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 Residential Locksmith Across San Lorenzo
If you live in San Lorenzo, you already know the houses here have a stubborn streak, especially the doors. Most of the residential locksmith work we do in San Lorenzo means working on Bohannon-era ranch homes and cape cods where the original lock hardware is now 70 to 80 years old. That age shows up as frozen cylinders, worn mortise lock bodies, and door frames that simply won’t accept modern deadbolts without some careful, experienced modification. We handle lock changes, rekeying, deadbolt installation, and residential lockouts across San Lorenzo every week, with a live person answering at (910) 714-4287 any hour you call.
Why Dunmore Locksmith Is San Lorenzo’s Preferred Residential Locksmith Company
Dunmore Locksmith is the Threshold Group member serving San Lorenzo and the surrounding East Bay since 2007. Our Residential Locksmith technicians work on the same streets you live on, and they know the difference between a door frame bored in 1948 and one bored in 1988. That’s not trivia. It determines whether your original mortise lock can be rekeyed or whether the door needs a careful, honest conversation about retrofitting. San Lorenzo homeowners tell us the same thing after a job: the written price we gave them before we started was the exact number on the invoice, and the technician who showed up was the same person from the name-and-photo we sent before the visit.
Every technician is background-checked and identity-verified under what we call the Threshold Standard. They arrive in a clean marked uniform, carry a photo ID badge, and hold it up at the door before you open it. If anyone arrives who you were not told to expect, that visit is covered at no charge. And every repair carries a written 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair fails within one year, we return and make it right at no charge. No fine print, no phone tree, no chatbot. Just a real person on the line, 24 hours a day, ready to dispatch to San Lorenzo.
Locksmith Key Replacement in San Lorenzo
Locksmith Key Replacement in San Lorenzo usually means one of two things: cutting a new key because the original disappeared, or rebuilding the lock so an old key no longer turns the cylinder. In older Bohannon-era homes, the second situation often involves the original pin-and-tumbler cylinder. The pot-metal body corrodes from decades of Bay fog, the pins wear down, and eventually the key stops working. A replacement key cut from a worn original often just copies the wear into a new blank, so a proper fix means measuring the remaining pin depths and sometimes replacing the cylinder itself.
What Replacement Actually Involves
When the cylinder is still sound, we cut new keys to factory depths and test them in the lock, not just in a machine. When the cylinder has failed, we swap it for a current production cylinder that fits the existing mid-century bore pattern. On a standard San Lorenzo knob or deadbolt, full key and cylinder replacement typically runs $85 to $160. If the original hardware is a mortise lock, the job takes longer because the cylinder must be matched to a recessed pocket in the door edge, and that runs $140 to $220.
When Rekeying Is the Better Call
If your San Lorenzo house changed hands, or a tenant moved out, or a set of keys went missing, rekeying is often cheaper and faster than full hardware replacement. Rekeying means changing the internal pins so the old keys no longer work. A standard knob lock rekey in San Lorenzo runs $65 to $95 per cylinder. We can do three or four cylinders on one visit, and we’ll key them all alike so a single key works every door.
Smart Lock Installation in San Lorenzo
Smart Lock Installation in San Lorenzo is one of our most requested upgrades, but it is also the job where we have the most honest conversations with homeowners. The modern deadbolt locks you see in hardware stores are built for doors bored to ANSI standard dimensions, and San Lorenzo’s original Bohannon-era doors often are not. The mid-century bore and strike placement can be off by enough that a forced fit splits the door edge or leaves the deadbolt throw misaligned with the strike plate. That is a security gap, not just an annoyance.
Old Doors, New Locks
On a west-facing front door near Via Del Sol, the salt fog has been working on the original hardware for decades before a keypad lock is even in the picture. A quality smart lock installation in San Lorenzo typically runs $180 to $320 for the labor, depending on whether the existing bore can be reused or needs careful enlargement. The hardware itself is purchased separately or supplied by you, and we install Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale models regularly. We’ll give you the written labor price before any drilling starts, and we’ll tell you plainly if your original door frame needs strike reinforcement before the lock is safe to use.
What Works on a Ranch or Cape Cod Door
Some San Lorenzo homeowners want a keypad entry system but want to keep the original vintage mortise lock below it for appearance. That is doable on many Bohannon doors if the deadbolt latch and the mortise latch can operate independently. We have installed that configuration on homes between Hesperian Boulevard and the San Lorenzo Creek, and it preserves the mid-century look while adding keyless entry. The key is measuring the door prep depth first. If the depth is non-standard, we bore it carefully, and we always reinforce the strike with longer screws into the frame. That detail is what keeps a deadbolt from being kicked in.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Lorenzo
We are factory-authorized to install and service Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware, and we stock common cylinders, strikes, and latch assemblies that fit the older door prep patterns we see all over San Lorenzo. If you have a Baldwin mortise lock from the 1950s, we can often rebuild it rather than replace it. If you want a modern high-security deadbolt, we’ll install it correctly the first time and stand behind the work for 365 days. We also carry retrofit kits for homes where the original door frame simply won’t take a standard modern strike without modification. That means less waiting, fewer return trips, and a door that actually locks when we leave.
Common Residential Locksmith Problems We See in San Lorenzo Homes
- Frozen cylinders from salt-laden air. San Lorenzo sits close enough to the southern Bay that marine fog rolls in regularly, and the salt accelerates oxidation on exterior deadbolts and strikes. Locks that have not been serviced in decades seize up completely, and the key simply will not turn.
- Modern deadbolts that won’t fit original Bohannon door prep. The bore depth and strike placement on doors built between 1944 and 1960 were not standardized the way they are today. Forcing an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt into that opening cracks the door edge and leaves the lock misaligned.
- Worn pin-and-tumbler cylinders on original knobs. Seventy-year-old pot-metal cylinders fatigue and wear internally. The key still goes in, but the pins no longer lift to the right heights, and the lock either spins freely or jams halfway.
- Mortise lock bodies that have never been serviced. These older locks often outlive the knobs that came with them, but they need cleaning, lubrication, and sometimes spring or cylinder replacement. Spray lubricant masks the problem for a few months, then the fog wins again and the lock freezes solid.
Pricing for Residential Locksmith in San Lorenzo, CA
A lock rekey on a standard San Lorenzo knob or deadbolt runs $65 to $95 per cylinder. A typical lock change, where we remove the old hardware and install new, runs $95 to $180 depending on the hardware you choose. Deadbolt installation on a door that already has a standard bore runs $90 to $160, and on an original Bohannon door that needs boring and frame modification, $160 to $280. Residential lockout service, where we get you back inside without damaging the door whenever possible, starts at $75. Every price is written down and handed to you before work begins. The number on the invoice is the number you approved. Call (910) 714-4287 for a free estimate on any residential locksmith job in San Lorenzo.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Lorenzo
Our crews handle Residential Locksmith in San Lorenzo and the surrounding East Bay communities every day. That includes Castro Valley, San Leandro, Union City, and Oakland, where the housing stock ranges from mid-century tract homes to older Victorians. The same written pricing, same background-checked technicians, and same 365-Day Done Right Promise apply no matter the address.
Serving San Lorenzo, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Lorenzo 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 About Residential Locksmith in San Lorenzo
Most original mortise locks on San Lorenzo ranch and cape cod homes can be rekeyed without replacing the entire lock body. We remove the cylinder, replace the internal pins, and cut new keys. If the cylinder itself has corroded or cracked, we replace just the cylinder. A full replacement is only necessary when the mortise lock body inside the door edge has failed mechanically. Rekeying an existing mortise lock in San Lorenzo typically runs $140 to $180. Call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll tell you honestly which situation you have.
The original Bohannon-era doors in San Lorenzo were bored to mid-century dimensions that do not match today’s ANSI standard door prep. The bore depth is often shallower and the strike placement sits lower. Forcing a modern deadbolt into that opening cracks the door edge and creates a security gap. We bore the door carefully and reinforce the strike with longer screws into the frame. That labor runs $160 to $280 on an original 1940s or 1950s door, and it is done right the first time. Call (910) 714-4287 for a written quote before any work starts.
Yes, in most cases. Our San Lorenzo lockout service uses non-destructive picking tools first, and we drill only when the cylinder is too corroded or damaged to pick. Residential lockout in San Lorenzo starts at $75, and we tell you the price on the phone before a technician is dispatched. That is the price you pay on arrival, with no added call-out surcharge. If the lock must be drilled, we’ll tell you that before we do it and give you the replacement hardware cost in writing. Call (910) 714-4287 any hour.
It very often is. San Lorenzo’s position close to the southern Bay brings persistent marine fog, and the salt-laden air oxidizes the pins, springs, and cylinder walls on exterior locks. A lock that has not been serviced in decades will seize. We disassemble the cylinder, clean or replace the internal parts, and lubricate with a dry graphite that does not attract salt dust. If the cylinder is too far gone, we replace it. A standard rekey with cleaning runs $65 to $95. Call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll get that door turning again.
They do, as long as the door is measured first and the bore is modified correctly when needed. The original Bohannon door prep is the main obstacle, not the smart lock itself. We install Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale smart locks on San Lorenzo doors regularly, and we always reinforce the strike. Labor for smart lock installation runs $180 to $320 depending on the door. You supply the hardware or we order it for you. Call (910) 714-4287 for a written quote and an honest assessment of your specific door.
If you live in San Lorenzo and you are dealing with a lock that freezes, a key that snapped, or a door that will not close, call (910) 714-4287. A real person answers, a technician is dispatched with a name and a photo before arrival, and the price is in writing before any work begins. Dunmore comes from old words for a great fort, a stronghold built to keep what is inside safe. That is the standard we bring to every door in San Lorenzo.
Written by Perry Osgood, Owner at Dunmore Locksmith, serving San Lorenzo and the East Bay since 2007.






