Is This Master Key System Possible?

[Ray Harrell]

I am thinking of doing a master key system on my boarding house where my key can access all three floors and all 11 rooms. But I want the person in 1a to have one key that can access the entry, floor 1 only and his 1a only. Person in 2b can use one key to access entry, floor 2 only and 2b only.

Can this be done easily? I already purchased 4 locksets and opened them. They are all the same brand but different sets.

[Roy N.]

@Ray Harrell

This is commonly done in larger apartment complexes.  You can even have a Master sit at level 0 above the tree depicted above. 

You will need a locksmith to set-up the tree and key all of the locks.  In addition to door sets, I would suspect your entry door to be a dead bolt.

Not all retail lock sets are easily rekeyed to work in a key tree (Weisser "smart key" is an example). You might consider returning the four lock sets you already have and work with your locksmith to select locks to best fit your situation.   You will also want to purchase a few "spare" sets or use those locks in which the cores are easily swapped and purchase a few extra cores.