Locksmith Shaughnessy, Vancouver
A locksmith in Shaughnessy, at your door: mortise lock rekeys, bit keys, key plans for a main house and coach house, and old wall safes. Call 604-227-9083, and arrival is confirmed on the call.
Fig. 01 — Vancouver, BCBC Security Business Licence #B6227.→
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604.227.9083
Why one property ends up with so many keys
Shaughnessy runs roughly from West 16th to West 41st, between Arbutus and Oak. The lots are large and the houses are old.
A property here is rarely one door. A main house, a coach house or laneway suite, a basement suite, a side entrance, a garage and a back gate can all want their own key.
Doors you use yourself
Where the hardware shares a compatible keyway, these can be keyed alike, so one key opens every door you are entitled to open. See lock change and rekey.
A tenanted suite
Keep a tenant's door on its own separate key, not the main house key.
Owner, tenant and trades
When cleaners, gardeners and a tenant need different access, a master key system gives the owner one key over separate keys below it.
A home office or studio
If staff come and go, commercial locksmith hardware and key control can fit better than residential locks.
Can an old mortise lock be rekeyed?
Often, yes. Many of the heavy front doors here carry a mortise lock body set into the edge of the door, not a modern bored deadbolt.
✓Usually kept
- A stiff mortise body that can be cleaned and re-lubricated
- A removable cylinder that can be rekeyed
- Brass knobs and plates on a sound door
✕Usually replaced
- A cracked cast lock body
- Worn spindles that no longer throw the bolt
- Old lock lines with no parts to be found
We tell you which one you have, and how it changes the look of the door, before anything comes off.
Adding security to an original door
A deadbolt can go above the existing mortise lock, or a high-security cylinder can go into the original housing so the outside looks untouched. See door repair for heavy doors that have dropped on their hinges.
Bit keys
Long bit keys are filed by hand to the lock, from the old key or by reading the lock itself, not run through a duplicator. See key cutting.
Heritage houses and exterior door hardware
Much of First Shaughnessy is a heritage conservation area, and individual houses elsewhere can carry their own designation.
Check before you replace
Designated properties can have limits on changing exterior features. Before work that touches an original exterior door or its hardware, confirm what your property allows. We are locksmiths, not heritage consultants.
Routes that leave the look alone
Servicing or rekeying the lock you have, a like-for-like cylinder, or an interior-side change usually avoids the question.
We can wait
If you are still checking, we hold off on anything that cannot be undone.
Key plans and bit key copies for Shaughnessy houses
Two jobs this kind of property brings.
One key plan for the house, coach house and gate
After a sale or a change of household, we sort the keys on the property: doors you use alike, a tenanted suite kept separate, and a master where the owner needs one key over everything.
The hardware decides what is possible, so describe the doors on the call.
A bit key with no spare
One long key for the whole upstairs and no copy is a common find in an old house. If you still have it, we file a copy to match. If it is lost, we work from the lock.
Every copy is tested in the door before we go.
Wall safes behind panelling and floor safes in a basement slab turn up in houses this age, often with no combination and no paperwork.
- Dial safeOpened, then set to a combination you choose
- Keypad safeNew code set on the electronic lock
- InstallSafe installed and anchored
We ask for proof that the property is yours before opening anything. The total for your safe is confirmed on the call. See locksmith prices.
Locked out of the main house, a suite or a coach house, or planning the keys for a whole lot.
- LockoutMain house, suite or coach house opened, with ID and proof of residence checked first. Home lockout
- Rekey after a saleOld keys stop working and the hardware stays. The total is confirmed on the call. Lock change and rekey
- Heavy doorDropped on its hinges or no longer meeting the strike. Door repair
- GarageRemote, keypad and opener work on a garage. Garage doors
- KeypadA keypad on a side or suite door, where it suits the house. Smart lock installation
- Car in the drivewayLockouts and keys at the vehicle. Automotive locksmith
01Can you rekey an original mortise lock?
Usually. If the lock takes a removable cylinder, it is re-pinned and the body stays in the door. A ward-operated body that takes a bit key is different: we change the wards or cut a new key to the lock. Describe the lock and key on the call and we will say which you likely have.
02I have one bit key and no spare. Can you copy it?
In most cases, yes. Bit keys are filed to match the lock, from the key you have or by reading the lock if it is lost. We test every copy in the door.
03Our house is heritage-designated. Will you change the front door hardware?
Servicing or rekeying the existing lock, an interior-side change or a like-for-like cylinder does not alter how the door looks. For anything that changes the exterior, confirm what your designation allows first. We would rather wait than remove something you were not permitted to.
04Can the main house, coach house and basement suite all run on one key?
The doors you use yourself usually can, if the hardware shares a keyway. We advise keeping a tenanted suite or coach house on a separate key. For one owner key over everything, a master key system is the right tool.
05There is a wall safe in the house we just bought and nobody has the combination.
We open mechanical wall and floor safes, then set a combination you choose. The total is confirmed on the call. We ask for proof that the property is yours first.
06The house number is hidden behind hedges. How do we help you find it?
Turn on the porch light and tell us which entrance you are at. Long driveways and curving streets make numbers hard to read at night. We call as we get close, and arrival is confirmed on the call.
Vancouver neighbourhoods we serve
Mobile locksmith service across the city of Vancouver and the UBC area.
Each area page covers the doors, buildings and locks we see in that part of the city.
View Service Areas ↗Call a Shaughnessy locksmith: 604-227-9083
↗Tell us what the door is and where you are in Shaughnessy. Arrival is confirmed on the call.