Lock Replacement in Colorado Springs, CO

Door ages by neighborhood

Colorado Springs grew by annexation, so the door on a given street could date from almost any decade.

• Old North End Historic District. North of Colorado College, its houses span 1885 to 1965, with many from 1890 to 1910, in styles from Georgian Revival to Mission and Bungalow. Some doors of that period may hold a mortise lock set into the edge, and a new mortise body can often fit the existing pocket, avoiding fresh holes in an original door.
• Old Colorado City. Founded on August 13, 1859, as the first settlement in the Pikes Peak region, it joined Colorado Springs in 1917 and is known as the West Side. A founding date says little about any one door, so look at the door.
• Seavey's Addition, the East End and the Broadmoor area. The first two came into the city in the 1889–90 annexations. The Broadmoor Land Company built the Broadmoor suburb in 1891, yet the Broadmoor Addition, Cheyenne Cañon, Ivywild, Skyway and Stratton Meadows were annexed only on October 1, 1981. An annexation date says little about when a house was built, so measure rather than guess.

When replacement makes sense

• Worn hardware. A knob set or deadbolt from the 1970s or 1980s can have loose spindles, a weak latch spring and a worn finish at once; when several parts have failed together, one new set is simpler than repairing each.
• Upgrading a working lock. Moving from a knob set to a deadbolt, or to a smart lock, depends on the size of the holes already in the door, which is why the measurements below matter.
• Damage. A bent bolt or cracked housing after a forced entry calls for new hardware.

Measure before you ask

1. Door thickness.
2. Backset, from the door edge to the center of the knob or deadbolt hole, usually 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inches.
3. Whether the lock is bored, with a round hole through the face, or mortise, with a box set into the edge.
4. Photos of the inside, outside and edge of the door.
5. Whether you want the new locks keyed alike.

If a lock only sticks or drags, lock repair may be enough. The lock replacement page describes the service, and Colorado Springs covers the city's older districts.