Most Encino homes we visit have the same blind spot: the side garage door. That pedestrian door tucked between the driveway and the fence — the one nobody thinks about until a neighbor’s package goes missing or a side gate gets left open. The main roll-up gets attention, the front door gets attention, but the side garage door usually has a flimsy passage knob and nothing else.
We’ve been installing deadbolts on these doors all over Encino, from the flats south of Ventura to the hillside streets above Mulholland. Here’s what we tell homeowners before we drill the first hole.
Why the Side Garage Door Matters More Than You Think
On a typical Encino property — say, one of the older ranch homes off White Oak Avenue or a remodeled split-level near Hayvenhurst — the side garage door connects two unsafe spaces. Outside it: a narrow side yard, often hidden from the street by hedges or a gate. Inside it: your garage, which usually contains tools, bikes, and a door straight into the kitchen or laundry room. An intruder who gets through that side door has cover, time, and a path into the house.
A hollow passage knob takes about six seconds to defeat. A solid deadbolt changes the math entirely.
6 Tips Before You Add a Deadbolt to Your Side Garage Door
1. Check the door material first
A lot of older Encino garages — especially in the pocket of homes near Lanai Road Elementary — still have the original hollow-core wood side doors from the 70s. A deadbolt on a hollow door isn’t doing what you think it’s doing. If the door flexes when you push it, replace the slab before you spend money on hardware. Solid wood, steel, or fiberglass only.
2. Match the deadbolt to the strike plate, not the other way around
The lock itself isn’t usually what fails. The strike plate is. Use a Grade 1 or Grade 2 deadbolt paired with a security strike plate and 3-inch screws that bite into the wall stud behind the jamb — not just the trim. We see beautiful Schlage and Kwikset deadbolts every week that got kicked through because the installer used the half-inch screws that came in the box.
3. Single-cylinder vs. double-cylinder — pick carefully
If your side garage door has a window in it, or a window within 40 inches of the lock, you might be tempted by a double-cylinder deadbolt (key on both sides). California fire code has opinions about this, and so do we. For most Encino homes, a single-cylinder with a thumb-turn on the inside is the right call. If you need a window solution, we’d rather replace the window with a solid panel than block your exit in a fire.
4. Re-key everything at the same time
If you’re adding a deadbolt, this is the moment to bring every exterior lock onto the same key. We get calls every week from homeowners juggling four different keys for the front, back, side garage, and pool gate. While we’re out there installing the new deadbolt, we’ll the rest of the house so one key opens everything.
5. Mind the gap between the door and the jamb
Encino’s dry-then-wet seasons swell and shrink wood doors. A deadbolt installed in August might not throw cleanly in February. We mortise the strike a little deep on purpose and shim where needed so the bolt seats fully year-round. A half-thrown deadbolt is barely a deadbolt at all.
6. Don’t forget the door from the garage into the house
Once the side garage door is secure, the interior door — the one from your garage into the kitchen or mudroom — becomes the next weak point. That door is technically an exterior door in the eyes of the building code, and it should have a real deadbolt too. Many homes near Balboa Boulevard still have a flimsy interior passage knob there. Fix both at the same visit.
What Encino Homeowners Usually Ask Us On-Site
“Can you match the finish to my existing hardware?” Usually yes — we stock satin nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, and matte black, which covers about 95% of the homes we see between Sepulveda and Reseda.
“How long does the install take?” A clean install on a solid door, about 30–45 minutes. If we’re reinforcing the jamb or replacing the slab, plan on a couple of hours.
“Do I need a permit?” For a residential deadbolt swap on an existing door, no. For structural changes to the opening, the City of Los Angeles building department has rules — we’ll tell you when something crosses that line.
Local and Available
We work across Encino daily and know the neighborhoods — the gated streets off Petit, the busier blocks near the Encino Town Center, the quieter cul-de-sacs above Ventura. If you want to look at our full service for garage door lock in Encino, or browse the rest of our Encino locksmith services, the details are on the site.
For a quote or to schedule a deadbolt install on your side garage door, give the Locksmith HQ Team a call at (818) 398-9391. We’ll usually have someone in the Encino area the same day.
