Planned installs are booked around your week.
Photos of a Victorian Door and a Better Plan Than Drilling
A lot of planning happens on the first call. Here's a typical example, told mostly from the dispatcher's side.
The caller owned a Queen Anne Victorian on a side street off Heights Boulevard. Her front door was original: tall, heavy, with a large etched glass panel in the upper half and a single mortise lock with a glass knob. She wanted a deadbolt. She'd called another company first, which had told her they'd drill the door for a standard deadbolt. That worried her.
Our dispatcher asked her to send photos of the door, the edge and the inside. She did, while they talked. The photos told him a lot. The stile on the lock side was narrow, maybe four inches of wood beside the glass. The mortise lock already took up much of that space. A standard deadbolt needs a large bore through the face of the door and another through the edge. On that stile, it would cut close to the mortise pocket and weaken the wood around the glass.
He suggested a different approach: a surface-mounted deadlock, the kind that mounts on the inside face of the door with a vertical bolt that drops into a matching strike on the frame. It needs one small hole for the key cylinder, placed in solid wood below the glass. It's very strong, and it leaves the original door almost untouched. She liked the idea. He booked a morning, and told her the technician would call when he was on the way.
The technician called and arrived in uniform and showed his ID. He checked her deed and looked at the door in person, confirming what the photos showed. He marked a spot for the cylinder below the glass, clear of the mortise pocket, and drilled one clean hole. He mounted the deadlock on the inside face. The frame face wasn't quite flat, an old house thing, so the strike rocked. He shimmed it and fixed it with 3-inch screws into the framing.
He keyed the new cylinder to her front door key with his pinning kit and tested it from both sides. The bolt dropped cleanly into the strike every time. The planner's advice: on an original door, ask about surface-mounted options before anyone drills.
Planning a Deadbolt for a Heights Door
Add Deadbolt to Door Without Spoiling It
To add deadbolt security to an original door, start with the stile width, the glass, and where the existing lock sits inside the door. If there's room for a standard deadbolt in solid wood, we bore it with a jig. If not, a surface-mounted deadlock is the better choice.
Surface Mounted Deadbolt
A surface mounted deadbolt, sometimes called a rim deadlock or jimmy-proof lock, mounts on the inside face of the door. Its bolt locks vertically into a strike on the frame, which makes it hard to pry. It needs only one small hole for the cylinder.
Deadbolt on Old Door Glass Panels
When fitting a deadbolt on old door glass panels, keep the thumb turn out of arm's reach of the glass. A keyed-both-sides deadbolt is an option but can slow an exit in a fire. Security film on the glass is another good layer.
Strikes That Actually Hold
A reinforced strike plate fixed with 3-inch screws into the framing spreads the force of a kick. Old frames can be dry, cracked or out of flat; we shim and pre-drill so nothing splits.
Deadbolt Replacement Heights Owners Ask About
Worn or wobbly deadbolts added decades ago can usually be replaced in the existing holes. Deadbolt replacement in the Heights often includes moving the strike to sound wood. A deadbolt added in the 1970s or 1980s may still work but often has a strike held by short screws, which is the part that fails in a kick.
The Alley Door Out Back
Back doors and side doors that open onto Heights alleys are out of view from the street, which makes them the doors most often tried. A proper deadbolt there matters as much as the one at the front, and a garage apartment or studio at the back of the lot deserves the same. These doors are often plainer and newer than the front, so a standard bored deadbolt usually fits.
New Doors and Townhomes
New doors and townhomes take standard deadbolts easily. We bore with a jig, fit Grade 1 or Grade 2 hardware and key it to your existing key. On fiberglass doors, the faces get taped first so the cutter can't chip the skin.
Historic Districts
Interior-mounted deadlocks are invisible from the street, which suits historic districts. For hardware on the outside face, choose a finish that matches the house. Aged bronze and unlacquered brass look at home on most Victorian and Craftsman doors; satin nickel suits newer builds.
Owners, Renters and Landlord Approval
Owners book directly. Renters need the landlord's approval, ideally in writing, and the landlord usually gets a key to the new deadbolt. A surface-mounted deadlock is easy to remove at move-out, which makes landlords more willing to say yes.
Where We Meet You in the Heights
Mobile technicians serve the Heights and meet you at the address you give. Most installs are planned. The Heights sits between I-10 and I-610, with Shepherd, Durham, Yale and Studewood running through.
Planners Who Protect Original Doors
Our technician comes in uniform and shows ID before anything else. They look at the door before marking anything, explain the options and the trade-offs, and choose the least invasive way to a strong bolt. They protect original wood, glass and finishes, and test everything with you.
We're licensed and insured, and Houston homeowners rate Fast Locksmith 24/7 at 5 stars on Google.
Deadbolt Installation Around the Heights
Deadbolt work in the Heights comes from Victorians with narrow stiles and big glass panels, Craftsman bungalows with single knobs, back doors facing alleys, garage apartments and studios behind older homes, and townhomes near Washington Avenue. Deadbolt installation in the Heights often starts with photos. If you're searching to install deadbolt near me on an old door, send us pictures first. Owners who send photos before the visit help us bring the right deadbolt or deadlock the first time.
A good deadbolt needs a good door and frame. Before fitting, we check that the door sits square, the hinges are tight and the strike has solid wood behind it.
Older doors in The Heights sometimes need extra care. We may need to chisel the mortise or reinforce the edge so the bolt seats properly.
Choose the grade that suits the door. Basic, standard and heavy-duty bolts differ in how they resist force.
Long screws in the strike do most of the work in a forced entry. We use ones that reach the stud.
If you like, we key the new bolt to match your handle set.
Ask about a security plate around the lock edge. It is a thin steel cover that stiffens the door where kicks usually land.
We also install deadbolts in Montrose, Downtown Houston and Spring Branch. For keypads, see smart lock installation, and for a whole-house plan, residential locksmith.
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.