San Francisco neighborhood
Our van lives on this side of the city
Mission Street, Geneva, Ocean Avenue and the blocks of houses between them. When the phone rings from the Excelsior, Outer Mission or Ingleside, the van is usually a few minutes away, because this is where it spends its days.
Old houses, older locks
A lot of the homes between Mission Street and the freeway were built long before anyone living in them was born, and the hardware on the doors often dates from the same era. The locks here don't fail all at once. They get stiff, then the key needs a wiggle, then one morning the cylinder turns and nothing happens inside.
That is most of our work in the Excelsior: replacing deadbolts and knob locks that have simply worn out, and rekeying the ones that still have life in them. We keep the common residential hardware on the van, so a lock that gave up this morning is usually a new lock by this afternoon.
Locked in, not out
Here is one that surprises people: we get called to let someone out of their own house. An old lock jams from the inside, the thumb turn spins without moving the bolt, and the person inside cannot leave. It happens more with the older mortise locks in this neighborhood than anywhere else we work.
If that is you, call from inside. We open it from the street, and we replace the lock the same visit so it doesn't happen again.
The rest is the usual city mix: front doors that closed with the keys on the counter, bedroom doors in shared houses, car keys made at the curb on Geneva or in a driveway off Alemany.
What people in 94112 call us for
House and apartment lockout
Front doors, in-law units, bedroom doors. Opened without damage first.
Lock change and rekey
Worn-out locks replaced, working locks rekeyed, one key for every door.
Car lockout
Keys on the seat, doors locked, on Mission Street or in the driveway.
Car keys and fobs
A new car key made in the driveway, chip paired and tested.
How the price works
In this neighborhood the common job is an old lock that finally gave out. The price depends on whether it can be rekeyed or needs replacing, and we tell you which at the door.
Free on-site estimate on most jobs, and the final price is said before any work starts. You can still say no.
Questions from the Excelsior
How fast can you get to the Excelsior?
My key turns but the door won't open. Is the lock dead?
I'm stuck inside my house. Can you really help with that?
Do you cover Crocker-Amazon and Visitacion Valley too?
On the south side of the city and locked out?
This is our home turf. Call and the van is on its way.