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 Phoenix, AZ
We’ve been opening, fixing, and upgrading locks across Phoenix since 2002. These jobs show what we actually find on service calls and what we leave behind. Every photo is from a real visit, every price was quoted in writing before we touched a cylinder, and every customer received a documented photo record at completion.
Recent Transformations
Commercial Rekey After Employee Turnover in Deer Valley
The property manager at a 12-unit office complex near I-17 and Deer Valley Road had fired a maintenance supervisor three weeks prior. She didn’t know how many keys he’d copied in two years of employment. We found a standard Schlage SC1 keyway with no restrictions, meaning any hardware store could duplicate the key without authorization. We rekeyed all 14 cylinders to a new pin combination, issued serialized keys with a signed control log, and quoted the full job at $28 per cylinder before we started. Haven Standard Clause 1: the price on the phone was the price on the invoice. She had her key control back by 2 PM.
Residential Lock Upgrade in Arcadia Lite
A homeowner near 36th Street and Camelback called after finding pry marks and a failed drill hole in her front door from an overnight attempt. The existing Kwikset SmartKey had already been compromised once; the internal sidebar was damaged and the lock couldn’t be rekeyed again. We installed a Baldwin Estate deadbolt with a Medeco M3 high-security cylinder, which uses angled cuts and sidebar interlocking that standard picking and bumping tools cannot defeat. The full hardware and labor price, $487, was written on the work order before we unloaded the van. She received a documented photo record showing the damaged cylinder we removed and the new installation complete with strike plate reinforcement.
Access Control Retrofit in Downtown Phoenix Historic Building
The building owner at Roosevelt and Third Street inherited a 1920s brick structure with a front door that had accumulated three separate lock systems, none of them master-keyed together. Previous tenants had keys he couldn’t account for, and the property manager was driving across town to let in contractors. We removed the incompatible hardware, filled and re-drilled the door for a single Schlage Control SCL series unit, and programmed mobile credentials with time-based access rules. The owner can now see who entered and when, revoke access remotely, and never cut another metal key. We quoted $1,840 for the full retrofit including hardware, installation, and programming; the invoice matched exactly. Haven Standard Clause 4: documented photo record on every visit.
Emergency Lockout in Ahwatukee Foothills
A customer near Desert Foothills Parkway and Chandler Boulevard locked herself out at 6:45 AM on a 112-degree July morning, her phone and keys both inside. The deadbolt was a standard Schlage B60 with no anti-pick features. Our technician arrived in 34 minutes, picked the lock to the open position without drilling or damaging the cylinder, and had her inside with her keys before her first conference call. The price, $89 for the emergency response and lock manipulation, was quoted by the dispatcher before the van was dispatched. She paid exactly that. We left her with a documented photo record showing the undamaged lock and a recommendation to upgrade to a keypad deadbolt to prevent recurrence.
Master Key System Installation for Phoenix Apartment Complex in Maryvale
A 32-unit complex near 59th Avenue and McDowell had been under the same ownership since 1987. The on-site manager carried 47 keys on a single ring with no labels, no duplicates accounted for, and no way to grant a maintenance worker access to only the units they needed. We designed a three-level master key system: one grand master for the owner, two sub-masters for the north and south buildings, and individual unit keys. All cylinders were rekeyed to Schlage Everest 29 SL keyway with patent protection through 2029, meaning unauthorized duplication is legally and physically blocked. The full system, quoted at $1,792 including all cylinders, keys, and a printed control chart, was completed over two scheduled days. The manager now carries three keys instead of 47, and every key is tracked by serial number.
Safe Opening and Combination Recovery in North Phoenix
An estate executor near Seventh Street and Bell Road needed documents from a floor safe; the decedent had never written down the combination and the electronic lock’s battery had corroded the contacts. We manipulated the lock open without drilling, inventoried the contents with the executor present, and installed a new Sargent & Greenleaf 6730 mechanical dial with a recorded combination delivered in a sealed envelope to the executor’s attorney. The manipulation and upgrade, quoted at $340 before we started, preserved the safe’s fire rating where drilling would have voided it. The photo record shows the corroded battery compartment, the open safe with contents, and the new dial installation.
Want Results Like These?
Every job starts with a written price and ends with a documented photo record. Call Novak Lock & Security Phoenix at (480) 376-7170. We’ll quote your job before we dispatch, and the technician cannot change that price on your doorstep. Haven Standard Clause 1, in force since 2002.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security Phoenix, serving Phoenix since 2002.