Lock Replacement in Syracuse, NY

Doors older than today's hardware

CNY Vitals, citing Census data, reports that 43 percent of Syracuse's occupied housing was built in 1939 or earlier. Across New York the share is about 30 percent, and the median home statewide dates from 1959. Doors in houses that old were often cut for hardware that is no longer standard, so a replacement here should start with the door, not the lock.

Older doors often carry a mortise lock, a box set into a deep pocket cut in the door edge. Most modern locks expect a bored door, with a round hole through the face and a smaller one through the edge. Moving from one to the other can mean filling a pocket, drilling new holes or setting a new strike in an old frame, so decide early whether you are keeping the original style.

Neighborhood notes

• Strathmore, on the southwest side, has several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. If you own one, photos of the door face, edge and existing trim help choose hardware whose finish and style suit the building.
• Sedgwick Farms, on the northeast side, has many large, architecturally distinct older homes. If you plan to keep an original door, say so up front; the new lock then has to fit the door rather than the other way round.
• Rentals. An owner whose one- or two-unit rental needs a Rental Registry Certificate (Syracuse Property Conservation Code, Chapter 27, Article 9) must pass interior and exterior inspections to get it, so a lock that no longer secures an exterior door is worth replacing first. This is general information, not legal advice.

When to replace instead of repair

• The cylinder is worn enough that keys stick even after cleaning.
• Parts for an old latch or mortise body are no longer made.
• The door has only a spring latch and you want a deadbolt.
• You want a different kind of lock, such as a keypad or smart lock.

If the lock itself is sound, lock repair may be enough. To ask about lock replacement, include the door thickness, the backset (the distance from the door edge to the center of the knob), photos of both sides of the door, and your neighborhood. For the wider picture of Syracuse housing, see the Syracuse page.