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When we moved in several years ago we thought we would change the door knobs, but it was one of those things that we just got used to! Not only are the handles a tarnished golden colour, but they are all at a strangely high level (see second picture). I decided to put new modern lever sets at standard Australian handle height (1050mm).
I found these 'Carla' style privacy handles at my local Bunnings, and watched a few how to videos and got stuck in. I bought a Ryobi door handle cutting jig tool, which is great for ensuring that I cut in the right spot. Also picked up a tool that helps to notch and chisel out the strikeplate quite easily. Since I'm doing 7 of these, I could justify the investment in a couple of specialty tools. One small annoyance is that the hole cutting tool gets jammed together with the bit, and its very hard to get it off to switch hole saw sizes. It seems like a real design flaw.
I'm really happy with the levers - they are very sturdy feeling, and they look great. Next I'll need to fil in the holes left by the old Lane 1000 mortice locks. I'm planning on cutting some wood to fit in the cavity, and then using regular mud to smooth everything out. Then sand, and fresh paint.
