Lock Replacement in Nashville, TN

Measure before you order

Nashville's older doors and newer ones call for different hardware. Germantown's homes were built between the 1840s and 1920s. In Edgefield, a 1916 fire destroyed nearly 648 homes, and bungalows later rose where Queen Anne and Italianate houses had stood, so one street there can hold doors from before and after the fire. Measure each door on its own.

• Newer doors are usually bored for a standard deadbolt and knob or lever set. Matching the backset, bore size and door thickness is usually enough.
• Older doors may hold a mortise lock set into the door edge, or old bores that a modern deadbolt fits only with an adapter or new plate. Where an original mortise body still works, replacing only a worn cylinder or trim can keep the door's look.

Door rules in historic overlays

Edgefield and Germantown are historic preservation overlays under Article IX (Historic Zoning Regulations) of the Metropolitan Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, applied through the Metropolitan Historic Zoning Commission's guidelines. These overlays review repairs and alterations to existing buildings, not only new construction. Changing a lock leaves the door itself in place; replacing the door or adding a storm or security door is where the guidelines get specific.

• Edgefield: a replacement door should match the original's design, dimensions and material. Full-view security doors in a painted or anodized finish suit front doors, while security bars and grilles generally do not.
• Germantown: a full-glass storm door is permitted where it matches the existing door's dimensions and its frame sits within the door frame. Unpainted aluminum storm doors are not appropriate, and an exterior security door may suit a rear facade.

Neighborhood conservation overlays such as Lockeland Springs-East End and Salemtown review new construction, additions, demolition and relocation. In any overlay, check your district's guidelines with the commission before a door, storm door or security door goes in. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to send with a request

• Photos of the lock face, the door edge and the strike plate on the frame.
• Whether the lock is bored or mortise, and the door thickness if you can measure it.
• The neighborhood, and whether the house sits in an overlay.

If the hardware only needs a fix, see lock repair. Both districts are described on the Nashville page.