News, Woman, 89, Uses Ax to Break Into her own Home. (phone, installed)

[JD59]

DURANGO, Colo. - An 89-year-old woman used an ax to break into her own home after she locked herself out on a patio hemmed in by deep snow. "I had to bang the glass four times with the ax before it broke," said Geraldine "Gerry" Palmer, who turns 90 this weekend.

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[mommiewrites]

Well...that's one way to do it. lol

Right after we bought our first house, I had put my little sister (14 years old or so at the time) and newborn daughter in the car. We had been in the house about 2 days- hubby was out of town on business. I forget my keys, and didnt know the door locked automatically behind me.

You guessed it. locked out.

My instinct was to go and introduce myself to the neighbor and use their phone to call a locksmith. lol

using an ax would have been a last resort. lol

[vpchestnut]

To prevent this from happening in the first place, I (as a professional locksmith) recommend that the key-in-knob hardware be replaced with a passage function knobset (no lock, no button) and that a deadbolt be installed above the knob. This way the knobset keeps the door closed when unlocked, and you can't accidentally lock yourself out, as you need the key in your hand to lock the deadbolt.
As an alternative, a push button combination lock could also be used.

If you do hide a key, hide it around the corner of the house. Do not hide it with easy access to the locked door.