Smart Lock Installation in Norfolk, VA

Will your door take a smart lock

Most retrofit smart deadbolts are made for a standard bored door: a round hole through the face and a short bolt hole in the edge. Some of Norfolk's older doors were cut differently. Park Place grew from 1884 and Ghent was planned in the late 1800s, so a front door in either may hold a mortise lock in a pocket in its edge. That door needs a smart lock made for mortise hardware, or a conversion that fills the pocket first.

The door also has to close cleanly. A wooden door that swells in humid weather rubs its frame, and a latch that binds makes the motor work harder and drains the batteries, so a sticking door is worth adjusting before any install.

Review districts, landlords and shared entrances

Under Va. Code § 15.2-2306, a locality may require approval for alterations in its historic districts. Ghent is one of five Norfolk districts under the Architectural Review Board, and a keypad on a street-facing door may count as visible hardware, so ask the city before installing one there. This is general information, not legal advice.

If you rent, read the lease and tell the landlord before changing a unit lock. In an apartment building, a smart lock on your unit door leaves the lobby fob as it was, since management may run that.

Heat, damp and batteries

NOAA calls Virginia summers very warm. A keypad in afternoon sun, or behind a glass storm door that traps heat, runs hot, and rain on an unsheltered door reaches its seals. Batteries also lose capacity in winter cold.

• Put the keypad where a porch roof or overhang shelters it, when the door allows.
• Replace batteries at the first low-battery warning.
• Keep a working mechanical key with a family member or neighbor in case the electronics fail.

Details that help

Photos of both faces and the edge of the door, the model you have or want, whether Wi-Fi reaches the door, whether a local historic district covers the house and, for a rental, written approval from the landlord. Service details are on the smart lock installation page. Norfolk covers the neighborhoods, and lock rekeying is an option if you would rather keep a traditional lock.