November 4, 2016 Okay, so not so much of a home improvement tip but more of a “you need the guys at Locksmith North Brisbane tip” because if you lock yourself out of your home or car, then calling these guys will save you so much time and get you out of a pinch. There is nothing worse than coming home after a long day at work and realising you have locked yourself out of your home because you’ve lent your house key to your daughter or you took it off your keyring for some reason (yes, talking from experience). How about locking yourself out of your car? Equally annoying and inconvenient. Also making the top 3 annoying positions is trying to fit a new door lock to the front door yourself. At the start, it would appear as simple as running down to the local hardware shop and buying yourself a new handle and lock assembly. Then you’re overwhelmed with the choices at the hardware store and end buying the one where the package states it fits most doors. Problem solved. Then comes the task, or should I say project, of replacing your door handle/lock assembly. After removing the old assembly, and not taking note of pieces and positions because you won’t need it anymore, placing the new assembly in position reveals that it is a completely different size and even the lock barrel is completely different. Again, from experience, so instead of making the 15 minute trip back to the hardware store to exchange it for the correct size, you opt to “make it fit”. Approximately 4 hours later you have completed the task (aka project) and with one or two pieces left over you have a door lock that works about 70% of the time if you make sure the door is in exactly the correct position. Very frustrating. Worse is the criticism that comes flowing from the other members of the family. My little story illustrates how using a professional can be beneficial to everyone involved, especially other family members. My friend Stephen, from Locksmith North Brisbane, was kind enough to point out some of my errors after I told him the same story. The first error was being a cheap Chinese front door lock from a hardware store. Apparently I never stood a chance after that mistake. Apart from changing locks, my friend Stephen also provides the following services; emergency locksmith services key cutting automotive locksmith services access control commercial locksmith services lock installations and lock repairs rekeying and master keying. Stephen is based in Chermside West, Queensland, and covers all of the North Brisbane area and surrounding suburbs. He offers a 24 hour on-call service which he tells me is very popular as locking yourself out of your home and trying to get in at 3 am in the morning can be very distressing. With over 8 years of experience, Stephen knows what he is doing and can you have entry access problems and projects solved with ease and without hassle. A professional locksmith such as Stephen from Locksmith North Brisbane carries a well refined inventory of common locks and key templates so most jobs can be done at call instead of having to order and wait for the arrival of replacement parts. Stephen’s vehicle is also fitted out with all tools required and his service is completely mobile. Back to my original point – it is important to remember that tradesmen are professionals and experienced in their trade and can recognise and solve issues very quickly. This is as opposed to people like me that think they can accomplish a DIY task and end up wasting an entire day (travel time included) on a simple job. Another point worth noting, returning to my original story, because of my persistence in trying to make my cheap door lock fit, I have been advised by Stephen that I have quite possibly destroyed my door as he’ll be unable to fit another lock assembly in due to the modifications I had made (there might of been use of a saw in my efforts). So the point is now I will be up for a new door and lock assembly costing me more than what I would have paid for Stephen to come out and door the job for me in the first place.