Planned lock changes are booked at a time that suits you.
After the Storm, the Crews and the Keys
Houston storms create a particular kind of lock change. Here's a typical example from a house near Uptown.
A tropical storm came through in late summer. At a house in Afton Oaks, just east of the West Loop, a large oak limb came down across the back patio in the night. It caught the corner of the back door. In the morning, the frame was split along the strike side, the deadbolt bolt was bent, and the door hung in the opening like a loose tooth. Rain had come in under it for hours.
The insurance process took over from there. A restoration crew dried the floors and boarded the opening. An adjuster came twice. A roofer, a tree service and a carpenter all needed access for nearly three weeks. The homeowners made copies of the front door key and left one in a lockbox. By the end, they had no idea how many copies existed.
When the carpenter hung the new back door, they called us. Around noon, the dispatcher asked what had changed and what they wanted. All exterior locks changed, every door on one key. She asked about the new door: was it pre-bored, and if so, for what kind of lock? They didn't know. She asked them to measure from the door edge to the center of the round hole. Two and three-eighths inches. The old locks had been set at two and three-quarters. That mattered for the hardware, and she noted it for the technician. She asked them to have ID ready, and said a technician was on the way.
In company uniform, the technician introduced himself and showed his ID. He checked the license against the address and walked the house. The new back door was solid. He fitted a deadbolt and lever set to the shorter backset, cut a deeper pocket in the new jamb for a heavy strike, and drove 3-inch screws through it into the framing. The carpenter had used short screws on the original strike plate, so he replaced those too.
The front door turned up a surprise. Its deadbolt had been fine before the storm, but the inside of the cylinder was gritty and slow, likely from rain blown against the door for hours. It was changed with the rest. He keyed all three doors alike using his pinning kit and tested each deadbolt by pushing hard on the closed door.
His explanation of why it mattered was simple: after three weeks of crews, a lock change is how you take your house back.
Changing Locks, Explained
When to Change Rather Than Rekey
Rekey if the locks work well and you only want old keys dead; see rekey service. Change when hardware is damaged, worn, low grade or doesn't fit the door anymore, or when you want a stronger deadbolt or a different look.
Backset and Bore: Why Measurements Matter
The backset is the distance from the door's edge to the center of the lock hole, usually 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inches. New doors come pre-bored for one or the other. Most locks can adjust; some can't. Getting this right is the difference between a bolt that throws fully and one that stops short.
Lock Change After Break In
Forced doors usually fail at the frame and strike, not the lock. After a break-in, we change damaged hardware, fit heavy strikes with long screws, and tell you if the jamb needs a carpenter. If the door can't be secured tonight, see our emergency locksmith service.
After Storms and Long Repairs
Restoration crews, adjusters, roofers and tree services may need access for weeks. Use a lockbox during repairs, then change or rekey every exterior lock when the last crew leaves.
One Visit, Most of the Time
Most lock changes are done in one visit with hardware from the van.
Choosing the Hardware
Grade 1 or Grade 2 deadbolts, single-cylinder for most homes, with levers or knobs to suit your grip and style. Matching finishes across doors is easy if you tell us what you have.
Condo Doors and Association Rules
In the residential towers along San Felipe and Post Oak, the hallway side of a unit door often belongs to the association. Finish, lever style and even the deadbolt brand may be set by the building. Before a lock change in an Uptown condo, check the rules or send us a photo of a neighbor's door, and we'll bring hardware that matches. We can also change only the cylinder and keep the existing trim, which satisfies most boards while still giving you new keys.
Don't Forget the Codes
New locks don't reset garage codes, openers or smart lock users. Change those that day.
Proof It's Your Door to Change
Photo ID with the address, or ID plus a deed, tax statement or lease. Renters need landlord approval.
Where We Meet You in Uptown
Anywhere in Uptown, the technician comes to your car, your door or your gate. After storms, flooded underpasses and downed limbs on Woodway, San Felipe and the side streets slow everyone, and the West Loop backs up at the best of times.
Hardware Fitted by People Who Check Their Work
Our technicians arrive in uniform with photo ID. They measure before choosing hardware, explain the backset and strike in plain words if it matters for your door, and protect floors and finishes while they work. They test every new lock with the door closed, from both sides, and push on it to be sure.
We're licensed and insured, and Fast Locksmith 24/7 has a 5-star rating on Google.
Lock Changes Around Uptown
The homes around Uptown sit under big trees and in the path of Gulf storms, and many have older wood doors with soft jambs. Larchmont, Westhaven Estates and Afton Oaks all see lock changes after storm repairs and remodels. Condo owners in the towers on San Felipe and Post Oak change locks after a sale or a messy move-out, within their association's hardware rules. A lock change in Uptown is often the last step after a long project.
Changing locks is a bigger step than rekeying. The hardware comes out and new hardware goes in. It makes sense after a break-in, a long tenancy, a move or when the existing locks are worn or mismatched.
Pick a finish that fits your door and your taste. Satin nickel, matte black, brass and bronze are all common in Uptown homes. If you'd like the same look on every door, tell us, and we'll bring matching sets.
Measure what you can. Door thickness and bore size decide what fits. A photo of the door edge and the current lock helps the technician plan.
Think about the full set. A new lock on the front door and an old latch on the back leaves the same weakness in a different place. We look at all exterior doors and recommend what makes sense.
We can key the new locks alike, so one key opens everything, or key them separately for areas like a guest house.
If the old hardware has a lifetime of sentiment, such as brass from an older house, tell us. Sometimes the right answer is to keep the handle and replace only the cylinder.
We also change locks in the Galleria, River Oaks and Bellaire.
Take Your Keys Back
Call Fast Locksmith 24/7. Tell us how many doors, what happened, and whether any doors are new. Measuring the backset helps.
Estimated Technician Arrival Time
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