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.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Roswell: What It Costs and What to Check First
Lock installation and rekeying in Roswell, GA runs $95-$160 to rekey a standard Kwikset or Schlage cylinder and $180-$420 to install a new smart lock or keyless entry system, quoted in writing before we leave our shop. Most jobs in Horseshoe Bend, the Canton Street historic corridor, and the 1980s brick-front subdivisions around Crabapple take under an hour once a technician arrives. If you just closed on a home in Roswell, the single most important thing to know is this: the builder’s key from 1987 might still open your front door. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll rekey it the day you call.
We are Novak Lock & Security, and we’ve done Lock Installation & Rekey work across Roswell long enough to know the difference between a lock that failed and a door frame that swelled in August humidity. That distinction matters when you’re deciding whether to spend money on new hardware or just have the strike plate adjusted. We give you the answer in plain language, with a written price before any work starts.
Why Roswell Homeowners Call Novak Lock & Security
Daniel Novak founded this company in 2002 on a single clause that still governs every job: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. No dispatcher says one number, then the technician “finds something” that doubles it at the doorstep. Haven Standard Clause 1. It’s been the rule for 60,000+ locks, keys, and systems installed or serviced, and it applies to every home in Roswell we touch, from a Horseshoe Bend rekey to a Bulloch Hall-adjacent mortise lock restoration.
Roswell homeowners tend to research before they call. They read the three-star reviews, they want to know what a smart lock installation actually costs, and they’re not impressed by a logo on a van. We’re fine with that. What we show instead is documentation: a written scope before we start, a photo record of the finished hardware and the work performed, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise that says if it’s not done right, we make it right. Every tech who shows up in Roswell is background-checked and uniformed, and the phone is answered by a live person at 3:00 a.m. the same way it is at 3:00 p.m.
We also stock parts locally for Roswell’s specific housing stock. That’s not marketing language. It means when a 1989 Kwikset deadbolt in Horseshoe Bend needs a new cylinder or a homeowner near the Mill wants a Schlage smart lock retrofit, we usually have the part on the truck, not “on order from a supplier.”
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Roswell
Smart Lock Installation
Most smart lock installs in Roswell happen on what builders installed in the 1980s and 1990s: Kwikset and Schlage deadbolts with a standard 2-1/8″ bore. That’s the good news. A smart lock from Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, or Baldwin Evolved typically fits that existing bore without cutting new holes. We handle the full job: removing the old deadbolt, installing the new smart lock, wiring it to your network, setting up codes, and walking you through the app. Roswell’s HOA neighborhoods like Horseshoe Bend and Martin’s Landing have a lot of owner-investor rentals, so we also set up temporary guest codes and explain how to revoke them after a tenant moves out.
Keyless Entry and Keypad Lock Installation
Keyless entry means no key at all: a keypad deadbolt or lever where you enter a code. In Roswell, these get installed on garage entry doors, back doors, and in-law suite entrances in the larger brick-front colonials common north of Holcomb Bridge Road. A basic keypad deadbolt installation runs $180-$260, including the hardware, depending on the grade of the lock you pick. We recommend ANSI Grade 1 or Grade 2 hardware for exterior doors, and we’ll tell you plainly if the lock you’re considering is a Grade 3 that won’t hold up to daily use.
Rekeying Services
Rekeying changes the internal pins of your existing lock so old keys no longer work and a new key operates it. There is no cheaper way to take control of your home’s key system. In Roswell, this is the first thing we tell anyone to do after closing, after a tenant moves out, or after a contractor finished work on the home and kept a copy of the key. Rekeying normally takes 15-30 minutes per lock once we’re on site, and if you have multiple locks on the same keyway (common in Roswell where whole subdivisions were built with identical Kwikset hardware), we can key them all alike so one key works every door.
Key Duplication
We duplicate standard house keys, Kwikset and Schlage keys, and high-security restricted keys from Medeco and Mul-T-Lock (for restricted keys, you’ll need the card that came with the system; that’s a factory requirement, not ours). A standard key copy runs $3-$6, and we cut them on-site in the Roswell service area while the technician is there for the rest of the job.
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 Roswell
We work on the full spectrum, from entry-grade Kwikset and Schlage to high-security Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Baldwin hardware. The brand matters less than the condition: Roswell’s 1982-2002 housing boom left tens of thousands of homes with builder-grade Kwikset deadbolts that are now 25-40 years old. Some of those still work fine. Many don’t. We’ll tell you honestly which category yours falls into, and if a replacement makes sense, we’re factory-authorized on the brands above and stock parts for the ones Roswell sees most often.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Roswell Homes
- Builder’s keys still circulating. In Roswell’s 1980s-90s subdivisions, particularly Horseshoe Bend, thousands of homes were built in phases by the same builders using the same Kwikset keyways. The builder’s key or a previous owner’s spare can still turn the original deadbolt years after closing. If a neighbor’s old key opens your door, that’s not a coincidence. It’s a keyway overlap. Rekeying solves it permanently.
- Summer humidity swelling door frames. Roswell’s high summer humidity makes wood door frames in older Canton Street homes and early subdivisions swell noticeably, pushing the bolt out of alignment with the strike plate. The lock gets blamed, but the lock isn’t failing. The frame moved. We adjust the strike plate or re-drill the alignment rather than selling you a new deadbolt you didn’t need.
- Hard freezes icing exterior cylinders. Roswell sits slightly elevated from Atlanta and the mature tree canopy in established neighborhoods like Willow Springs and Sable Chase means some exterior doors stay shaded all winter. A hard freeze can ice the cylinder inside the deadbolt. People force the key, snap it off, or scratch the hardware with a screwdriver. A silicone-based lubricant applied once a year prevents most of this. We’ll show you how, and we’ll do it during any service call.
- Mortise locks in pre-Civil War homes. Near Canton Street and the Roswell Mill area, original or period-replacement mortise locks on antebellum and late-Victorian homes require restoration, not replacement. These locks weren’t made to accept a modern deadbolt bore, and cutting into a National Register property to fit one is how you end up with a damaged door and a disappointed homeowner. We rebuild the internal components or source period-appropriate replacements.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Roswell, GA
Here are the numbers, in writing. A standard rekey in Roswell runs $95-$160 per cylinder, which includes the call-out, labor, and new keys. A keypad or keyless deadbolt installation runs $180-$260 including hardware. A smart lock installation with WiFi connectivity runs $220-$420 depending on the lock model and whether we’re integrating it with an existing system. Key duplication runs $3-$6 for standard keys and $15-$35 for high-security or restricted keys. High-security cylinder replacement (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy) runs $180-$300 per cylinder.
What affects the final number? The condition of the door and frame, whether the existing hardware can be rekeyed or needs replacement, and the grade of new hardware you choose. What doesn’t affect it: a “change fee” at the doorstep. The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice, and there’s no call-out surcharge added when the tech arrives. Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate, and we’ll give you a firm number before anyone is dispatched.
We Also Serve Cities Near Roswell
Novak Lock & Security provides lock installation and rekeying throughout the north metro: Lock Installation & Rekey in Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Kennesaw, and Smyrna. Dispatch coordinates from the Atlanta office, and crews serve each city locally, with the same written-price rule on every job.
Serving Roswell, GA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Roswell 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 Roswell
It might, especially if it was built between 1982 and 2002. Builders in Roswell’s large planned communities often used identical Kwikset keyways across entire phases, meaning a “new” home might still open with a key held by a builder, a subcontractor, or a prior owner’s friend. The only way to know for certain is to have the lock rekeyed. In Horseshoe Bend, we rekeyed a home where the previous owner’s neighbor still had a key that worked, years after the sale. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll rekey it the same day.
Almost always, yes. The 1980s and 1990s brick-front colonials in Roswell were built with standard 2-1/8″ lock bores, which is the same specification used by Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, Baldwin, and most major smart locks. We remove the old deadbolt, install the new smart lock in the existing bore, and connect it to your network. No door replacement, no frame work, no new holes in the door.
Yes. The historic homes around Canton Street, Bulloch Hall, and Barrington Hall often have original mortise locks that are 150+ years old. These aren’t locks you replace with a modern deadbolt; they’re locks you restore. We disassemble, clean, repair, and rebuild the internal components, or source period-appropriate replacement hardware if a part is beyond salvage. This is restoration-grade work, and it’s one of the reasons Roswell is genuinely different from Alpharetta or Johns Creek for a locksmith.
Fifteen to thirty minutes per lock once the technician is on site. Horseshoe Bend’s housing stock is so homogenous that most homes use one of a handful of legacy Kwikset keyways, which means the rekey pin kits we need are almost always on the truck. If you’re rekeying three or four exterior locks, expect the job to be finished in under two hours from arrival. We quote the price on the phone before dispatch, so you know the number before we ring the doorbell.
Usually, yes. Many Roswell HOA homes have a standalone keypad for a garage door or a secondary entrance, and a smart lock on the front door operates independently of that system. Some homeowners want everything integrated under one app, which is doable if you choose compatible brands (Schlage and Yale both have clean integrations with major smart home platforms). We’ll tell you what works with what you already have, and what doesn’t, before you spend a dollar. Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate.
Contact Novak Lock & Security for Lock Installation & Rekey in Roswell
If you need a lock installed, a house rekeyed, or a builder’s key rendered useless in Roswell, call (331) 310-8471. A live person answers, every time, day or night. We’ll ask a few questions about your home and your doors, give you a firm price in writing, and schedule a time that works. The tech who arrives will be background-checked, uniformed, and working under The Haven Standard: written price, documented photo record, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise. That’s the whole arrangement. No add-ons at the door, no “discovery” fees, no surprises.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Roswell with written pricing on every job.