When your key also opens the lobby: start with the master key system
In the developments in Génicart, Carriet and Les Iris, a single set of keys frequently opens the door to the home, the door to the building and sometimes a communal room. Replacing a cylinder without bearing that in mind means pulling out two keys every time you come home. So the first thing to check is whether the key belongs to a master key system run by the landlord: if it does, the new cylinder has to fit into that system, which means going through the managing organisation rather than buying any model that comes to hand in a DIY superstore.
Then comes the question of who is responsible for what. A cylinder replaced after lost keys, a move or a separation is generally down to the occupant; a flat entrance door lock fitted by the landlord and no longer working is down to them. Giving written notice before the work avoids arguments when the inventory is drawn up. In the renovated stairwells on the plateau the doors are very similar from one landing to the next, which makes choosing the parts easier but never removes the need to measure up on site.
Down below, the door dictates the mechanism
In the old village centre you still come across surface-mounted locks fitted to solid timber doors, double-leaf entrances and frames set into stone. Nothing there is standardised: the backset, the centre distance and the thickness of the door leaf vary from one house to the next, sometimes from one door to another in the same street. Moving from a surface-mounted lock to a mortice model is not always possible without cutting into century-old joinery, and it is not always desirable when that joinery is still sound.
The sensible approach is to measure before ordering, and then to think about the assembly as a whole rather than the lock alone. A high-performance cylinder fitted to a door whose frame has moved with the damp air off the river does not deliver what you expect of it. So the state of the timber around the strike plate, the condition of the hinges and the play in the leaf are all examined at the same time. The detailed quote issued before work separates these items, so that you know exactly what is being replaced and what is simply being adjusted.
How does this service work?
Techniques, typical situations, standards and things to watch out for: it is all on our lock and cylinder replacement page. This page focuses on what the service involves in Lormont.