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 Alexandria
Lock installation and rekeying in Alexandria, VA typically runs $85-$225 per cylinder for rekey work and $150-$480 per door for new installation, depending on hardware grade and whether the door has period mortise prep or modern cylindrical boring. Our crew reaches most Alexandria neighborhoods from Old Town to the West End in 45 minutes or less for scheduled work. If you’re reading this because a lock failed this morning or a new key set needs to go in before a tenant moves into a King Street walk-up, call (331) 310-8471 and a real person answers. We’ll give you a written price before anyone is dispatched, and that price is the price on the invoice.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Alexandria’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Novak Lock & Security has been installing and rekeying locks since 2002, and the work in Alexandria follows the same rule as every job we’ve ever done: Haven Standard Clause 1. The dispatcher quotes a firm price on the phone. The technician is not permitted to change it at the door. That rule is why Alexandria HOA boards, Old Town property managers, and homeowners in Del Ray and Rosemont keep our number in their phone. Daniel Novak built the company on the simple position that a locksmith’s name on the invoice should mean the written price is the final price.
Every visit to an Alexandria property includes a documented photo record left with the customer. The technician is background-checked and in uniform. And when the job is done, you have the photos, the written scope, and the warranty in hand, not in some portal you’ll never log into. We know the hardware in this city because we’ve opened and rebuilt thousands of locks across it: antique mortise cases on Prince Street, 1970s Schlage cylinders in Landmark garden apartments, and brand-new smart locks in Potomac Yard towers.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Alexandria
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in Alexandria runs $180-$420 per door, including the lock, configured app access, and a photo record of the completed job. The older row houses in Old Town and the newer construction off Eisenhower Avenue have different prep, and we tell you before we start whether your door needs an adapter plate or a full prep conversion. We install Baldwin, Schlage, and Mul-T-Lock smart hardware, and we program codes while you watch so you don’t end up with a lock you can’t operate after we leave.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry on an Alexandria front door usually costs $150-$300 when you’re replacing existing hardware, not re-boring the door. We install keypad deadbolts and lever sets that hold up to the kind of humidity this city gets from June through September. For HOA communities in the West End, we coordinate keyless entry across clubhouse doors, pool gates, and package rooms so the management office controls access without cutting a new key every time a board member rotates off.
Keypad Lock
Keypad lock installation in Alexandria typically runs $160-$320 per door. We prefer models with mechanical key override so you’re not locked out when the battery dies on a Sunday night. A lot of Alexandria homeowners put a keypad on the back door facing the alley and keep the front door on a standard deadbolt, which is a sensible split if the front facade has historic hardware you don’t want to disturb.
Biometric Lock
Biometric lock installation in Alexandria runs $250-$500 per door, and we’re honest about what these locks do well and where they frustrate people. Fingerprint readers struggle when your hands are wet or gloved, which matters in a city where people walk to Metro in January and come home with fingers that don’t read. We install biometric hardware for interior doors, office suites, and gun safes more often than front doors, and we’ll tell you before you spend the money if a keypad with a deadbolt is the better call for your situation.
Key Duplication
Key duplication in Alexandria runs $4-$12 per key depending on the blank and whether it’s a standard Schlage, a Kwikset, or a restricted high-security key that requires a card and a signature. We stock common blanks for the brands used across this city and can order Mul-T-Lock and Medeco blanks same week when the system is set up through an authorized dealer. If you bought a home in Old Town with original rim locks, bring us the key and we’ll tell you what can be duplicated, what needs a locksmith-cut blank, and what should be rekeyed entirely.
What happens when you call
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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 Alexandria
We’re factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage, and we service Sargent commercial hardware regularly. That matters in Alexandria because this city runs the full range from 1840s mortise assemblies to multi-point smart lock systems, and nobody wants a technician learning on their front door. We keep common Baldwin and Schlage parts in the van so a repair on a King Street townhouse doesn’t turn into a two-visit job. If you need a high-security key system for a commercial property or an HOA’s common doors, we’ll show you the cylinder options, the key control card, and the written price before we order anything. Our Lock Installation & Rekey team handles the full spectrum, and we’ve done enough work across Alexandria to know which hardware belongs on which street.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Alexandria Homes
- Swollen doors in Old Town row houses. The old-growth wooden doors on 18th- and 19th-century homes absorb Potomac humidity every summer and swell enough that deadbolts and deadlatches seize. The fix is usually strike-plate adjustment or planing the door edge, not replacing the lock. We see this in Old Town, Del Ray, and Rosemont every July and August.
- Visible deadbolts on historic facades. Alexandria’s Board of Architectural Review limits visible hardware changes on protected row houses. Putting a modern deadbolt on an 1840s front door can trigger an enforcement action. We retrofit concealed high-security cylinders inside the original mortise cases instead, which keeps the facade intact and the lock harder to defeat.
- Uncontrolled key duplication in gated communities. HOA communities in the West End and around Landmark often have unit doors, clubhouses, and pool gates that were rekeyed at different times by different vendors, with no master key system and no record of who holds keys. We consolidate these into a single keyed system with management-controlled duplication, so the board knows exactly how many keys exist and who has them.
- Mismatched hardware after a handyman special. We regularly get called to Alexandria homes where a previous installer put a modern cylindrical deadbolt on a door that was never properly prepped, or mixed Kwikset and Schlage keyways across the same property so no single key opens everything. We correct the prep, match the keyways, and leave you with one key that operates every door it should.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Alexandria, VA
Here are the numbers for Alexandria, in writing, the same way we quote them on the phone. Rekeying a standard cylinder runs $85-$150 per lock, which includes re-pinning the existing hardware to new keys. Rekeying a high-security cylinder, like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock, runs $135-$225 per cylinder because the pins and key blanks cost more and the key control card must be updated. New deadbolt installation runs $150-$290 per door for standard Schlage or Baldwin, and $220-$480 per door if we’re converting an antique mortise lock to accept a concealed high-security cylinder while preserving the visible hardware. Key duplication runs $4-$12 per key. Smart lock and keyless entry installation runs $150-$420 per door depending on the hardware and whether your door needs an adapter plate or re-boring.
What affects cost: the age of the door and its prep, whether you’re rekeying one lock or coordinating a whole building or HOA, and the security grade of the cylinder. We quote the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and there is no call-out surcharge added when the technician arrives. Bring us a competitor’s written estimate and we’ll review it at no charge. Call (331) 310-8471 for your number.
We Also Serve Cities Near Alexandria
Our Lock Installation & Rekey coverage extends from Alexandria into the surrounding Northern Virginia communities. We handle scheduled lock work and rekeying in Alexandria, Arlington, Annandale, Burke, and Oakton. If you’re just outside the city line, call and ask; we schedule Alexandria-area calls in blocks so we can often reach nearby neighborhoods the same week.
Serving Alexandria, VA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Alexandria 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 Alexandria
No, not if your facade is protected by the Board of Architectural Review. The BAR restricts visible hardware changes on 18th- and 19th-century Federal row houses, and a shiny modern deadbolt on an original door is exactly the kind of alteration that gets flagged. The compliant approach is a concealed high-security cylinder retrofitted inside the original mortise case, which preserves the period hardware and meets modern security standards. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll tell you whether your specific address falls under BAR review before you buy anything.
Your front door lock seizes every summer because Alexandria sits directly on the Potomac and the humidity makes old-growth wooden doors swell, not because the lock is mechanically failing. The deadbolt and deadlatch misalign with the strike plate when the door expands. We fix it by planing the door edge or adjusting the strike plate, which preserves the antique mortise lock and restores smooth operation. The repair typically runs $120-$200, quoted before we arrive.
Yes, we rekey entire HOA communities in Alexandria under a single master key system, with key control documentation that shows exactly how many keys exist and who holds them. We handle unit doors, clubhouses, pool gates, package rooms, and any common door in the community. The written scope and per-lock price come to the management company before any work starts. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll walk the property and produce the plan.
For an Old Town facade under BAR review, the finish matters less than the footprint, because a modern smart lock deadbolt with a visible keypad and a rectangular escutcheon will get flagged regardless of color. The compliant solution is a concealed high-security cylinder inside the original mortise case, optionally paired with a discreet keypad or app-controlled smart module that doesn’t alter the visible hardware. We can show you what survived review on comparable King Street and South Lee Street properties. Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate.
We rekey antique mortise locks every week in Alexandria, including original rim locks and mortise cases from the 1790s through the 1870s. We disassemble the lock, replace worn springs and levers as needed, re-pin the cylinder to new keys, and document the condition of every component with photos. The work typically runs $135-$225 per lock depending on what’s worn inside. We do not drill out a swollen or seized antique lock, because it’s almost never necessary and often destroys an irreplaceable lock. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll quote it in writing.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Alexandria since 2002.