Guide · · 4 min read
Planning a pet door in a new build or renovation
The cheapest time to add a pet door is before the glass is made. If you are building or renovating, a five-minute decision now saves replacing a double-glazed unit later.
By the Pet-Tek International team, Auckland — designers of Catwalk® and Dogwalk® since 1999.
If you are building a new home or replacing the joinery in an old one, this is the cheapest moment you will ever have to add a cat door or dog door. Once double-glazed or toughened glass is made, it cannot be cut. Add a pet door later and the glazier has to order a whole new unit. Add it now and it is one extra line on the glass order.
Why it has to be decided early
Almost every new NZ home has double-glazed joinery, and glass in doors has to be safety glass. Neither can be cut after it is made: toughened glass shatters, and a sealed unit loses its seal. So the round hole for the pet door is cut at the glass factory, before the glass is toughened and the unit is assembled. That means the pet door has to be chosen before your windows and doors are ordered, not after you move in.
Step 1: choose the door
Pick the door for the biggest pet you expect to have over the life of the house, not only the one you have now. The cut-out size comes from the door:
- 245 mm: Catwalk® Standard (single glazing 3–10 mm) and Catwalk® Multi-Magnetic (glass 3–26 mm).
- 267 mm: Catwalk® Maxi Dual Glaze (3–28 mm) and Maxi Slim Line (3–21 mm): all cats and small dogs.
- 320 mm: Dogwalk® Intermediate Dual Glaze (4–32 mm) and Intermediate Slim Line (4–13 mm): dogs to about 380 mm at the shoulder.
- 385 mm: Dogwalk® Medium Dual Glaze (3–32 mm) and Medium Slim Line (4–20 mm): dogs to about 500 mm.
New double-glazed units are often 24 mm or more, so a Dual Glaze model is usually the right choice. Check the glass spec with your supplier. If you do not have a pet yet, our measuring guide shows what sizes suit which animals, or find your door by answering three questions.
Step 2: choose the panel and the height
- Which panel. A fixed panel or a hinged door is simplest. On sliders and bi-folds, use a Slim Line model in a panel where the frame will not catch when it slides or folds (see dog doors for sliding doors).
- Height. The bottom of the opening should be at your pet’s belly height: about 100–150 mm for a cat, floor to tummy for a dog. Allow for the bottom rail of the frame and any step outside.
- Outside. Plan a flat landing on both sides. A deck, path or step at the right height makes the door far easier to use than a drop to the lawn.
- Distance from the edge. The hole must sit clear of the frame and the edge of the glass. Your glass supplier will confirm the minimum for your pane.
Step 3: give your supplier the details
Hand your joiner or glazier a short note with:
- The door model and its cut-out diameter.
- The panel it goes in (mark it on the plan).
- The height from the finished floor to the bottom of the hole.
- The glass thickness range the door takes.
- The installation sheet from the product page, which has the drawing.
Buy the door before the glass arrives so it can be fitted the day the joinery goes in. The frames clamp through the hole with nothing screwed into the glass. Our glass installation guide shows the fitting.
Through a wall instead
If you would rather keep the glass clear, plan a wall opening while the framing is still exposed. Tunnel models reach through doors and walls up to 52 mm: the Catwalk® Cat Door Tunnel and the Dogwalk® Small Dog Door Tunnel. A standard framed wall is thicker, so your builder frames an opening between two studs and lines it, and the door fits to the inside. It takes very little time with the walls open; see through-wall dog doors.
Renovating, not building?
The same rule applies whenever joinery is being replaced: ask for the pet door hole in the new glass. If you are only replacing one door, the glazier can make that single unit with the hole. See dog door for double glazing and what it usually costs to install.
Builders, glaziers and joiners
Fitting pet doors for clients? Use the Trade enquiry button on any product page for trade pricing, or email info@petnest.co.nz. Every door ships from Auckland stock with its installation sheet; see shipping and the 3-year warranty.
Quick answers
When should I plan a pet door in a new build?
Before the windows and doors are ordered. Double-glazed and toughened glass cannot be cut once it is made, so the hole has to be in the glass order. Choose the pet door first and give your joinery supplier its cut-out size, the panel it goes in and the height.
What do I tell my window supplier about a pet door?
Which panel it goes in, the round cut-out diameter (245, 267, 320 or 385 mm depending on the door), the height of the bottom of the hole from the floor, and the glass thickness range the door takes. The installation sheet on each product page has the drawing.
Can a pet door go in a wall instead of the glass?
Yes. Tunnel models go through walls and doors up to 52 mm; a thicker framed wall gets a lined opening between two studs that your builder frames, and the pet door fits to the inside. It is easiest to frame the opening while the walls are open.
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