Doggie door in door or in Wall?

10 years ago

I would like to hear from folks as to which install of a doggie door is better--in wall or in door, and why you believe it? Thanks.

Featured Answer

lzrddr

10 years ago

I think cost of replacement door/wall depends on the cost of your door and what your wall is made out of. We had a couple doggie doors put in our walls and it turned out to be a lot simpler and cheaper than I thought it was going to be (we have dry wall in inside and stucco on outside). Save your stucco cut out and you can repair the wall very easily and cheaply (far cheaper than replacing a door, unless your door is super cheap). Also, if your door is part of a double, door styles are always changing and matching the other half of the door if you decide to sell, or want to move the doggy door elsewhere, often necessitates replacing the entire door set up (to me, this is WAY more complicated not to mention expensive than fixing a hole in the wall... but again, I think that depends sort of what your walls are made of).

BUT, the cost of a doggy door made for a wall is usually a lot more than one made for a door. If your wall is super thick, generally the screws that come with the doggy door kit are almost never long enough, so you will need to go purchase special screws at an large outlet store.

The reason I like doggy doors in walls is there is less of a hassle dealing with the door being open or closed, and with the decision to put the door in the wall, you can pretty much put it anywhere you like it... generally most people only have a few doors as an option, and putting one in a nice door can really ruin the look of the door.. and the door just may not be the right spot for the doggy door.

Comments (11)

maxuna14
10 years ago
see this URL i hope usefull:

http://www.petdoors.com/pet-doors/manual-pet-doors/wall-pet-doors.html

Here is a link that might be useful: tamashebi
laurief_gw
10 years ago
I would ONLY install a doggie door in a door - NEVER in a wall. That's because a door is a lot easier to replace than is an exterior wall.

Doggie doors wear out or parts break or fall off and need to be replaced. When that happens, the exact door your originally purchased may no longer be available, and you may not be able to find a replacement of the exact same size. If you have the wrong size hole in your exterior wall for a replacement doggie door, you may have some serious expense involved in repairing the hole. Patching or replacing an exterior door would likely be a lot less expensive.

Laurie
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annzgw
10 years ago
I've had both and the decision to have one over the other was based on the type doors we had. Our last house had only sliders on the back of the house and we knew we didn't want to deal with panels in the sliding doors. Instead, we choose the walk-in closet that was in the office and placed a dog door in the back of the closet. That allowed us to close the closet door during bad weather or whenever we didn't want the dogs going outside. We could also limit the dogs access to the rest of the house by keeping them in the office, yet they could still get outside whenever they wanted.

In addition to what laurief mentioned, the other thing to remember when considering a wall door is you'll need to build a landing for them, along with steps, if there is no porch or decking on the other side of the wall.
annzgw
10 years ago
Deleted double post..............

This post was edited by annz on Mon, Apr 29, 13 at 22:30
seattlecosmo
Original Author
10 years ago
Excellent point Laurief!
graywings123
10 years ago
The issue, IMO, is not door vs wall, but rather which is the better place for the dog door. The dog should not have a large drop as he comes out the door. So you may need to raise the outside landing with pavers.

It is not hard to get replacement parts for dog doors. And should you want to remove a dog door and seal up an opening in a wall, it's not difficult.
maxmom96
10 years ago
I have mine in a low window, making it easier for the pup to jump out from floor level onto the patio. I had a panel made that would fit in the window opening, and had the dog door inset into that plywood panel. Works great.
I tried to get a replacement flap for my old door because it was looking rather nasty, but found they were no longer made and I would have to buy a whole new door. The plywood panel then made it easier to take out the old door and recut for the new door.
Ninapearl
10 years ago
here, you can see the little panel that slid over the doggy door in the door that the corgis used to use.

here you can see why it wouldn't work for the danes.

i had a dog door installed into the wall of my house (mobile home). i don't know what i ever did w/o it!!

this door has 2 very heavy flaps, 6" apart, so there is virtually no cold or hot air that comes through it. it closes with heavy duty magnets. it took the dogs about 5 minutes each to figure it out. there is a panel i slide over it for the times when i am gone and at night as bentley has a penchant for bringing very UNdead possums into the house. his choice of gifts to me leaves much to be desired!
Sharon Ann Merchant
3 years ago
I am searching for a pet door this size and quality. I know this post was seven years ago but what brand do you use?
Ninapearl
3 years ago
i have this one in the "behemoth" size. it's pricey but i've had it for 10+ years now and have only replaced the flaps twice. over the years, i've had very tall and very heavy danes and this door works great! https://moorepet.com/maxseal-wall-mount-pet-door/