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The bread and butter. Whether the slab is wood, steel, fiberglass, or composite, the sequence is the same: measure, mark, cut, mount, seal. What changes is the blade and how the door is built inside.

Tools

• Jigsaw with fine-tooth blades
• Drill and bit set
• Tape measure and 24″ level
• Utility knife
• Painter's tape
• Exterior silicone caulk
• Safety glasses and dust mask
• Clamps and a work surface

Process

1. Measure the pet. Floor to the top of the shoulder, and across the widest point. Add roughly two inches of clearance. Measure at the shoulders, never the head.
2. Set the rise. Bottom of the flap sits about an inch or two below the pet's belly line. Confirm the door's lock rail and any internal structure clear that height.
3. Template and tape. Tape along the cut line. It reduces splintering and gives the jigsaw a smoother track.
4. Cut. Drill corner starter holes, then cut the opening. On steel doors expect foam fill; trim it back with a utility knife after the cut.
5. Dry fit both frame halves before any sealant touches the door. Confirm alignment and flap swing direction.
6. Caulk and mount. Bead the exterior frame, press, secure. Snug the screws only. Over-tightening cracks fiberglass and composite.
7. Test and finish. Free swing both directions, check for daylight, seal any gaps.

Popular and often the trickiest. Multi-pane layouts, narrow stiles, and decorative character all constrain where a pet door can go. Three viable methods, and all three stay reversible for a future move.

The three methods

1. In-glass replacement. Swap one pane for a tempered panel with the pet door pre-cut before tempering. Cleanest look, 2–3 week fabrication lead time.
2. Replace the entire door. When no single pane is large enough for the pet, or the stiles are too narrow to work around.
3. Glass panel replacement. Same as method one but across multiple panes when the dog needs a bigger opening than one lite allows.

Process for in-glass replacement

1. Measure the pane to 1/16″: width, height, thickness, and glass type.
2. Order the custom tempered panel. Specify single or dual pane, Low-E if present, and pet door size and position.
3. Remove decorative grilles on simulated divided-light doors.
4. Remove interior trim stops or glazing compound around the target pane.
5. Lift the old pane out with suction cups. Two people, always.
6. Clean the channel of old glazing, caulk, and debris. Place setting blocks.
7. Set the new panel, secure with glazing points, reinstall stops or compound.
8. Mount the frame halves to the glass, interior and exterior. Reinstall grilles.

The pet door goes into the lower panel, whether that panel is wood, metal, fiberglass, or a solid kickplate. Fast job, but thin aluminum punishes a coarse blade.

Process

1. Identify the lower panel type: removable glass insert, removable screen insert, or solid kickplate. Full-view glass models need custom glass instead.
2. Remove the panel and work on a bench, not on the hanging door.
3. Confirm the pet door fits within the panel with real clearance on all sides. Storm door panels are smaller than they look.
4. Cut with a fine-tooth metal blade. Fine teeth mean less vibration and less deformation.
5. Mount both frame halves, then caulk every edge. Water between the frame and the panel corrodes aluminum.
6. Reinstall the panel and adjust the pneumatic closer. The added weight changes the closing speed.

The cleanest looking install we offer. No wall cut, no bulky insert in the track. The existing glass is replaced with a tempered panel that has the pet door built in. Works in sliding doors, swinging glass doors, fixed panels, and sidelights.

What to capture on the call

• Visible glass width and height, to 1/16″
• Footer height, floor to the bottom of the visible glass
• Single pane or dual pane. Dual means fabricating a whole new sealed insulated unit.
• Low-E coating present or not
• What the glass sits in: door, fixed panel, window, or sidelight

Process

1. Measure and order. Fabrication runs 2–3 weeks; the pet door opening is cut before tempering, so nothing can change after the order goes in.
2. Remove stops or glazing, lift the old glass with suction cups, two people.
3. Clean the channel completely. Set new blocks.
4. Set the new unit, secure, reglaze.
5. Mount frame halves to the glass and seal.

The no-cut option. A panel with the pet door built in drops into the slider track and takes up part of the opening. Nothing is modified permanently, which makes it the answer for renters, HOA restrictions, and anyone hesitant to cut.

What to capture on the call

• Track height, inside top of track to inside bottom
• Slider width
• Which side the door opens from, standing inside looking out
• Single or dual pane preference

Process

1. Confirm the track measurement twice. The panel's adjustable range has to cover it.
2. Set the panel into the track, adjust the spring-loaded top piece for a snug fit.
3. Square it, then secure per the model's hardware.
4. Seal the perimeter where the panel meets the frame and add weatherstripping as needed.
5. Fit the security lock in the remaining track. A dowel or Charley bar is a reasonable add-on to recommend.

Two configurations. A sash insert drops into a vertical-sliding window; a side-slide insert fits a horizontal slider. Both work like a patio panel scaled down, and both come out cleanly when the customer moves.

Process

1. Identify the window type and measure the opening width across the range the insert must cover.
2. Confirm the flap size fits the panel. Window inserts have real size ceilings, which puts them in cat and small dog territory more often than not.
3. Set the panel, extend the adjustment piece for a tight fit.
4. Weatherstrip the perimeter and secure the remaining sash travel with a lock, dowel, or Charley bar.

The most versatile install and the most planning. You are cutting through drywall, framing, insulation, sheathing, and cladding, and every layer has its own tool. Done right it is permanent, clean, and the best insulated option we sell.

Tools

• Reciprocating saw
• Jigsaw
• Circular saw for sheathing
• Drill and bits
• Stud finder with wire detection
• 24″ or 48″ level
• Utility knife and chisel
• 2×4 stock for framing
• Exterior silicone caulk
• Minimal-expanding spray foam
• Drywall compound and mesh tape
• Touch-up paint, both sides

Process

1. Locate studs and utilities. Mandatory, not optional. Scan for wire, plumbing, HVAC, and gas. Verify from the attic or basement where you can.
2. Fit between studs. Standard 16″ on-center framing gives about 14 1/2″ of clear space. Most flap sizes are designed for it; oversized ones mean reframing.
3. Cut the interior. Level the template, trace, score the drywall, cut. Pull insulation from the cavity.
4. Frame the opening. Header and sill blocks between the studs so the tunnel has something solid to anchor to.
5. Transfer to the exterior. Drill a pilot hole through each corner from inside. Connect the four points outside. This is what keeps the two openings aligned.
6. Cut the exterior. Circular saw set to siding depth, recip saw for corners, then through the sheathing.
7. Set the tunnel. Size it to the exact wall thickness, slide it in from inside, level and center it.
8. Mount and seal. Caulk the exterior opening, set the exterior frame, secure the interior frame, then a final bead around every exterior edge. Clear caulk if you have it.
9. Finish. Patch, paint, install flaps and security panel, test the swing, check for daylight.

Everything in PPU 301 applies, plus masonry. The interior side is identical. The exterior is where the job doubles in length. Before anything else, establish whether you are looking at veneer over a wood frame or solid masonry, because they are two different projects.

Veneer vs. solid — the question that decides the quote

• Brick or stone veneer over wood frame. Standard framed wall behind a masonry skin. Cut the veneer, then proceed as a normal wall install. This is most residential brick.
• Solid masonry. CMU block, poured concrete, or double-brick. No cavity, no studs, no tunnel-through-framing. This requires a concrete saw and belongs with a contractor who does masonry, not a standard install crew.

Exterior process for veneer

1. Transfer the interior opening out through corner pilot holes.
2. Score the full outline with an angle grinder and masonry blade. Score deeply and all the way around before removing anything. Deep scores give clean break lines.
3. Chisel out the brick within the outline, working from the center out.
4. For stucco, score with a masonry blade then remove the stucco and wire lath inside the outline.
5. Cut the sheathing behind it with a recip saw.
6. Flash the opening with metal flashing before the tunnel goes in. Masonry holds water, and this is where the callbacks come from.
7. Set the tunnel, mount the frames, seal exhaustively.

The quickest job we do. Screen doors are light, forgiving, and hard to ruin. Works with hinged and sliding screens. Retractable screens are not compatible.

Process

1. Measure the pet: widest point plus two inches, and floor to shoulder.
2. Measure the step-over. The pet door mounts directly to the base of the screen door, so floor to the top of the base frame sets your rise.
3. Lay the door flat. Position and trace the outline on the screen.
4. Cut the screen with a utility knife or sharp scissors along the traced line. Screen cuts cleanly; go smooth and steady.
5. Sandwich the frame halves and secure. The mounting flange does the work.
6. Check the flap swing and the magnetic seal for bug protection.

Screen rooms and pool enclosures. The install itself is straightforward. The money question is which door you are mounting and whether the opening can support it, and that has to be answered before the quote goes out.

Process

1. Confirm the mounting situation: existing screen door frame, or open bay.
2. Measure the bay width and height, and the frame rail thickness. The SB4 fits rails 1 1/4″ to 2″ thick.
3. If framing is required, build and secure it into the bay first, squared and plumb.
4. Position the door, mark, and cut the screen.
5. Secure the flanges to the frame, roll the remaining screen edges into the channel.
6. Add the blocking panel if specified, then the brace bar.
7. Test the swing and check the perimeter for gaps.

Breeders, groomers, boarding facilities, and homeowners with dedicated dog areas. Three common locations, and the location decides the method.

The three locations

1. Through an exterior wall into a run. Same process as PPU 301 or 302, just landing in a kennel area instead of a yard.
2. Through a kennel panel. Plywood, chain link, metal panel, or block wall.
3. Into an interior door to a kennel room. Same as PPU 101.

Process for a chain link panel

1. Cut the pet door opening in the plywood panel before mounting it to the chain link. Far easier on a bench.
2. Attach the panel to the chain link frame posts with carriage bolts, U-bolts, or pipe clamps.
3. Caulk around the opening on one side, position the exterior frame half.
4. From the other side, position the interior half and align all holes.
5. Use carriage bolts, not screws. Insert them from the dog-accessible side so the square shoulder sits flush and cannot be gripped. Washers and nuts on the far side.