Home locksmith for raised houses, rentals and new keys

From a raised house near the river to a newer place by the lake, Falcon Locksmith Pros looks after the locks that keep a home in Kenner secure: getting you back in, new deadbolts, patio and storage doors, and keys you can account for. The estimate is free.

Everything a house locks with

A home has more locks than most people count: the front and back doors, the door in from the carport or garage, a patio slider, the storage room under a raised house, a side gate, a shed, the mailbox. Any of them can be the one that fails at the wrong moment.

A house call can take care of all of them at once. Lockouts, lost keys, new deadbolts, locks that bind, hardware that has simply worn out, and sets of keys that should open everything but never quite do. You hear what each lock needs before anything is changed.

Newer houses near the lake usually arrive with builder hardware that works but wears quickly, while older places near the river often have sturdy original locks that only need new pins and a little attention. Both kinds turn up on the same street, so the advice is lock by lock rather than one answer for the whole house.

New deadbolt being installed in a front door, LA

Deadbolts that do their job

Plenty of older doors around here still rely on a knob lock alone, and a knob latch is easy to defeat compared with a deadbolt that reaches well into the frame. Adding one is a common part of a home visit.

The bolt is only as good as what it locks into. A strike plate held by short screws pulls out of the trim when the door is forced; one held by long screws that reach the framing behind it does not. That reinforcement goes in with the new deadbolt, and an existing one can be upgraded the same way.

A double-cylinder deadbolt needs a key on both sides, which keeps someone from reaching through glass to turn it, but it also means a key is needed to get out in a hurry. That trade-off gets talked through before one goes on any door.

Doors in older houses near the river are often solid wood and thicker than modern ones, which suits a heavy deadbolt well. The hole sizes and how far the lock sits from the edge get measured first, so the new hardware fits the door instead of the other way around.

Locked out at home

When the door swings shut with the keys inside, tell us where you are and what is locked. Before anything is opened, the technician sees a photo ID and something that ties you to the address, such as a bill, a lease or closing papers. That check protects every house on the street, yours included.

Once you are back inside, the lock gets a look so the same thing does not strand you next week. If the keys are gone for good rather than just behind the door, the lock can be re-pinned or given a new cylinder, and fresh keys are cut before the technician leaves.

If a child or a pet is inside, say so on the call, because that changes the order of the day. Waiting somewhere shaded or dry rather than on the steps is the only preparation needed; the technician calls as they pull up.

Sliding doors, sheds and the carport room

Patio sliders tend to have the weakest latch in the house, and damp weather does them no favors. A worn latch can be replaced, and an added lock that keeps the door from being lifted or forced along its track is often worth it for a slider that faces the yard.

The storage room under a raised house, a shed out back and a side gate are usually on keys nobody can find. They can be brought onto the same key as the house when the locks are compatible, and rusted or seized ones are swapped for hardware that will last.

Landlords, tenants and inherited houses

Landlords call for lock work between leases, for mailbox locks in a small building, and for keys after a tenant leaves without returning them. Tenants can have their locks repaired or changed with the landlord's okay, which we need before starting.

Houses that pass through a family often come with keys spread among relatives and old neighbors. Sorting out who can open what, and making the rest useless, is one visit.

How a home visit goes

Most homes are taken care of in a single trip.

Tell us about the house
Which doors, what is wrong with each, and whether a gate, shed or mailbox is part of it.
Proof of the address
Photo ID and a bill, lease or closing papers, or the owner's okay for a rental.
Each lock gets its fix
Opened, rekeyed, repaired or replaced, door by door, after you hear the options.
Keys tried with you
Every new key turned in its lock while you watch, and old keys made useless.

Before storm season

A quick walk around the house before the weather turns pays off. A deadbolt that only throws when you lean on the door, a slider latch that barely catches, or a storage room lock rusted half shut are all easier to deal with on a calm afternoon than after a storm, when every repair crew in the parish is booked.

If shutters or plywood go over a door, the lock still has to work once they come off. Damp frames swell after a storm too, and a strike adjusted afterward lets the bolt reach home again without anyone forcing the key.

Home lock questions

Can you get us in if every key is inside?

Yes. After the ID and address check, the door is opened and the lock is looked at. If the keys are lost rather than locked in, new ones are cut on the spot.

Our door only has a knob lock. Can it take a deadbolt?

Almost always. A deadbolt is drilled into the door and the frame gets a reinforced strike, so the door holds when someone leans on it.

Can the patio slider get a better lock?

Yes. A worn latch can be replaced, and an added lock that stops the door being lifted or pried along its track is a common upgrade.

Do you change mailbox locks?

Yes, for houses and for small buildings. For a building with several boxes, the owner or manager arranges it with us.

Can the shed and the storage room match the house key?

When the locks are compatible, yes. If one is not, a matching lock goes in so a single key covers them all.

What do you need from a tenant?

A photo ID and the lease, plus the landlord's okay before any lock is changed. Opening a door for a tenant who is locked out only needs the ID and lease.

Do you install locks on gates?

Yes. Side gates and yard gates take keyed locks or padlock hardware, and a gate lock can usually be keyed to match the house so one key opens both.

Is the estimate free?

Yes. You hear what each lock needs and the estimate is free before anything starts.

Locked out right now?

One street name and a tech is rolling.

Call now