Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Fast, Reliable Lock Installation & Rekey Across Alameda
Lock installation and rekey in Alameda runs $35-$55 per cylinder for a standard rekey, and $85-$180 per door when you add new hardware into the mix. We quote the full price on the phone before anyone rolls a truck, and that is the price on the invoice. Have a smart lock that won’t talk to your app, a new-build door still running the builder’s key, or a 1920s mortise lock that jams every third Tuesday? Call (331) 310-8471 and a real person will answer, day or night.
Alameda is an island city in San Francisco Bay, and that single fact shapes more of our work here than any marketing line could. Salt air eats exterior lock cylinders faster than you think, and a huge share of the island’s housing stock still carries original mortise locksets from the 1880s through the 1920s. Standard big-box deadbolt swaps don’t fit those doors. Our techs carry the retrofit plates and period-compatible hardware to make them work without destroying the original woodwork.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Alameda’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
We are independently owned and operated, founded in 2002, and we service Alameda daily. Crews are dispatched from the brand’s San Francisco Bay Area office, which means response to Gold Coast, Fernside, the East End, the West End, and Bay Farm Island stays fast. Our dispatchers answer the phone live around the clock. No voicemail queue. No automated menu. You get a human being who can quote a firm price on the spot.
Every one of our techs is background-checked and uniformed, and each visit ends with a documented photo record left in your hands. That’s not a courtesy; it’s the Haven Standard rule we apply to every job across every Novak Lock & Security service call. Daniel Novak built this operation on Clause 1: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. If you bring us a written competitor estimate for any Lock Installation & Rekey scope, we will review it at no charge. We also back every job with the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not right, we make it right.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Alameda
Rekeying is the fastest, cheapest way to control who has working keys. On the island, we rekey after move-in, after a tenant turnover, after a divorce, after a lost key, and after anyone you don’t fully trust has held a copy. A full rekey in Alameda means we remove each cylinder, swap the internal pins to fit a new key, and verify the old key no longer turns. The old key goes dead. The new key works every lock we set it for.
Smart Lock Installation
Alameda homes range from 2019 new-builds at Alameda Point to 1890s Victorians on tree-lined streets near Franklin Park. Smart lock installation changes depending on which one you live in. Newer doors accept standard cylindrical smart locks from Schlage, Yale, or Kwikset without modification. Older doors typically need a mortise-to-cylindrical conversion plate so the smart deadbolt has a solid mounting surface. Our techs stock those plates and have them on the van in Alameda. We get the lock talking to your Wi-Fi or Z-Wave hub, set user codes, and test the auto-relock before we leave.
Keyless Entry & Keypad Lock Installation
Keypad locks make sense for Bay Farm Island homes where kids walk home from school and parents want an audit trail of who came in and when. We install Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, Kwikset Halo, and Baldwin Evolved keypads. We set master codes, user codes, temporary guest codes, and show you the admin menu without making you read a 60-page manual. In Alameda, the practical question is often “do I need a keypad built for salt air?” The honest answer: yes, if your front door faces the water or is within a block of the bay. Zinc-alloy keypads corrode. We specify marine-grade or at minimum weather-sealed units for shoreline addresses.
Biometric Lock Installation
Fingerprint and biometric locks are no longer gimmicks. We install units from several manufacturers for Alameda homeowners who want zero keys at all. These locks read a fingerprint, store it locally on the device (not in the cloud), and open the deadbolt in under a second. On Alameda’s humid days, fingerprint readers need a well-sealed housing; we install higher-IP-rated models for bay-facing doors. Before recommending a biometric lock, we check the door prep, the existing cylinder diameter, and the thickness of the door slab so the unit seats correctly the first time.
We also handle key duplication, high-security cylinder replacement, and full lock replacement using Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Baldwin, and Schlage hardware. If a lockset has failed beyond repair, we carry enough inventory to replace it same-day for most Alameda addresses.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Alameda
We are factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Yale, Baldwin, and Schlage. What that means in practical terms: we can cut restricted keys, order matched cylinders, and service hardware that a generalist can’t touch. We keep common Baldwin and Schlage parts on the van, including marine-grade deadbolts we use regularly at Alameda Point and along Shore Line Drive. If your existing lock is a Mul-T-Lock or Medeco, we can rekey it without changing brands, preserving your existing key control. If you want to move to a high-security keyway, we can do that too, with written pricing before any work starts.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Alameda Homes
- Seized keyways near the shoreline. Salt-laden bay air accelerates oxidation in exterior cylinders. A lock that turns fine in August may not accept the key by March. We see this constantly along Shore Line Drive, at Alameda Point, and anywhere within a few blocks of the bay.
- Builder’s keys still working after move-in. New construction at Alameda Point and elsewhere on the island is keyed to a construction master during the build. If the builder or agent did not rekey before handover, an unknown number of people still hold working copies. You do not know who has a key. Rekeying is the only way to reset to a known state.
- Modern smart locks mounted on antique mortise doors. Preserved Victorian and Craftsman homes throughout Alameda’s East End and Gold Coast still have their original skeleton-key mortise locksets. A standard smart deadbolt does not fit those doors. Anybody who says it always does has not tried. We use retrofit conversion plates and careful drilling to mount smart hardware without mangling the original escutcheon.
- Stripped screw holes from rushed installs. Alameda’s older Douglas fir door frames are soft after 100-plus years of seasonal movement. A quick handyman rekey or lock swap often strips the mounting screws, leaving a deadbolt that sags or binds. We drill and dowel the old holes, then remount with longer structural screws.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Alameda, CA
- Rekey (per cylinder): $35-$55
- Standard deadbolt installation (per door): $85-$150
- Smart lock installation (per door): $120-$200 plus hardware
- Keypad lock installation (per door): $100-$180 plus hardware
- Mortise lock repair or retrofit (per lock): $180-$350
- High-security cylinder replacement (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock): $95-$160 plus parts
The number you get on the phone is the number on the invoice. No call-out surcharge added at the door. No “we found something extra” so long as the door and lock are in the condition you described. If the job changes, we stop, show you exactly what changed, and get written approval before proceeding. That is Haven Standard Clause 1 in action, and it has been the rule since day one.
We Also Serve Cities Near Alameda
Our vans cross the bridges every day. If you have a rental or a commercial property outside the island, see Alameda for island-specific details, and keep in mind we also cover Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, and San Francisco. Same live-answer dispatch, same written prices, same 365-Day Done Right Promise. Call (331) 310-8471 wherever the job is.
Serving Alameda, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Alameda area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Lock Installation & Rekey in Alameda
How soon after buying a new construction home in Alameda Point should I rekey my locks?
Immediately. The builder’s key and construction master key may still operate your deadbolt, and you have no record of who holds a copy. Rekey on day one, before you move furniture in. Call (331) 310-8471 and we can be at Alameda Point the same day.
Do salt-air conditions in Alameda require a different type of lock hardware?
Yes. Homes within a few blocks of the bay, and especially addresses along the shoreline, need marine-grade or weather-sealed exterior hardware. Standard zinc-alloy locksets corrode and seize within two to three years in Alameda’s salt air. We specify stainless or solid brass exterior cylinders for shoreline properties. For a specific recommendation for your address, call us and describe where your door faces.
Can you install a smart lock on an antique Victorian door without damaging the original mortise lock?
Usually, yes. We use a mortise-to-cylindrical conversion plate that lets a modern smart deadbolt mount above the original skeleton-key mortise lock, leaving the original escutcheon and mechanism in place. The original mortise stays non-functional but preserved; the smart lock takes over daily use. We have done many of these conversions on Victorians across the East End and Gold Coast.
What is bump-resistant rekeying, and why is it important in Alameda?
Bump-resistant rekeying replaces standard pin stacks with pins cut specifically to resist bump-key attacks, a method that opens many residential locks in under 10 seconds. It matters in Alameda because the island’s dense housing stock and quiet streets attract burglaries of opportunity, and a standard rekey without bump-resistant pins leaves the lock vulnerable. We recommend bump-resistant pinning on every rekey by default.
How often should I have my exterior locks serviced if I live near the Alameda shoreline?
Every 12 to 18 months is realistic for bay-facing homes. Salt oxidation accumulates inside the cylinder where you can’t see it. A quick service call means we pull the cylinder, clean the pins and springs, re-lube with a dry graphite or silicone product rated for coastal air, and verify the key enters and turns without resistance. It’s cheaper than replacing a seized lock after it fails at the worst possible time. Call (331) 310-8471 to schedule.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Alameda since 2002.
Contact Novak Lock & Security
Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate on any lock installation, rekey, smart lock, or keypad job in Alameda. You’ll speak to a live person, get a firm written price, and schedule a time that works. We write the number down before we hang up, and that number stays the same when the tech arrives.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Nearby Areas
