New locks for doors - what would you expect to pay

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I got new locks at my folks' place. What would you expect 4 new locks + keys to cost?

[Flack]

$50-$60.

Source: Guy who recently bought deadbolts from Home Depot.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I should have clarified that this was for a locksmith to come out and do it.

Now I'm wondering if it's extremely easy to change locks and doorknobs and such. (I did get completely new doorknobs it seems.)

[Flack]

You can change a doorknob in 5-10 minutes. Also, if you had someone come out and do it, just add a zero to the cost.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

It was $516 dollars to get four new knobs and locks in Rochester, NY. For what it is worth.

[AArdvark]

Perhaps there's someone you know in Rochester that has experience changing door locks and would have done it as a favor. Someone that lives five minutes away from Peck Road

[AArdvark]

Someone that would have traded for the opportunity to tool around in that kick-ass Dodge for an afternoon

[Tdarcos]

What brand did they sell? Was the lock and receiver designed so that the secondary bolt on the doorknob slides in? That tiny bolt on the side of the tongue is supposed to go in so it acts as a "mini bolt" preventing shimming of the lock. You want a lock that is pick resistant. Your typical $30 door lock is, as professional pen testers refer to it, "hot garbage." A good lock is going to cost about $50, perhaps more. Installation will vary on the difficulty to install, but if it's a doorknob replacement or a deadbolt, you might be able to do it yourself or probably $25-50 more per lock for a locksmith to remove the old one and replace it, based on $50 an hour. If it takes more than 1/2 hour to replace an ordinary lock, they're taking way too long.

I replaced the doorknob in my room with a locking handle in about 20 minutes. From a wheelchair. With unpowered hand tools.

[Flack]

The logical takeaway from this thread is that ICJ should have hired Tdarcos to do the job.

[pinback]

I replaced the doorknob in my room with a locking handle in about 20 minutes. From a wheelchair. With unpowered hand tools.

And an unpowered hand!

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I think it's great that Paul was able to do that. He would have a little trouble at my mom's house if he was going to engage in the lock changing process with the door off the porch with step one. And steps 2, 3, 4 and 5.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

What brand did they sell? Was the lock and receiver designed so that the secondary bolt on the doorknob slides in? That tiny bolt on the side of the tongue is supposed to go in so it acts as a "mini bolt" preventing shimming of the lock. You want a lock that is pick resistant. Your typical $30 door lock is, as professional pen testers refer to it, "hot garbage." A good lock is going to cost about $50, perhaps more.

I'll be serious for the only time this month as these are fair questions.

1. I actually don't know the brand of the locks and doorknobs. They are just meant to keep honest people honest in this case. It's a small town and there are literally three people that do nothing but watch other houses. One guy drives up and down the street at all hours looking for things.

2. I think the other locks came with the house and I don't remember exactly when it was built. Before I was born. Maybe 1970? So these are 50+ year old door knobs and locks. Oh. Oh, nobody had any keys either. So that's all solved.

3. Not kidding, if you had been around I'd have paid ya to do it. But of course there was a lot logistically going on there.

You are a GOOD FRIEND, Commander, and I hope you know that.

[Flack]

Studies have shown that the number of residential home burglaries that occurred because someone picked a lock is less than 1.5%. (LINK). The main points of entry are open doors and windows, followed by unlocked doors and windows. The fallacy about burglars picking people's locks falls apart pretty quickly when you look at who burglars are.

The primary goal of home security isn't to make your house impenetrable; it's to make your house less desirable to break into than your neighbors'. Burglars want to get in and out of your house as quickly as possible without drawing attention to themselves. Therefor, it stands that the two best things you can do is add measures to (1) slow them down and (2) draw attention to your house. The former is done by shutting and locking your doors. The latter is done with motion lights, a barking dog, or an alarm system.

It's nearly impossible (at best, highly impractical) to make your house unenterable. A good start would be iron bars blocking every door and window along with some biometric devices and an armed guard or two, but that's not how most people want to live. The reality is, studies have shown that stickers and signs advertising that you have a home alarm system or a dog in the backyard are statistically almost as good as having an actual home alarm system and/or barking dog.

[Jizaboz]

I completely agree with Flack. I do like that I finally added a security camera last year, but in general I am the the only one that has to roll for lockpicking skill to break into my own stuff lol.

It also helps to have a scary looking yard with bad grass and dead trees and shit in it. No one wants to try to rob the Minsters or the Addams family.

[Tdarcos]

It also helps to have a scary looking yard with bad grass and dead trees and shit in it. No one wants to try to rob the Minsters or the Addams family.

That's "The Munsters" you miron!

[pinback]

It also helps to have a scary looking yard with bad grass and dead trees and shit in it. No one wants to try to rob the Minsters or the Addams family.

That's "The Munsters" you miron!

That's actually funny. Good job, Paul.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

What brand did they sell? Was the lock and receiver designed so that the secondary bolt on the doorknob slides in? That tiny bolt on the side of the tongue is supposed to go in so it acts as a "mini bolt" preventing shimming of the lock. You want a lock that is pick resistant. Your typical $30 door lock is, as professional pen testers refer to it, "hot garbage." A good lock is going to cost about $50, perhaps more. Installation will vary on the difficulty to install, but if it's a doorknob replacement or a deadbolt, you might be able to do it yourself or probably $25-50 more per lock for a locksmith to remove the old one and replace it, based on $50 an hour. If it takes more than 1/2 hour to replace an ordinary lock, they're taking way too long.

I replaced the doorknob in my room with a locking handle in about 20 minutes. From a wheelchair. With unpowered hand tools.

"What brand did they sell." Goddamn I hate this shithole of a BBS.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Hey, Pinner moved - didja CHANGE THE LOCKS?

If so, do you remember what BRANDS DID THEY SELL??

[pinback]

I did not change any locks, no. I have never changed any locks.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I did not change any locks, no. I have never changed any locks.

Crap, so we're probably completely out of luck in determining what brands of locks were available to you.

Unfortunate!