How To Install A Pet Door In Your Garage Door

While garage doors make the driveway or storage area more secure from thieves and wind or rain, the problem with people who own pets like cats and dogs is that they’ll need to  keep opening the garage a couple of times each day, just to let their pets go outside. To solve this issue, here are a number of steps on how to install a dog or cat door on your existing garage door.

Figure Out The Dimensions, And Draw Measurements

The first step towards creating an opening for your cats or dogs on the door is to determine the right size of the opening, so that your cat or dog can safely go through it. Try taking a measurement of your dog or cat from the shoulders to the bottom of their rib cage, to determine proper height. Next, draw the measurements on paper or cardboard,  and bring your measurements when shopping for the pet door.

Installation Tips

Once you’ve bought the pet door, and got the required tools already, open the overhead, automatic or roll up garage door and mark a spot six inches from the bottom of the door, as well as mark another at the top, to create the template for guiding you. Next, drill a hole in each of the four corners in the identified area, and insert the blade into each of the four sides and slowly cut out the required opening. Next, attach the pet door, and firmly drill the screws that came with the door, to complete the assembly. If required, you could place thin wood strips or Styrofoam between the pet door and the garage door, to see if it makes a very good fit.

Garage Door Professionals experts suggest that you carefully follow the pet door maker’s instructions when installing this specialized door into an existing garage door opener.