Most installations are planned.
We also install locks on replacement front doors, French doors, garage conversions and new doors on older houses near downtown, where frames and backsets can be unusual. The technician checks the door and frame before drilling, so the new lock fits properly the first time.
A Casita for Parents, an Outswing Door and a Keying Question
A lot of installation work gets sorted out on the phone first. What follows is a typical example of one of those calls, from a house in Harvest Green.
The caller had built a small casita behind her house for her parents, who were moving from Monterrey to live with the family. The contractor had hung a fiberglass door on it and left. No lock, no holes. Her parents were arriving in two weeks. She wanted them to have their own key, and she wanted her own house key to open the casita too, in case they ever needed help.
Our dispatcher took it step by step. Was the door already bored? No. Fiberglass or steel? Fiberglass. Which way did it open? She went out to look. It opened outward, toward the garden. The dispatcher noted that, because an outswing door has its hinges on the outside, and hinge pins can be tapped out unless they're secured. He suggested security hinge pins or set screws as part of the job. Then the keying. What she wanted was possible, he said: the casita could be keyed so that her parents' key opened only the casita, while her house key opened both, a small two-level setup. Did she want a keyed lever and a deadbolt, or a keypad? Her father didn't like phones, so keys.
On the day, the technician arrived in uniform, showed his ID and checked her license against the deed. He clamped his boring jig to the fiberglass door and drilled slowly so the skin wouldn't chip, cutting the deadbolt and lever holes with a hole saw. He chiseled the strike mortises and set reinforced strikes with 3-inch screws into the framing.
The hinges were the complication. The first security pin he tried was the wrong length for those hinges and stuck out at the top. He swapped in non-removable pins with a set screw that matched the hinge size. Now the door couldn't be lifted off from outside, even with the pins tapped.
He keyed the casita's lever and deadbolt with his pinning kit so the parents' key opened only the casita, and the family's house key opened both. He tested every key in every lock. His experienced advice: any door that swings outward needs secured hinge pins, or the best deadbolt in the world won't matter.
Fitting Locks to New Doors and Buildings
Casita Door Lock and Keying Options
A casita door lock can be keyed on its own, keyed to the house or set up so the casita's key opens only the casita while the house key opens everything. That last option suits parents, guests and adult children living in the back.
Outswing Door Security
Outswing door security starts with the hinges. On a door that opens outward, the hinge pins are outside. Non-removable pins or set screws keep the door from being lifted off its hinges, no matter what lock is on it.
Jig First, Then the Hole Saw
New door lock installation starts with a boring jig clamped to the door, so the holes are straight and at the right backset. The face bore is cut with a hole saw, the edge drilled and the mortises chiseled. Clean holes mean smooth locks for years.
Skins, Cores and the Right Cutter
Fiberglass skins chip if rushed, steel needs metal-cutting bits and some steel doors need a reinforcement plate, and solid wood is straightforward. The dispatcher asks so the technician brings the right cutters.
Entry Function, Not Passage
Contractors sometimes leave a passage or privacy lever on an exterior door. Neither locks from outside. Every exterior door needs an entry lever or knob and a deadbolt.
Three-Inch Screws Into the Stud
A strike screwed only into the jamb holds very little. We use reinforced strike plates and 3-inch screws that reach the stud, and shim any gaps first.
Door Hardware Installation for Workshops and Pool Houses
Door hardware installation for workshops, pool houses and sheds follows the same rules: a real lock, a strong strike, and keying that fits who needs access.
Owners and Permission
Homeowners book with photo ID and a deed or tax statement. Tenants need landlord permission before new locks are bored.
Before the Contractor Leaves
Ask the contractor which way the door swings, whether it's bored and what hardware is on it. Then call us before the first person moves in.
Pool Houses and Summer Kitchens
Pool houses and outdoor kitchens often have a door that gets left open all summer and forgotten all winter. A keyed lever and deadbolt, keyed to the house, keeps pool chemicals and equipment away from children and visitors. Exterior-rated finishes hold up to chlorine and humidity much better than standard brass.
Finding You in Richmond
Where you are in Richmond decides which technician is sent, and the dispatcher tells you who is coming. Installations are booked on a day that suits you. Harvest Green, Aliana and Pecan Grove are easy to reach midday; school times slow the FM roads.
Technicians Who Measure and Cut Carefully
The technician arrives in uniform with ID, measures before cutting and explains the plan. They protect floors and finishes, catch dust while boring, clean up and test every lock and every key before leaving. On outbuildings and casitas, they also check that the door swings freely and latches without a push.
Fast Locksmith 24/7 is licensed and insured, and Houston homeowners rate us 5 stars on Google.
Lock Installation Around Richmond
Installation calls in Richmond come from casitas and garage apartments for family members, backyard offices and pool houses, additions on historic homes near downtown and replacement doors in Harvest Green, Aliana and Lakemont. Lock installation in Richmond often includes a keying question as well as a hardware question. If you're searching for a locksmith to install locks on a new building, tell the dispatcher who will use it and which way the door swings.
A new lock starts with the door. Tell us what it is made of and how thick it is. Solid wood, hollow-core and steel doors all take different tools.
Placement matters. Height, spacing from the edge and the position of the strike change how the lock feels each day.
If you are installing a lock on a new gate or a barn door, tell us what it holds.
Tell us if the door will be used by children, older relatives or anyone with limited grip. Lever handles make daily use easier.
Richmond's lots in newer communities often have room for a casita, a pool house or a workshop, and many families add one within a few years of moving in. When the builder or contractor finishes, the door frequently has no lock at all. Booking the lock installation as part of the project, rather than after, keeps the building secure from day one.
We also install locks in Sugar Land, Rosenberg and Fulshear. For a stronger bolt on an existing door, see deadbolt installation, and for keypads, smart lock installation.
Estimated Technician Arrival Time
Arrival times vary depending on your location and technician availability.
Actual arrival time may vary depending on your exact location, traffic conditions, time of day, current demand, and technician availability.
Providing your exact vehicle location when calling allows us to give you a more accurate estimated arrival time.