A brand-new door is a clean slate, and that’s both the good news and the catch. With nothing pre-drilled, you get to pick the exact hardware you want and where it sits. But a slab with no holes also means more work than swapping a lock into an existing one. We’ve handled plenty of fresh installs across Altadena lately, from rebuilds up near Mendocino Lane to new construction off Altadena Drive, and the question we hear first is almost always the same: what’s this going to cost?
Here’s how the numbers actually shake out, and what you’re paying for.
The Honest Price Range
For on a new door, most jobs land between $120 and $280. That figure covers labor plus a standard-grade deadbolt or handle set. If you’re supplying your own hardware, you’re mostly paying for the labor and the drilling, which usually runs $90 to $160 depending on the door and the lock type.
A few things push that number around:
Door material
A hollow-core interior door drills fast. A solid wood entry door or a metal/fiberglass exterior slab takes more time and the right bits. Metal doors in particular add labor because cutting clean holes without warping the face takes care.
Hardware grade and type
A basic Grade 3 deadbolt is one price. A Grade 1 commercial-rated lock, a mortise lock, or a high-security cylinder costs more for both the part and the install. If you’re leaning toward keypad or app-controlled hardware, that’s its own conversation, and we cover it under .
How many locks
Most folks want a deadbolt plus a handle set on an entry door. Doing both in one visit is cheaper per lock than calling us out twice. Same goes if you’ve got several new doors going in at once during a remodel.
Prep work
A truly bare slab needs the lock bore (the big hole), the latch bore (the edge hole), and the strike plate mortise cut into the frame. If the door came pre-bored to a standard 2-1/8″ hole, that trims time. If the frame needs adjustment so the latch catches cleanly, add a little.
What the Process Looks Like
When we show up for a new-door install, here’s the order of operations:
1. Measure and mark
We confirm the backset (usually 2-3/8″ or 2-3/4″) and mark the bore centers using a template. On a new door this matters most, since there’s no existing hole to follow and a crooked bore is permanent.
2. Drill the bores
A hole saw cuts the face bore for the lock body, then a spade or auger bit cuts the latch bore through the edge. We drill from both sides on a wood door to avoid blowing out the veneer.
3. Mortise the latch and strike
We chisel out shallow recesses so the latch faceplate and the strike plate sit flush. Flush hardware looks right and seals better against the weather coming down off the foothills.
4. Install and align
The lock goes in, the strike gets mounted on the jamb, and we test the throw of the bolt over and over until it engages smoothly with the door shut. A deadbolt that only locks if you lift the door isn’t done.
5. Key and hand off
You get your keys, we confirm everything turns clean from inside and out, and we point out anything about the door or frame worth watching.
Start to finish, a single entry door is usually 45 minutes to an hour and a half.
When This Service Is the Right Call
If your door is new and unbored, a proper install beats trying to force a lock in yourself, mostly because a misdrilled hole on a $300 entry slab is an expensive mistake. We see it after DIY attempts near Lake Avenue and around Christmas Tree Lane more than you’d think.
If your door already has a lock and you just moved in, you likely want a rekey or a straight lock swap instead, which costs less. And if security is the main goal, sometimes the smarter spend is upgrading to a Grade 1 deadbolt rather than adding more cheap locks. We’ll tell you honestly which one fits your situation when we look at the door.
With so many homes around Eaton Canyon and the Farnsworth Park area being rebuilt and refitted, fresh hardware installs have been a big part of our week. You can see the full menu of Altadena locksmith services if you’re tackling more than one project.
Get a Real Number for Your Door
Pricing depends on the door in front of us, so the most accurate quote comes from a quick description or a photo. If you’ve got a new door waiting on a lock, give the Locksmith HQ Team a call at (818) 398-9391 and we’ll walk you through what your specific lock installation in Altadena will cost before we ever pick up a drill.
