maintain a period-appropriate look, we can source hardware that matches the era of your home while still providing the security features you need. We’ll walk you through options that make sense for your specific door before starting any work.
Most door knob problems come from improper installation or normal wear over time. If the screws holding the knob to the door are overtightened during installation, they strip the screw holes and the hardware starts to wobble. If the latch isn’t aligned correctly with the strike plate, you end up forcing the door closed, which puts stress on all the components and wears them out faster.
Daily use also takes a toll. The set screws that hold the knob onto the spindle work themselves loose gradually. The latch mechanism accumulates dirt and stops retracting smoothly. The strike plate shifts slightly as the door frame settles, and suddenly the latch doesn’t catch properly anymore.
Cheap hardware fails faster. Big box store locksets often use thinner metal and plastic internal components that don’t hold up under regular use. We install OEM-quality parts from manufacturers like Kwikset, Schlage, and Medeco because they’re built to last. When we tighten screws, we do it to the right tension—tight enough to hold, not so tight that we damage the door. That’s the difference between a door knob that works for years and one that needs attention every few months.
Yes, and we do it during the same visit. If you’re replacing one or two door knobs but want to keep using the same key for all your locks, we rekey the new locksets to match your existing key before we install them.
Rekeying means we change the pin configuration inside the lock cylinder so it works with your current key instead of the key that came with the new hardware. It takes a few extra minutes per lock, but it saves you from carrying multiple keys or replacing all your locks at once just to get everything on the same key.
This is especially useful if you’re upgrading to higher-security locks or switching from knobs to lever handles for accessibility. You get the new hardware you want without losing the convenience of one key for your whole house. We can also set up a master key system if you want certain locks keyed alike and others keyed differently—common for homeowners who rent out part of their property or want separate access control for different areas.
Installation costs depend on the complexity of the job and the hardware you’re installing. A basic knob replacement on a door with existing prep runs less than installing a new lockset on a door that’s never had one, because we’re not drilling bore holes or cutting mortises.
Nationally, door knob installation ranges from $150 to $357 depending on the scope of work. Smart locks and electronic keyless entry systems cost more to install than traditional mechanical locksets because of the additional setup and programming involved. If you’re installing multiple door knobs during one visit, the per-door cost typically goes down.
We give you upfront pricing before we start. You’ll know exactly what the installation costs, what the hardware costs if we’re supplying it, and whether there are any additional charges for rekeying or adjustments. No surprise fees after the work is done. If your door has issues that make installation more complicated—like a misaligned frame or damaged bore holes—we’ll explain what needs to happen and what it costs before proceeding. You decide whether to move forward.
Yes. We install electronic locksets, smart locks, and keyless entry systems that integrate with your home network and security setup. These systems let you lock and unlock doors from your phone, create temporary access codes for guests or service providers, and get alerts when someone enters your home.
Installation is more involved than traditional door knobs because we’re connecting the lock to your Wi-Fi network, programming user codes, and making sure the electronic components are positioned correctly inside the door. The lockset still needs proper mechanical alignment—the latch has to catch smoothly and the strike plate has to be positioned right—but we also handle the tech setup.
We work with major smart lock brands and can recommend options based on what you’re trying to accomplish. Some homeowners want full smart home integration with voice control and remote access. Others just want a keypad so they don’t have to carry keys. We’ll walk you through what each system does and what makes sense for your situation. After installation, we test everything to make sure the mechanical and electronic functions both work correctly before we leave.
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