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How would you tackle this custom Doggie Door?

2.4K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  NLarson801  
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have been looking into adding a doggie door to our French Doors on the back of the house. There are companies that make custom inserts, but they are around $1,700 and I was curious if I could do it cheaper myself. I know I will need new tempered glass that is shorter and have a call in for a quote on that. But building the actual insert appears to be pretty easy. I figure I could just add a header above where the dog door would go and then fill the sides with more custom tempered glass, and then add a footer below the dog door.

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I am curious if anyone around here has tackled a similar job? I saw a video on youtube, but he is missing some of his footage, but I get the basic idea.
 
#2 ·
Doors4petsandpeople.com makes a door similar to that. They said that they used a high pressure water jet to cut out the hole in the glass for the door. It was simple process to replace the existing glass with their insert. You might also check out Moore Pet Supplies. They have something similar as well.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
There are several options to brain storm. Unfortunately tempered or safety glass can't be cut to change it's size like regular glass.

Does the dog door need to be in the middle of the door or could it be to one side or the other?
Putting it on the side would only require one glass panel next to it (or it could be a wood panel) and two wood frames (green in the image below) to support it all….plus a new top glass panel. The small bottom glass would not need to be safety glass and if the framed in door is over 18" off the floor the top panel would not have to be safety either.

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#5 ·
Most code requires tempered glass in doors like that. Plus with dogs going through it roughly, they could cause it to shatter, not to mention what could happen if the door slams or some kid tries to push on it too hard. I would not risk it.
 
#7 ·
Code requires temper in any door for obvious reasons. New glass will be needed and possibly a new door or custom glass cut & then tempered. This doesn't sound cheap. Something to consider may be cutting a access door in the wall next to the door. Check for wires that may be running to near by outlets. Also don't forget to add some sort of lock to keep unwanted guests out.
 
#8 ·
Replacement glass with the cutout is between $735-1060 depending upon which size door you select. The glass dimensions including frame are 24Ă—66. The glass is easy to replace. It is simply held in place by screws. It is a little cheaper at Moore Pet Supplies but the dog door is not centered in the glass.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
I guess I should have already mentioned that. We just bought this house and there is an existing doggie door in the wall (that our dog loves). But it is limiting our sofa selection for this room. My stud finder shows there are a lot of studs next to the door, plus the electrical box would have to be re-located. The other side of the door doesn't really work either, so I was entertaining the idea of a doggie door in one of the french doors. But at $1,500+, we may just end up with a smaller sofa.

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#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
If you go directly to a glass dealer and buy a shorter replacement pane to diy install, it might only cost a few hundred bucks.
Add a wood rail above the doggy door and make wood panels for each side to center the insert.
Shorten the existing glass trim molding to fit the new pane.
 
#14 ·
I guess I should have already mentioned that. We just bought this house and there is an existing doggie door in the wall (that our dog loves). But it is limiting our sofa selection for this room. My stud finder shows there are a lot of studs next to the door, plus the electrical box would have to be re-located. The other side of the door doesn t really work either, so I was entertaining the idea of a doggie door in one of the french doors. But at $1,500+, we may just end up with a smaller sofa.

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- NLarson801
All of those studs by the door are there because the door is so wide. A wide door requires a wide header. The wide header requires a lot of support. They're called jack studs.
 

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