Door Fell off Hinges

The other day I completed a door hinge repair for a home in University Heights, OH. The door was older so that could have caused the problem. However, I suspect kids were hanging on the door causing the screws to come out of the top of the door!

The home owner tried to repair the screws in the door hinges but wasn’t successful. Repairing doors and hinges isn’t so difficult if you have the appropriate tools like shins, wedges, and wood working tools etc.

I was able to use doll rods to fill in the holes reinforce with wood glue. While that dried I fixed some other locks in their home.

After the wood glue dried I used longer hinge screws to securely mount the hinges back in to the door jamb. Using the right tools to elevate the door it was easy to do even by myself.

If you have old, sticking, creaky doors contact Lock Alchemy to learn about how you can repair them. Replacing doors can be expensive. We’ll be able to determine if you repairing or replacing is the best option.

Rekey Locks

Rekeying locks

Rekeying a lock means changing the pins inside the lock so a different key will work and the old one won’t. Some people refer to it as changing the tumblers. Rekeying your locks can save you a lot of money. However, in some cases the cost of rekeying a house will cost more than replacing locks.

When is it not worth it to rekey?

When determining if it’s worth replacing locks or rekeying you need to identify the number of locks and the cost of replacing the locks with either cheaper or more expensive locks. If a house has two doors with a knob and deadbolt on each door it might not be cost effective to rekey. At the time of writing a combo pack of Kwikset locks with two knobs and two deadbolts is around $50 depending on the quality and finish. If you’re interested in simply replacing these locks in order to get a new key this is a very cost effective option.

When is it worth it to rekey the locks?

Consider our case of a house with two entry doors. If the locks are quality Schlage locks the cost to replace them quickly goes up. At the time of writing a Schlage knob and deadbolt pair cost around $50-$60. A total cost of $100-120 may be be more than a locksmith in your area charges. Now consider if you have 2 entry doors, a garage door, and a door that leads from the garage to your home. That’s a total of 4 doors. The replacement cost could be anywhere from $200-$240. A locksmith can certainly save you money rekeying your locks.

If you have specialized locks like door handle sets the cost of replacement quickly goes up. A keyed Kwikset keyed handle set and deadbolt are over $100. Schlage is even more. There are other styles of locks more commonly found on older homes that are even more costly to replace.

Who Rekeys Locks?

Any locksmith can come to your house or business and rekey your locks. Mobile locksmiths don’t have a building and instead use a car, truck, or van. A mobile only locksmith is typically less expensive because they don’t have the high cost of overhead on their business location. Alternatively, you could remove the locks yourself and take them to a brick and mortar location. Doing this will save you money on a service call. Just make sure you have someone home while all the locks are off of your house.

Many hardware stores will rekey the locks for you as well. Places such as Home Depot and Lowes can do this. Using a hardware store to rekey your locks isn’t without issue. Typically, they only rekey locks that you buy there. They might not have a person available when you buy your locks. They may also improperly rekey and reassemble your locks.

Average cost to rekey a house

Usually the locksmith will be able to rekey the locks in their vehicle or in your home. Most of the locks will take about 10 minutes to rekey and the locksmith can charge you anywhere from $10 to $30 for each lock rekeyed. Some locksmiths will charge a small rate for additional keys but many locksmiths will throw in extra keys at no charge. Locksmiths also charge a “service charge” or “trip fee,” it’s the cost of driving to your location.

24 7 Locksmith Myths

They saying nothing good happens after 12 pm. That’s often true with late night emergency lockouts. There are many legitimate reasons why someone would be locked out at night and need a 24/7 locksmith. They may work a late shift at a hotel, gas station, or in the medical field. Unfortunately many of the calls are from intoxicated people. This often leads to them not showing up, difficulty verifying ownership, not having a method of payment, and refusals to pay.

For many legitimate locksmiths this is more hassle then the cost is worth, even though the price is increased as a late night emergency lockout. Many locksmiths will take payment prior to leaving the comfort of their bed.

If you need emergency lockout services confirm a maximum price before agreeing to a have a locksmith come out. Unfortunately, there are many unsavory people looking to make a quick buck offer of desperate people.

Kaba Simplex Push button locks

We now carry a range of Kaba Simplex pushbutton mechanical box. We stock the 7100, 6200, and 900 series for residential applications. We carry locks that can replace your regular door lock or be added as a deadbolt.

These locks are not easy to install by yourself but are relatively simple when done by a professional locksmith.

Our in stock Kaba Simplex Locks can accommodate a large range of needs including: replacing your door knob, replacing your deadbolt, automatic locking features and more.

Locked Out of your House in Cleveland

So you’re locked out of your house for any number of reasons. First thing is don’t panic. The next thing is follow some easy steps to help you get back into your house with or without a locksmith.

1) Are you sure your lost your keys and are locked out of your house? Do you have your keys with you somewhere else? Did they fall out of your pants into your car? Are they buried in your purse?

2) Do you have someone who can go get your keys? Can you or someone else drive you to where you left them? Can you call a friend or family member that has a key? Sometime even if a friend or family member has a key it may take them hours to arrive and it’s worth calling a locksmith to get you back into your house.

3) Check your doors – you might have not locked one! You’ll also know that you need to work on remembering to lock your doors.

4) Some people might try to enter through windows or other means. Our lawyers don’t want us to tell you to do that. Be careful, it’s at your own risk!

5) Call a Locksmith

Tips for calling a locksmith when you are locked out

Calling a locksmith to unlock your door seems like a simple task. Google, dial a number, book them, they show up and you pay – right?

Unfortunately, a lot of people try to take advantage of people who are locked out because 1) it’s an emergency 2) there is no time to research. The best thing you can do is develop a relationship with a locksmith or a locksmith company in your area before you need them.

If you start calling locksmiths and you feel like they are being shady they just might be. Move on to the next company. A lot of these scam companies are national and pay top dollar for ads all over the internet then “dispatch” near by people. Legitimate local locksmith companies do often “dispatch” people but they generally know where they are and how long it will take them to arrive.

If someone says they need to look at the lock first, run away. They’re trying to avoid giving a price so they can charge something astronomical. Any decent locksmith can open most residential locks with no destructive entry. Occasionally, even the best locksmiths need to drill the lock. It’s normally a sign of defeat though.

Lockouts can be expensive but not too bad. The actual price varies depending on location and time. Weekends, holidays, and late nights always carry a premium. From speaking with locksmiths around America I’ve seen prices from $60-$150+ (for more expensive cities like LA).

If locksmiths could ask one favor, don’t book multiple people and have them race to you. These locksmiths are leaving their homes and families to serve the public – it’s just not nice. This practice has lead to a lot of locksmiths charging for their trip before they even leave and collecting the rest once the job is done.

If you’re in need of lockout services in Cleveland or the surrounding suburbs contact us here or call/text 216-505-1389

 

Locksmith Needs in Beachwood Ohio

Beachwood Ohio is one of Cleveland’s most active suburbs offering homes, businesses, and close access to highways.  The Beachwood Chamber of Congress, at http://beachwood.org/, has several statistics about businesses in Beachwood.

Beachwood hosts over 2,500 different companies and was named the 4th best place in Ohio to start a business by NerdWallet. Since 2009 over $700 Million has been invested into local businesses. It hosts 5,483 housing units and nine hotels with 1,477 rooms. While these statistics are fun, here are how these numbers impact locksmith needs in Beachwood.

The median home value is $291,200 while the average home value in Ohio is 133,700. Unfortunately, this makes Beachwood homes a target for theft and break-ins. Lock Alchemy, LLC can provide a no cost assessment of your property for security needs including door reinforcement, window reinforcement, security systems, and quality locks. Many more affluent home owners chose to have cleaning help and household assistance. Bringing workers into your home can create unique challenges that we can help overcome.

The large number of businesses in Beachwood create a need for commercial locksmith services. These services can include installing automatic door openers, exit devices, panic devices, master key systems, and Electronic Access Control.

Over 25,000 people work in Beachwood. If just each person had 1 key that would 25k keys! Losing keys is annoying, costly, and can reduce security of sensitive information and materials. At Lock Alchemy we provide several services and products, like SFIC Small Format Interchangable Cores, that allow business owners to affordably and quickly manage their security.

 

A real person not a call center

I recently did a garage door lock out for someone in Shaker Heights. They told me they called one or two other places before me. They were upset that they were dispatch services, didn’t have lost cal numbers, couldn’t say where anyone was and how long it would take them to arrive.

They called me. I asked for their address and put it in my GPS. We located out of University Heights so my GPS gave me a to the minute answer for my ETA.

If you’re in need of quick locksmith service to Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, Beachwood, Orange or Solon give us a call. We’ll talk to a real person who can tell you where they are locally and how quick they can arrive.