How to Make a Patio Dog Door
Dog doors can make having them so much more convenient. Instead of having to manually let Fido out to do his business, a dog door allows your pet the freedom to come and go as they please. A few simple steps can have you and your pet enjoying your dog door in an afternoon.
Tired of having to let your pup out every time nature calls? Simplify the process by installing a patio pet door.
- Measure the height of your pet. Use the height from the ground to the shoulder. This measurement will be used to select the pet door.
- Purchase a basic pet door from your local home improvement or pet store. These doors are constructed of plastic frame along with a pet flap. The pet door is designed with a standard wood door in mind.
- Measure the inside frame height for your patio door. Add ten inches to the height and ten inches to the width.
- Return to your local hardware store, and purchase plywood that fit the measurements in the step above. Have another piece of plywood cut using the width measurements, but a length of four inches. This will become a support shelf later.
- Draw on the plywood in order to outline where the pet door will go. Leave five inches on either side of the width when you draw. Cut the square opening and then place the pet door frame on either side of the opening. Use the hardware provided with the pet door to screw everything together.
- Cut your patio pet door into two pieces so that it will fit in and out of the existing door frame. Saw your pet door in two with the top about 15 inches long. Now that the cuts are complete, the pet door should fit nicely inside a door frame. Draw a line where the top part of the patio door overlaps with the bottom part.
- Glue the support shelf over the line drawn. Allow the shelf to dry, and it will hold the top pieces of the pet door in place once they are fit together. For maximum stability, screw a flat metal bracket into the shelf. This process will also make removal easy, the bracket can simply be slid out of the way.
- Paint the pet door as desired to match the existing door, and start enjoying your pet door!