Can you imagine living in a home without a doorknob? Doorknobs are crucial in making you feel that your family is safe in your house. Home buyers also feel the same. That is why if they feel that the doorknob you installed seems substandard, they feel that they need to replace it. They’ll also feel in a way that the house is not in a “move in” condition. Now you see that small details indeed matter in a home rehab.

Rehabbing homes requires paying attention to these minute but important details. And to make sure you don’t forget about doorknobs, here are some notes about them. These are merely reminders. It’s good if you know just so you can remind your contractor in case he forgets them. You can also use them as a guide if you’re installing doorknobs on your own.

First of all, don’t be surprised if your home rehab contractor or hardware guy calls them handle sets. That’s a common term in the development industry. Some contractors will call them locksets. When buying doorknobs for your rehabbing project, the basic rule is quality and style. These pieces are relatively cheap, and that is why the thing that you have to worry about is their appeal when installed. Do they look sturdy? Do they look safe? Do they look good?

Your good choices will range of $30 to $500. There’s no need to go for types that cost hundreds of dollars unless you feel that only such model will complement the door and the home rehab. For instance, you can’t install a regular door knob on a vintage, solid carved wood door, right? You might have to go for a brass mortise lock in that case. As for finishes, they come with brass, bronze, and chrome. Also, consider whether you’ll install them on the front door or on interior doors. You don’t want an interior doorknob to outshine the front door. One idea is to use a mortise lockset for the front and cylindrical doorknobs for interiors.

Finally, before you leave to shop for doorknobs, remember these rehabbing reminders. First of all, make sure you know the door’s handing. This is important, especially if you’re buying curved levers instead of knobs, which are often reversible. A right-hand door is basically one that has a knob on the right and opens toward you. The left-hand door has the knob on the left and also opens toward the user.

Another home rehab reminder on doorknobs is measuring the backset dimension, or simple the length from the center of the knob hole up to the edge of the door. You’ll also need the measuring tape for determining the thickness of the door. Most constructors install thicker doors on the exterior and thinner ones insider. Doors of the house you’re rehabbing will probably fall between the range of 1 3/8 inches and 1 3/4 inches.

Hopefully these notes on doorknobs will help make your home rehab project easier. Remember, rehabbing homes is all about making the buyer that the property is ready for his relocation. If you fail on small details like doorknobs, he will look for more faults on the house and that will blur your chances of making a sale.