Install - Kwikset Electronic Deadbolt w/ Schlage Handles

[billdeserthills]

Thing is when a person is self-employed they get to keep the whole check
that leaves more for me since I have cut out the employer

[cledry]

Thing is when a person is self-employed they get to keep the whole check
that leaves more for me since I have cut out the employer

True. There are advantages to both. When you are self-employed it is more difficult to take vacations unless you want to lose some customers to your competition, plus while you are on holiday you aren't making any money. Working for a company it is possible to take a month or more off a year and still earn money.

I personally have never wanted to be self-employed but some people prefer it. One of our employees used to run a fairly successful one man locksmith business but it was running him into the ground, he sold out to my boss and now he earns almost the same money but without so many of the headaches. He actually does more in the way of locksmith jobs than he ever did as a self employed locksmith, but no more bookkeeping, no more chasing clients for payments, dealing with advertising. He prefers the steady income rather than feast or famine as he did in the past. Plus he wanted to buy his own house and it isn't easy getting a mortgage when you are self-employed.

[Evan]

Hello all,

Thanks in advance for your help.

We have a pretty old back door, with, I guess, a weird lock setup. As you'll see in the following pictures, we've added flimsy plastic adapters to the door knobs so that my dad, who is a quadriplegic, can open and close the door by himself. However, these adapters aren't really getting the job done. After about ten years, they have started to crack, and the grip they have (via screws) on the door knobs are slipping, making it difficult for any of us to operate the door. So, we're hoping to install a more durable, more efficient system.

View from outside: http://i.imgur.com/PGdCabi.jpg
View from inside: http://i.imgur.com/m5ovvL5.jpg
Side view: http://i.imgur.com/Y74Gbay.jpg

We got him a Kwikset Electronic Deadbolt for Christmas a couple of years ago, but we can't seem to figure out how to replace our existing set up with the new one. We've had one locksmith tell us that it's impossible, and another that told us it's a long job (complicated/expensive). I guess it has something to do with the unusual shape and configuration of our existing, outdated lock and door knobs.
Anyway, here are pictures of the packaging of the deadbolt and the door handles we purchased.

Front of deadbolt package: http://i.imgur.com/9uqv5n6.jpg
Back of deadbolt package: http://i.imgur.com/6UnwVEl.jpg
Front of door handle package: http://i.imgur.com/a1Kqu7g.jpg
Back of door handle package: http://i.imgur.com/n7LnQXu.jpg

Any advice you can provide would be great. First and foremost, I'd like to know if the replacement is possible with the parts we've already purchased. Alternatively, if replacement is not possible with the parts we've purchased, it would be great if you could offer some suggestions for other possibilities. Please do keep in mind that my father has limited use of his hands (he can't grip things tightly, but he can poke or slap, i.e. enter a pass-code and push down on a door handle [not knob]).

Thanks again for any help you can provide.

@studdedrooster:

What you have there is a mortise lockset which you want to replace with standard tubular locksets.

You could do that cheaply as suggested using scar plates but that would result in something that looks more cobbled together than your present situation.

So it is both possible and impossible at the same time, because some technicians are fine using a scar plate on a wooden door like that and others aren't.

To switch from a mortise lockset to a bored lock (like a tubular or cylindrical lock) is usually more of a carpentry task than one of locksmithing, as patching the old holes in the wooden door properly so you can then drill the new holes in the right places and have a door that doesn't have metal plates covering it is something that takes time to do the right way.

What you need to do is look at a replacement mortise lock with better ADA-compliant trim for it.

There are a wide variety of ADA/hospital push/pull trims available for mortise locksets.

~~ Evan

[billdeserthills]

Thing is when a person is self-employed they get to keep the whole check
that leaves more for me since I have cut out the employer

True. There are advantages to both. When you are self-employed it is more difficult to take vacations unless you want to lose some customers to your competition, plus while you are on holiday you aren't making any money. Working for a company it is possible to take a month or more off a year and still earn money.

I personally have never wanted to be self-employed but some people prefer it. One of our employees used to run a fairly successful one man locksmith business but it was running him into the ground, he sold out to my boss and now he earns almost the same money but without so many of the headaches. He actually does more in the way of locksmith jobs than he ever did as a self employed locksmith, but no more bookkeeping, no more chasing clients for payments, dealing with advertising. He prefers the steady income rather than feast or famine as he did in the past. Plus he wanted to buy his own house and it isn't easy getting a mortgage when you are self-employed.

Everything you say is true,
My last vacation was 8-10 years ago, but that doesn't mean I work too much. This is the slow time of the year for me, I might only do 4 jobs this week. I can't get a mortgage that is true, but when I decided to build a new house I also decided that I only wanted to buy it one time, so I paid cash. My parents have loaned me $20k so far because of the unexpected costs, and the thing still isn't ready to live in. I find it hard to locate an appreciative audience for my 'home taking too long' complaints--not my fault everyone around me is stuck renting. Some people are not cut out for managing their own destiny, but I certainly prefer it