DIY Home Improvement Giveaway & Review: Kwikset SmartKey

It seems like when you move, there’s a million things to do. Pack up your stuff, transfer your mail, update your new address on all your accounts…does it ever end? One task my husband wanted to do right away when bought our new home was to change all the locks. Since it was previously owned and had been shown by various realtors, this meant there were who knows how many copies of the keys floating around.

For our peace of mind, we decided to change all the locks. Also, the old door handles and deadbolts were mismatched and some of them were scratched up a bit, so this added cosmetic improvement to our home too. This is a fairly easy DIY project and we were able to find everything we needed at our local Home Depot.

Kwikset was generous enough to send me a SmartCode Deadbolt for keyless entry. It’s a deadbolt with a programmable keypad, no key required! I love this option because if I am ever locked out without a key, I can put in our code and still get in the house. You can also assign a temporary code to someone (such as a babysitter, house guest, housecleaner, etc.) so you don’t need to make copies of keys.

Here’s a youtube video demonstrating how the keypad deadbolt works:

My husband installed this on our back door and was easily able to program our own numeric code. Since we were pleased with this Kwikset lock product, we purchased 2 other Kwikset lock products from Home Depot. We bought a simpler deadbolt set for the garage door (approximate cost $40). You can see the Satin Nickel handleset we selected for the front door from their Signature Series here (approximate cost $130):

The main reason we chose Kwikset is because of their Smart Security features:

- drill resistant
- ANSI grading
- Bump Guard technology
- superior pick-resistance

Some of their products also have re-key technology, meaning you can change the keys with a master key if they are lost or stolen. We used this feature to re-key all of the Kwikset locks we purchased, so even though we bought them all separately, we just need to carry around one key and it opens any of them. MUCH cheaper than paying a locksmith!

Here’s a summary of this DIY project:

Time spent: about 30 minutes
Assistance required: no (husband did this on his own)
Tools: Drill or screwdriver
Hassle factor: Minimal. Directions were clear.  No curse words or exasperated sighs during installation

My husband did want me to mention that a screw was stripped in one of the sets, but that was his only issue. This was one of the easier DIY projects so far, and I can now recommend Kwikset products for your home security needs.

Buy It: Use the Kwikset store locator to find the retailer nearest you

Win It: Enter my sweepstakes giveaway below for a chance to win your own Kwikset SmartCode Keyless Entry Deadbolt! (ARV $130) Open to continental US.

How to enter: All entries must be submitted using the Rafflecopter form below. There is no mandatory entry, you may do as many entries as you would like to increase your chances of winning. In order to view entry details & complete it, click the green Do It button.

If you sign in to Rafflecopter using Facebook, make sure to check the email associated with your Facebook account since that’s where winner notification email will be sent.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the rest of the giveaways & reviews in my Home Sweet Home Event, where I’m discussing all the must-have products for home decor, appliances, gardening, and more!

Disclosure: All opinions are my own and uninfluenced by anyone else. I did not receive any financial compensation for this post. I received free product(s) to facilitate my review but that did not affect my opinion.

Rules & legal mumbo-jumbo: Open to US, must be 18+ to enter. No purchase necessary to enter sweepstakes. Odds of winning depends on number of eligible entries. Winner will be randomly selected using Rafflecopter and emailed. Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. This giveaway is not affiliated in any way or endorsed by Facebook or twitter. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor is responsible for fulfilling prize – I’m not liable for lost or missing prizes. See my full disclosure policy.

Tagged as: DIY