Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Locksmith Before & After in San Jose, CA
We’ve installed or serviced more than 60,000 locks, keys, and systems since 2002. Every job started with a written price and ended with a documented photo record. This gallery shows what that actually looks like on the ground in San Jose: the hardware we found, what we replaced it with, and the security gap we closed.
Recent Transformations
Commercial Master Key System - Downtown San Jose Office Building
The property manager at a 14-suite building on Santa Clara Street had five different keyways across three floors, no idea how many copies existed, and a tenant turnover rate that meant rekeying every other month. We found Kwikset, Schlage, and two off-brand cylinders, all standard-pick grade. We installed a Schlage Primus XP system with a six-level master key hierarchy, restricted key blanks that require our authorization to duplicate, and a written bitting list stored with the owner. The building now rekeys by changing a single pin in the master core rather than replacing cylinders. Price quoted in writing before we started: $4,200 for 23 cylinders, master keys, and the documentation packet. Haven Standard Clause 1: the price on the phone was the price on the invoice.
Residential Rekey After Break-In - Willow Glen Single-Family Home
The homeowner in Willow Glen called at 11 p.m. after a forced entry through the side door. We found a Kwikset SmartKey deadbolt, grade 2 residential, with the bolt housing cracked from impact and no way to know how many keys had been copied by previous owners, contractors, or the real estate agent who sold the house in 2019. We replaced it with a Schlage B660P, which is a grade 1 commercial deadbolt rated for 1 million cycles, and rekeyed the front door and garage service door to a single key. The new keyway is standard Schlage, so the owner can get blanks cut at any hardware store, but we retained the pinning record so only our shop can produce duplicates on request. Rekey of two additional cylinders plus the deadbolt replacement: $340, quoted in writing before dispatch. Photo record delivered at completion showing the damaged housing and the new installation.
Access Control Retrofit - North San Jose Tech Office
A 40-person engineering firm near the San Jose airport had been using standalone Schlage CO-series keypad locks for three years. The problem: no audit trail of who entered when, no way to revoke access for terminated employees without physically reprogramming each lock, and three instances in 2024 of former contractors still having valid codes. We found the locks functioning but operationally obsolete for a business with compliance requirements. We installed HID Signo multi-technology readers at four perimeter doors, tied to a cloud-based access management platform. Now the office manager adds or revokes credentials from a browser, entry events log automatically, and the system supports mobile credentials and physical cards. The existing door hardware stayed; we replaced only the locking electronics and added the network infrastructure. Scope and flat price written before work: $6,800 including readers, controller, cabling, and one year of platform licensing. Haven Standard Clause 4: documented photo record of every door, before and after, left with the facilities manager.
Emergency Lockout - Rose Garden Residential, High-Security Mul-T-Lock
The call came at 6:47 a.m. from a homeowner in the Rose Garden neighborhood who had stepped outside to retrieve a package and the Mul-T-Lock MT5+ deadbolt had auto-locked behind her. This is a high-security cylinder with telescopic pin tumblers and an alpha spring sidebar, designed specifically to resist picking, bumping, and impressioning. We found the lock properly installed and in good condition, which meant drilling was not an option if the owner wanted to keep the same key system. Our technician used a specialized decoder tool to map the pin stacks through the keyway, generated a temporary operating key, and opened the door without damaging the cylinder, the door, or the frame. Total time on site: 34 minutes. The owner kept her existing keys and key registration card. Emergency response fee plus the high-security opening: $280, stated in full before the technician was dispatched. No surcharge added on arrival. Background-checked, uniformed technician; photo record of the undamaged lock and door left with the customer.
Lock Grade Upgrade - Almaden Valley Residential, Post-Home Inspection
A home sale in Almaden Valley was contingent on the buyer’s inspector flagging the front door hardware: a Weiser passage latch with no deadbolt, original to the 2006 build, which the report noted failed ANSI grade requirements and left a 1-3/4 inch door secured by a spring latch alone. We found the latch face worn from 18 years of use, the strike plate secured with 3/4 inch screws into door frame trim rather than framing lumber, and daylight visible around the door perimeter. We installed a Baldwin Estate 6542 handleset with an integrated B60 deadbolt, both grade 2, with a full lip strike and 3 inch framing screws. The existing door prep required minor enlargement of the cross bore, which we documented in the photo record. Rekeyed to match the new homeowner’s key. Price quoted in writing: $680 for the hardware, installation, and rekey. The buyer’s agent forwarded our written scope and photo record to the escrow officer to clear the contingency.
Safe Combination Recovery - West San Jose, Inherited Gun Safe
The executor of an estate in West San Jose needed to access a Fort Knox Guardian safe that had been in a garage closet since 2011. The combination was recorded in a notebook that could not be located. We found a Sargent & Greenleaf 6730 three-wheel mechanical lock, which is a group 2 manipulation-resistant lock, properly installed on a 3/16 inch steel door. Rather than drilling, which would have damaged the safe and required a replacement lock, our technician manipulated the wheels through the dial to determine the gate positions. Opening time: 2 hours 15 minutes. We then reset the combination to a new number provided by the executor, tested it five times, and issued a new factory record card with the change index and operating instructions. Flat price for manipulation opening, combination change, and documentation: $450, quoted in full before we dispatched. The executor received the photo record, the new combination card, and a written receipt for the estate’s asset inventory.
Want Results Like These?
Every job you see here started the same way: a live person answered the phone, asked the right questions, and gave a written price before anyone was dispatched. No voicemail queue. No callback window. No price changed on the doorstep. Call (669) 201-7095 and we’ll tell you exactly what your job will cost, what we’ll document, and what the 365-Day Done Right Promise covers. If you have a competitor’s written estimate, we’ll review it free under our Second Opinion policy.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving San Jose since 2002.