A residential locksmith Reynoldstown homeowners call usually shows up to a door older than the people behind it. The bungalows along Wylie, Walthall, and the side streets off Memorial were built in the 1910s and 1920s. The hardware on a lot of those doors has been adjusted, swapped, and re-cut by every owner since. Some of it still works. A surprising amount of it doesn’t, and the owners just haven’t noticed.
If you’ve recently moved in, or you’ve been in the house for a while and the side door is starting to act funny, this is the right time to look at the security setup honestly.
Start with What’s Actually on the Door
Before any conversation about smart locks or high-security cylinders, the question is what the door itself can support. Reynoldstown bungalows tend to have original solid-wood doors with non-standard bore holes. Many were cut for older mortise lock bodies, which means a modern off-the-shelf deadbolt from a big-box store often doesn’t fit cleanly.
A few things worth checking before you buy any hardware:
- Door thickness. Bungalow doors are often 1-3/4 inch but sometimes thicker.
- Existing bore hole diameter. Standard modern locks expect 2-1/8 inch. Older bores can be smaller or off-center.
- Backset measurement. The distance from the door edge to the center of the bore. Older Atlanta homes can run 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inch, and the wrong backset means a lock that won’t sit flush.
- Strike plate alignment. After a hundred years of seasonal swelling, frames shift. The strike that used to line up doesn’t anymore.
This is where a residential locksmith familiar with old Atlanta neighborhoods will save you time. Showing up with the right hardware on the first visit means no second trip, no door modification, no patch job on a door that’s already lived through a hundred Georgia summers.
Rekey or Replace? The Honest Answer
This is the most common question Reynoldstown homeowners ask after closing. The right answer depends on the condition of the hardware, not on what feels more thorough.
If the existing locks are in decent shape, rekeying is usually the right move. A locksmith pulls the cylinder, swaps out the pins, and re-cuts a new key. Your old key stops working. Anyone who had a copy from the previous owner is locked out. The whole job takes under an hour for most homes.
When does replacement actually make sense? A few situations:
- The lock body is loose in the door. The internal mechanism is past the point of pin work.
- Visible corrosion in the keyway. Reynoldstown sits close enough to the BeltLine and the older drainage that humidity in some basements creeps up into hardware on side and back doors.
- The lock is more than 25 years old and you can feel grit when you turn the key.
- The brand is something obscure that a locksmith can’t reliably source replacement pins for.
For most newer hardware, the lock replacement call is about upgrading security grade, not fixing a broken lock. Builder-grade Grade 3 hardware on a residential door is the floor. ANSI Grade 2 is what a residential locksmith would put on their own house. Grade 1 is overkill for most homes but right at home on a duplex or rental property.
What Actually Improves Security on a Bungalow
A common pattern with Reynoldstown homes. The owner buys an expensive smart lock. The smart lock gets installed on a door with a worn strike plate, half-inch screws, and a frame that’s been kicked once and patched back. The lock costs more than the rest of the door, and the weakest link is still the wood next to the latch.
A few upgrades that actually move the needle, in rough order of impact:
- High-security strike plates with 3-inch screws that bite into the framing studs, not just the door jamb trim. This is the single highest-leverage upgrade on most older Atlanta homes.
- A solid Grade 2 deadbolt with a hardened steel insert in the bolt. Deadbolt installation on a bungalow sometimes requires bore-hole reaming if the existing hole is too small. A locksmith will do this without splitting the door.
- Re-keyed exterior cylinders so the front, back, and side door all run on one key. Old bungalows often have three different keys for three different doors because hardware was added in pieces over decades. Consolidating reduces the number of keys floating around.
- Secondary locks on basement and side entries. Many Reynoldstown bungalows have an exterior basement door or a side service entrance with a worn lockset that gets overlooked.
- Smart locks, last. They’re useful if your daily routine actually benefits. A keypad lock for kids coming home from school, codes you can give a dog walker, easy revocation when a tenant or housekeeper leaves. But put it on a door that’s secured properly underneath the smart features.
Older Doors, Real Constraints
A few things to keep in mind when working with original or near-original bungalow doors.
Solid wood doors built before WWII have grain and density modern doors don’t. That’s good for security, but it also means new hardware installation can split the wood if installed quickly or with the wrong drill. A residential locksmith who’s worked on Cabbagetown, Inman Park, Grant Park, and Reynoldstown homes will know to pilot-drill and back-bore as needed.
If your bungalow has an original five-panel or craftsman-style door, replacing it for security reasons is almost never the right call. The door itself is part of the home’s character and value. Upgrading the hardware and reinforcing the frame is the right path.
Window locks deserve attention too. Many Reynoldstown homes still have original double-hung windows with old sash locks that don’t fully engage. A rekeying service in GA can also handle window lock replacement during the same visit, which is worth bundling.
FAQ
Should I rekey or replace the locks after buying a Reynoldstown bungalow?
For most homes, rekeying is the right first step. It’s faster, less expensive than full replacement, and gives you the same security benefit (nobody who had an old key can get in anymore). Replace only if the hardware is physically failing, corroded, or below modern security grade.
Will modern locks fit my 1920s bungalow door?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The bore hole, backset, and door thickness all matter. A residential locksmith can measure these on site and either fit modern hardware or recommend specific brands that work with non-standard old-door dimensions.
Is a smart lock worth it for an older Atlanta home?
If your daily routine actually benefits from keypad access or remote codes, yes. If you’re considering it just because it’s newer technology, the money is better spent on a high-security deadbolt, reinforced strike plate, and 3-inch screws.
How long does a typical security upgrade visit take?
Rekeying alone is usually under an hour. A full visit that includes rekey, strike plate replacement, and one or two new deadbolts is typically a half-day job depending on the door condition.
Getting Started
The right starting point for most Reynoldstown homeowners is a walk-through with a locksmith who works in old Atlanta neighborhoods regularly. Door by door, what’s worth keeping, what needs rekeying, what needs replacing, and where the budget is best spent.
If you’re upgrading security on a Reynoldstown bungalow, the fastest path is to call (470) 971-2071 and we’ll send a technician out to look at the doors. You can also send us the details through our contact form and we’ll get back to you.