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Home > Keyless Doorknobs? Leaving on Sunday :)

Keyless Doorknobs? Leaving on Sunday :)

May 7th, 2016 at 04:57 am

The last few days I've been working on getting utilities set to switch over to the house. Today I called the water department and found out that the title insurance place had already put in an order for that to happen?

We are getting the basic Kinetic Internet/cable package. I'd prefer to go without the cable part, but DH really wants it, and since he's willing to go with the basic ... It'll only be maybe ten to fifteen dollars more a month than what I'm paying for just Internet right now.

I also got movers lined up for the 15th (which means I need to get my stuff packed PDQ!)

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DH and I are in discussion mode about possibly replacing the locks on the doors with keyless entry locks. I think since we need to rekey the doors anyway, why not spend just a little bit more and have their convenience? (i.e. you can set a temporary code for someone you need to let in, but might not want to have continual access, like a guest or a housekeeper.)

DH wants us to have a deadbolt on the front door for added security. I need to look into a solution for that ..

Anyone use keyless door locks? What are your experiences?

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We'll be heading to Branson on Sunday! We're planning on doing Silver Dollar City, one of the acrobat shows and then either the Haygood's or the Frankie Vallie show. We also may rent a boat - although the one we were thinking about is much bigger than DH had in mind (the one at the marinia by our hotel.) We may also take in a movie - possibly Captain America.

On our way home, we may be making a stop for DH's first chicken (as an adult at least - his family had lots of chickens as he grew up.) It's a bantam hen - he plans to keep it in the basement in an open cage til we get the chicken coop and privacy fence figured out. As long as I can't smell it ...

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Did you know that most auto insurance companies won't insure pizza delivery drivers? If they get into an accident while on the clock, the insurance will just not pay out anything, and then will drop the previously insured!

I found this out while working with S to find a home insurance quote. DH wasn't too happy with me insisting that he check to see if his employer carried the right kind of insurance to at least cover liability. But he did it anyway - even check with his insurance company ... (I waited with bated breath, hoping not to hear that he'd been dropped as soon as they heard "pizza delivery driver.")

The good news was ... his particular company does not have an exclusion. The bad news is ... most other companies do. He had them do a home insurance quote, and it came in higher than Geico's. So ... no can do with having all of our stuff on one policy. His insurance guy wants to see the home insurance quote I got - he couldn't figure out how we got it so low. ($713/yr.)

I'm just relieved to know that he's covered (only has liability.) I am thinking about looking into an umbrella policy, or see how it'd work to put stuff into a living trust - if that would protect our assets in case he got into an accident where someone got hurt (and he was at fault.)

Pizza delivery is one of the top dangerous jobs - right up there with construction workers, etc. DH is a very careful and defensive driver. But he also is on the road TONS of time ...

19 Responses to “Keyless Doorknobs? Leaving on Sunday :)”

  1. snafu Says:
    1462602832

    Welcome back married lady. Thank you for sharing your photos. I wondered if you'd consider consulting with L Robin and her initial chicken coop set up. I'd be reluctant to put a chicken in the basement because of smell unless you have a system to flush out walls and floor. Would she recommend garage or out/garden building?

    I understand the benefits of deadbolt for entry doors. Is it typical to re-key locks if the system in place is adequate? Would the elderly couple , to see if 2nd year students take consulting for furniture placements/items and color recommendations for modest cost. Students here get graded on project, client communication, line drawings and source list. I don't know if IKEA still has on site, accredited decorators who sketch placement pf their products for long term planned purchases. There are also designers on-line who have questionaries and forward photos of rooms to make best use of lighting and functionality.

    The point of all this is to save money and effort using what you have or items that you might source yourself to have each room and each area in the room deliver what you need avoiding mistakes that have potential to be expensive. It feels so frustrating to chose a color, paint a room and realize the color that was wonderful in the giant big box store looks ghastly in a 12' x 9' room.

  2. Laura S. Says:
    1462607637

    Have a great trip. Sounds fun!

  3. VS_ozgirl Says:
    1462611049

    Good luck with packing, you can do it!

  4. Turtle Lover Says:
    1462626083

    have a wonderful trip ! i can't wait to hear about your adventures!

  5. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1462626913

    Thanks Snafu.

    The same couple has owned the home for 50+ years - I'm not worried that they would try to get in or anything, I'm more thinking about how many people they may have given keys to over 50+ years. Yes, I would say it is typical to rekey the locks when you purchase a home.

    DH has lots of experience with chickens. When I raised concerns about smell in the basement, he reassured me that he'd make sure there'd be no smell .... It'll be kept in the unfinished part / workroom - so would be easy to clean I think.

    That's an interesting idea - getting an interior design student from a local community college to help put together our home. We're planning on going pretty slowly with doing anything - inside or out. Neither of us want to waste money! Smile
    DH plans on planning out his design for the yard over the next year, and then we'll hire a landscape person to come out and bounce our ideas off of - just to make sure they make sense, etc.

    Thanks everyone!

  6. creditcardfree Says:
    1462627389

    I've had two homes that probably should have been rekeyed...never did it and never had any problems. Our rental has one keyless entry. The main thing is to have the batteries current. Right now I'm not sure ours is working right...and I can't find troubleshooting instructions. I just keep using a different door when I go on walks so I have the key with me.

    Water Co and Title companies in the area may have some agreement that they are notified.

  7. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1462627905

    CCF - I don't really think there'll be any issues, it's more that I really want keyless entry. Big Grin Have you checked online for your particular model for a user guide?

    Probably right about the water/title companies. Just was kind of funny when the lady said - Oh, there's already a pending order for so and so ...

  8. Buendia Says:
    1462633682

    I spec keyless entry locks on all of my fire stations... I do the mechanical kind, so not wired into the house and they don't require batteries either. If I specified units with batteries, the fire dept. would never change them and they'd be locked out of their stations! Anyway, I think they're great. I never thought of putting them on my own house! Love that idea!

  9. MonkeyMama Says:
    1462634046

    My parents have keyless locks and love them. I mean, they've had them for over a decade I am sure. (They live in tech central, so what can I Say. Always seem to have more techie stuff like that).

  10. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1462634627

    Buendia - Mechanical ones? Do they cost more than the battery ran ones? Are they as easy to install? (Are doorknobs hard to change out? Neither DH nor I have ever changed one out, and he is challenging me that if I want this, I should figure out how to do it.. Smile I think I'm up to the challenge!)

    MM - Cool! I just think it would be SO convenient. I'd really like to get a bluetooth enabled one, so I wouldn't even have to touch the doorknob other than to push open the door ... but DH is a flipphone only type of guy ...)

  11. Buendia Says:
    1462635465

    I forgot to mention: you can have a keypad entry that just replaces a deadbolt, so the door handle is just what we call passage hardware (no lock). Or you can get a handle lock that has a deadbolt.

  12. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1462635694

    Great! That would satisfy DH then - to have one with a deadbolt. Smile Do you have any suggestions as far as brand, etc?

  13. LuckyRobin Says:
    1462661875

    Don't get just one chicken. Chickens are flock animals. At least get 2, but 3 is best. One will get depressed very, very fast.

  14. LuckyRobin Says:
    1462662424

    Also, you can make a very easy small A-frame coop that you can drag around the yard so the birds will be on fresh grass each day. If you are only going to have a small flock that is the way I'd go. Just search for "how to build a chicken tractor."

  15. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1462665358

    Thanks LR. I'll mention it to DH, although I doubt he'll listen. He considers himself an "authority" on all things chickens.

    He's really wanting to get this one chicken - her flock got eaten by a fox and the chicken's owner put her in with another flock - which isn't working well. he was even trying to suggest we pick it up on the way to Branson and keep it in the room ... when I told him I didn't like that idea (and why), then he suggested we could leave it in the car in the shade with the windows down .... Ugh! He thinks I'm being too rigid/paranoid whathaveu (between the chicken thing and the car insurance thing)I'm not sure why he's so surprised by this - I've told him similar viewpoints before on other things.

  16. LuckyRobin Says:
    1462690727

    Well, he's clearly not an authority on chickens if he thinks keeping just one is okay. Keeping one chicken is like keeping only one herd animal. They will be sad, they will pine for others of their kind, and they may even stop eating and die. I would not keep one chicken alone for more than two or three days, tops. Find a couple more banties, maybe check on craigslist farm and garden section. Introduce them to each other at night time when they are sleepy and they will be less apt to fight. There will be some pecking order establishment, but I usually find that by introducing chickens to each other at night, they do fairly well.

  17. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1462709800

    LR - I'm going to try to talk with him about it today. He's usually able to listen to reason better in person than over the phone. I'll be so glad when the vast majority of our conversations aren't conducted over the phone.

  18. My English Castle Says:
    1462927669

    This posting reminds me of why I like SA so much-- in one post we have sound advice on chickens and keyless entry. Who knew?

  19. Buendia Says:
    1462932497

    Hi! I specify Simplex... but take a look at this website: http://keylessentrylocks.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=53
    You can go through the website, or call them and they can help you find a lock.
    I don't think the mechanical ones cost more! I've never installed any myself!

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