Commercial/Residential
COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
If the only issue you’re asking us to correct is a compromised key, and your hardware is in good shape and functional, we don’t replace it. We disassemble it and reset each lock to a new key which we provide. We can and do replace hardware when necessary, such as:
-Mismatched brands of hardware preventing the use of a single key for all locks
-Mechanical or cosmetic issues with existing hardware
-Upgrades (replacing a deadbolt with an electronic, swapping a lever for a knob, adding a decorative handleset, etc.)
-Whole house replacement to update lockset style or color.
You pulled out the shag carpet and velvet Elvis, probably time to get rid of those old gold locks too, eh?
• How many keys do you include with a rekey?
As many as we have on the truck and you’re willing to pay for. Keys are reasonably priced (most residential keys are $1.58, about the same as what you’d pay at any hardware store or Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc.), and are priced a la carte.
• How much does it cost to add a deadbolt to a door that isn’t prepped for one?
For a typical residential installation we charge $30 labor plus the price of the deadbolt, plus trip charge (varies with distance from our shop, typically $59 within 10 miles). You can furnish your own deadbolt if you like. We do not charge to rekey our lock if you’d like it to match an existing key, but we will charge to rekey a customer-furnished lock prior to install.
Most deadbolts we sell are in the $25-50 range. With trip and labor, adding a deadbolt to a single door will be $125-175 with additional doors being $60-90 each if we are supplying the product.
Commercial wood or steel doors are priced similar. Aluminum storefront doors: please call or email for a quote as it is substantially more labor intensive to add hardware to these.
• The fire marshal/codes enforcement people say my business needs panic bars on the exit doors. Can you do this?
Yes, absolutely. Call or email us for a quote.
• I have a fancy door in my house with a multi-point lock (Peachtree, Anderson, Pella, G-U, Fuhr, Hoppe, etc.) on it. Can you service it?
Yes, with a few caveats. Virtually everything on a multi-point lock system is proprietary and parts (if required) must be ordered. We have found sources for everything that has come up so far and can either order the parts for you or tell you where to order them yourself. As this is the case, these jobs often require us to make 2 trips–first to identify the lock, evaluate the problem, and order the parts; and a second to install the parts once they arrive. We do charge for both trips and labor. Sorry, diesel ain’t free and neither are we.
In some cases we can identify the issue and suggest which parts to order by phone and email, thus avoiding the first trip and its associated charge. We do need pictures of the door showing both sides and the edge of the door where the bolts project, and may need measurements to bolt locations, hardware centerline, etc, as well as an accurate description of the problem. Rekeying these doors typically is not an issue, so no special considerations if that’s all you need.
• Can you install a double-cylinder deadbolt (keyed both sides) on my home? On my business?
On a home, yes, but we don’t recommend it except in very specific circumstances. It’s our opinion that the perceived security benefit these provide does not justify life safety and convenience issues they create. In many cases where these are installed, we find customers simply leaving a key in the inside cylinder which effectively turns it into a single-cylinder deadbolt, and provides a handy key for anyone walking past the door to pilfer. But it’s your home and we’ll put whatever you want on it.
On a business: in almost every situation it will violate life safety codes. (NFPA section 7.2.1.something). There are exceptions, in fact the fire marshal in Farragut seems to insist that the front doors of retail storefronts use double-cylinder deadbolts with locked/unlocked indicator and signage indicating the door is to remain unlocked when the building is occupied. His justification (so we’ve been told) is that it mitigates the possibility a robber or other neer-do-well would enter a shop, lock the door behind them, and thus make it more difficult for police or other emergency personnel to render aid.
It’s technically code compliant if the indicator and signage is installed, but not a practice we agree with. You can make it as difficult as you want for someone to get IN, but don’t do so at the expense of making it difficult for occupants to get OUT. Building exits should not require keys, tools, or instructions.
• I’ve lost the key to a piece of furniture, and it looked like an old skeleton key. What are my options for getting a replacement?
We have a ring of 23 commonly used furniture keys we will “loan” you with a $75 deposit. Better than 80% of the time you will find at least one on the ring that works. If so, great. Mark the key you need and bring the set back and we’ll refund your deposit and sell you only the key you need (generally about $5-10 per copy).
If none of the keys on the ring work, we can make a house call to fit the key on site. It’s more expensive and sometimes requires 2 trips but to date we’ve never failed to at least get the lock open.
• What is electronic access control and why do I want it?
Electronic access control (EAC) can be anything from a simple button and electric strike allowing you to “buzz” people in, or a battery powered keypad lockset, or a full blown hardwired networked system across multiple doors, facilities, and even time zones that can be administered remotely from anywhere in the world.
We have provided dozens of EAC systems to various customers, including businesses, churches, local government, police & fire departments, 24 hour fitness centers, neighborhood (HOA/POA) pools, and homeowners.
The major benefit to electronic access control is it eliminates the need to issue (and replace) physical keys. It’s an excellent solution for high-turnover situations where you may need dozens or hundreds of keys issued, and then reissued if even a single key is compromised.
If you’re a homeowner and need to grant access to your home to friends/relatives, housekeepers, babysitters, etc., EAC is an excellent alternative to handing out copies of your key—which you may never get back and cannot control whether or not a copy will be made. Issue a PIN to anyone who needs access and you can simply turn it off when desired. Doesn’t matter if it’s 2 a.m. on Christmas morning–if you spot momma kissing Santa Claus and decide neither one of them can come in the front door anymore, just turn off their codes. . . no locksmith required!
If your business, church, civic organization, or government facility requires the issuance of many, many keys, sometimes for short-term or transient users, a fob-based EAC system will save you money and hassle. Fob-based systems are more costly to implement, and you will need to replenish your supply of fobs periodically (about $3 each), but they also eliminate the possibility of being shared in a viral manner like a PIN, and you can easily turn off a single fob if compromised.
Please call or email us for a customized quote or ballpark pricing if you’re just curious. Here are a few things we’ll need to know to provide a ballpark figure:
-Single door or multiple?
-Do you want a PIN based system, or fob based? -Do you need an audit trail (the ability to see when users have accessed the system)?
-Type of door on which this will be installed (commercial steel/wood, residential steel/wood, aluminum storefront, overhead door, vehicle gate, gas pump, etc.)
-Wall construction surrounding the door (masonry, wood framed, steel framed, unknown) -If considering a networked system, is power and internet access available at all sites?
Lock Medic
123 W. Broadway St.
Lenoir City, Tn 37771
- 865-986-0020
- ben@lockmedic.com
M-F 8:30am to 5pm
Emergency number: 865-986-0020