Door locks are a major piece of the security puzzle besides cameras or movement signals. Not only the front door, but all doors in the house require locks that will keep intruders thinking twice before even trying to break in. Besides door locks, there are other great security measures that can be applied to house doors which we will discuss in this post
Yes, you need two locks. Two locks on the front door will definitely reinforce house security. The first reason is a mental obstacle that might stop someone from break-in, just because two locks on the door look complicated and challenging. The second reason is the precious time that will take someone to unlock two locks instead of one. Guess what? During the break of the second lock, police should show up and take care of unwanted “guests”.
So if you decide that 2 locks are indeed safer than one lock, what type of locks should you install and how much it might cost? Most probably you will have to call a locksmith to drill a hole for an extra lock, buy a new lock, installation and rekeying fee. Let’s go over the details
What kind of locks do you need on your front door?
The majority of households in the United States have a regular keyed deadbolt and doorknob. While many door knobs are dummy knobs – means knobs that can’t be locked from the inside and outside. It solely serves as a handle that you can pull or push.
Then we have a deadbolt that is keeping the door locked. Someone who intends to break in they can pick or drill the only deadbolt that is keeping them outside the door. It is highly recommended to have a keyed door knob on top of 2 deadbolts. It will take some time for a bad person to bypass all three locks
How do I install a second deadbolt if I don’t have a hole in the door?
Whether you just purchased a house/condo/apartment or renting a property, oftentimes you will be given a key that works for all or some of the locks. It is quite rare to see two deadbolts with the keyed doorknob on the same door. Therefore you have two options if you decided to add a second deadbolt or any other keyed lock such as a keypad:
First, you buy the necessary tools and follow this guide on how to drill in the door:
- Buy a drill
- Buy a 2 hole dozers with a door lock installation template guide
- Buy a Dremel with a wood-cutting disk
- Install a lock according to the manual inside the box
- Rekey a lock (under 1 minute if it is a Smart Kwikset)
Second, you call a locksmith for a certain amount of fee that has all the necessary tools and experience
Do I need 2 locks only on the front door or on all doors?
The front door like any door is an entrance to your home. However, the door leading to the garage might be exempted from 2 extra deadbolts with an existing door knob, because garage gates are already barriers to the premises before anyone reaches the regular door passing through the garage
Taking into account the time it will take for someone brake several locks and mental barriers, it is a great idea to have 2 locks installed on every door whether it’s a front, back, or garage door. Especially if the back door is a glass sliding door, you should definitely put extra security bars that prevent the door from sliding
Security door bar on glass sliding door. Because sliding doors are mostly made of glass, there is nearly no place to install a deadbolt or any extra lock on it. Surely don’t try to drill it, because the glass will crack. The picture below is the sliding glass door lock mechanism which consists of a hook that goes into metal that holds that hook in place which eventually keeps the door shut
Therefore to prevent possible burglar attempts, you should definitely consider attaching either a security door bar or sliding door stoppers.
