Locksmith or Handyman
Fitting a lock is easy. Fitting one that still shuts cleanly and locks securely in a year is not.
A handyman will hang the hardware and it will go on the door. What decides whether it is still secure next winter is the boring, the backset and the strike, and those are the parts nobody sees. On a new build the doors are true and any lock goes on quickly. On an older house the doors have moved, and half the job is making the frame and the lock agree with each other before a key ever goes in.
What Lock Installation Covers
Three groups of lock, and the door decides which grade of security belongs on it.
Entry Sets
A deadbolt and a knob or lever together, keyed alike so one key runs the door. The standard fit on a front entrance.
Interior and Privacy Locks
Bathroom, bedroom and office doors. No key involved on most, and a coin-slot release on the outside for emergencies.
Commercial Hardware
Mortise bodies, interchangeable cores and panic hardware. A different lock class with its own tooling and its own security grades.
When Lock Installation Takes Longer
Most installations are an hour a door. Three things are not.
A door with no existing bore has to be drilled, and a non-standard thickness means the lock body may not reach through at all. An older door that has settled will not let a new bolt land cleanly, so the swing and the strike get corrected first, and that is the safe order rather than forcing the hardware. Commercial doors on mortise bodies are a different class of lock and a different security grade entirely, ordered rather than carried, and quoted per door after a look. Boring a door correctly is the part of the job a Fort Collins locksmith is actually paid for.
What Goes Wrong
Six failures we get called out to put right, and every one of them is avoidable.
- Wrong backset — a lock bought at 2 3/8 for a door bored at 2 3/4 goes straight back
- A crooked bore — the lock binds, the key fights it, and the cylinder wears out early
- Short strike screws — the commonest security fault we find and the cheapest to put right
- Every door a different key — a house fitted one lock at a time by different hands
- Interior hardware outside — a privacy lock on a door that faces the weather
- No spare key cut — one key handed over on a lock nobody can open twice
Before You Call
Three things make the visit shorter and the quote firm.
A door count
How many, and which of them face outside. Exterior doors take a different grade of security from interior ones.
Whether one key runs them all
Keyed alike is the usual answer and it adds nothing while every lock is being fitted at the same time.
A photo of each door edge
Thickness, backset and any existing bore, read at a glance. It is the safe way to get the right hardware on the van.
Who Calls Us to Fit Locks
Three situations account for most of the installation work we do in a week.
New Builds and Remodels
Doors hung and waiting on hardware. Every lock in the house keyed alike in one visit, which is far cheaper than doing it later.
Houses Changing Hands
A full set of new locks on closing week, because the house is not secure while nobody can say how many keys the last owner handed out.
Businesses Fitting Out
A commercial premises taking on security hardware for the first time. Our commercial locksmith work is quoted per door and booked out of hours.
Your Fort Collins Lock Specialist
Licensed and insured locksmith work, covering lock fitting for homes and commercial premises. Doors are bored and hardware set in a safe, non-destructive way that leaves the frame square and the swing clean.
What Changes the Price of Lock Installation
Six things move an installation quote, and you can ask about all six on the phone.
- Number of doors — the first lock carries the call-out, every one after it is cheaper
- Bore or no bore — a blank door edge has to be drilled before any lock goes near it
- Door material — metal and fibreglass take longer to machine than wood
- Keyed alike — one key for every new lock in the house adds nothing to the bill
- Grade of lock — a graded cylinder and a builder-grade one are not the same security
- Mortise hardware — a mortise body is a longer fit than any house door
What Happens on a Lock Installation Visit
Measure, bore, align, test. The order matters more than the speed.
The door is measured
Thickness, backset and existing bore, taken before any lock comes out of its box, because the wrong backset is a wasted trip.
The lock is fitted and aligned
Bored square where drilling is needed, then the strike set so the bolt lands securely without being forced. That alignment is what keeps the door secure.
Keys are cut and tested
Two keys per lock, cut alike across the house where you asked for it, and every key tried in every lock from both sides.
New locks on a door that never had them, or a full set on a house that has just changed hands. The security depends on the hardware and on what it is screwed into.
Installation covers boring the door where needed, fitting the lock, aligning the strike, and keying every lock to one key if you want it. Commercial premises are covered on the same call-out, and a master key system can be built at the same time so staff keys open what they should and nothing more. A safe or strongbox can be opened and re-set while we are there, and every lock is quoted per door before anything is drilled, so the number on the phone is the number on the invoice for the service. Where a door has been forced, the frame and the strike are checked at the same time, because a new lock in a split jamb is a false comfort rather than a safe result. Security grades are explained in plain terms before anything is bought, so you are choosing a lock rather than a finish, and the safe option is always priced alongside the cheap one.
Call a Fort Collins Locksmith
A locksmith answers this phone around the clock, and the response is fast when your security cannot wait.
Frequently Asked Locksmith Questions
The questions Fort Collins residents ask a locksmith most, on locks, keys and getting back inside.
Can you get in without damaging my lock?
Almost always, on a standard residential lock. Non-destructive entry is what a locksmith aims for, and the lock keeps working, so there is nothing to replace. Exceptions are a high security cylinder built to resist this, and one already damaged or drilled by someone else. If a lock must come out you hear that price first, never after, and the security of the property is restored on that Fort Collins visit.
We just moved in. Rekey or replace?
Rekey, in almost every case. If the lock works there is no reason to buy new, and changing the pins retires every key the last owner handed out for a fraction of the price. Replace only when a lock is worn out, is the wrong grade for the door, or you want a keypad instead. A Fort Collins locksmith pushing hardware on a working lock is selling, not advising, and the security gain is nil.
The door sticks. Is that the lock?
Usually not the lock. If it works with the door open and fails shut, the frame has moved and no new lock will fix it. A Fort Collins locksmith resets the strike or corrects the swing first. A worn residential cylinder differs: it fails whatever the door does, and that is an emergency waiting.
How fast can you get here?
In Fort Collins itself, quickly. The outer towns are an honest drive and the locksmith quotes that, not an optimistic figure. Snow stretches every run and fills the service diary at once. An emergency call runs around the clock, and an honest price is agreed on the phone before the van leaves.
What if I find a cheaper quote?
Compare the whole number. A professional locksmith quotes the lock, labour and call-out together, so nothing new appears on the step. A very low phone price that becomes three hundred dollars at the car is the oldest trick in this trade. We also cut car keys in Fort Collins and cover commercial premises, so one service visit takes care of the house, the car and the security of both.
Professional Locksmith Service Pricing
Locksmith service pricing in Fort Collins is quoted against the specific job before anyone starts.
Residential Locksmith Pricing
| Service | What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| House Lockout | Non-destructive entry | $55 – $145 |
| Rekeying | Per cylinder, less per unit on multiples | $25 – $45 each |
| Cylinder Change | Standard deadbolts and knob sets | $60 – $245 |
| Door Repair | Alignment, strike plates, worn cylinders | $55 – $195 |
| Deadbolt Installation | Door with no existing bore | $125 – $245 |
| Smart Entry Installation | Keypad and app-controlled hardware | $145 – $395 |
| Duplication | Standard house keys | $5 – $25 |
| Mailbox Cylinder | Swapped and keyed | $65 – $145 |
Service charge ranges vary with location, time of day and what the locksmith finds on site. Lock and security upgrades are quoted separately. Late nights, holidays and the longer runs out of Fort Collins can cost more.
Get a quote for the service you need today, call (970) 803-1100