Can I replace the key cylinder that opens a garage door if the key is missing?

When we purchased our house, we never received the key that allows us to open the garage door from the outside. We resort to open it from the inside but now that we have a little kid with a stroller, trike, bike etc, well having to run inside to open it to store these items is becoming a pain in the rear. So we are wondering if this is a small easy cylinder replacement to have the key switch open the door or are we talking about a much bigger project? I put out some calls to the recommended companies but figured I would get an idea of what we should expect.

I just did this last weekend! The door from the garage to the house didn't have a key and we'd open from the inside... Took cylinder out of the door (take out two screws on side, turn cylinder counter clockwise, comes right out) took it to Bunchers True Value Hardware 320 Millburn Ave, Millburn, NJ 07041 (973) 376-0776. They replaced the cylinder and made it work with same key that opens other doors to the house. About $55. Ask for Frank.

commutah said:

I just did this last weekend! The door from the garage to the house didn't have a key and we'd open from the inside... Took cylinder out of the door (take out two screws on side, turn cylinder counter clockwise, comes right out) took it to Bunchers True Value Hardware 320 Millburn Ave, Millburn, NJ 07041 (973) 376-0776. They replaced the cylinder and made it work with same key that opens other doors to the house. About $55. Ask for Frank.

This is exactly what I was hoping for!! We are getting some estimates for the work but from the quotes I discussed so far it will be significantly more than that!!

Did the same thing Commutah did sans the rekeying. I think the cylinder cost less than ten bucks. Buncher's is a good place to do this since the owner is a locksmith.

Here is a good site for a DIY project

http://www.northshorecommercialdoor.com/doorhardware.html