What People Ask Before They Call

Yes — and it's one of the more common calls we get. Most people who ask about "in-glass" installation ultimately end up with what we call a custom panel installation, and most of them are happy they went that route.

Here's how it works: the existing double-pane glass in your French door is replaced with a half-light or three-quarter light, and our installer builds a custom wood panel for the lower section with a Hale door-model pet door set into it. The result is finished, purpose-built, and typically less expensive than a true in-glass unit. It's also more structurally stable, and we have a lot of completed jobs to show you if you want to see what it looks like finished.

True in-glass installation is also available for customers who specifically want that look. A couple of the brands we carry offer in-glass options. Lead times and pricing are higher than the custom panel approach, and not every door configuration is compatible — worth a conversation before assuming it's the right path.

We do, with a caveat: most electronic pet doors on the market don't work reliably enough for us to recommend or install. The RFID-triggered concept is solid — the door reads a tag on your pet's collar and opens automatically — but most manufacturers haven't built units that hold up in real household use. We've tested several and walked away from all of them.

The one exception is PlexiDor. Their electronic door is the only unit we've installed with real confidence — built to the same commercial-grade standard as their manual doors, and it works the way it's supposed to. We recently completed a PlexiDor electronic wall installation for a customer with a large Labrador, and she described the experience this way:

That said: PlexiDor electronic units are large, they're the most expensive pet door we install, and they don't suit every situation or every home. If you're asking about electronic because you want to control which pet can use the door, or because you're worried about security, we'll talk through whether it actually makes sense for your setup before recommending it.

Most walls, yes. Wood framing with wood or vinyl siding, wood framing with brick veneer, and block or concrete foundation walls are all within our standard scope. Each one requires different tooling and technique — they are not the same job — but we've done all three.

Stone walls are a different matter. We've completed a wall installation through a very thick stone wall, but it required bringing in a separate masonry contractor to cut the opening, which added several hundred dollars to the job. The finished result was excellent. If you have a stone wall or an unusually thick wall of any material, call us before you request a quote — we'll assess the situation honestly and tell you what's involved.

Yes. Our installer, Jason Lucia of Lucia Renovations, handles custom carpentry work alongside pet door installations. We've built exterior steps to meet a pet door that exits above grade. We've built a catwalk to bridge a gap on the exterior side of a wall installation — simple construction, but clean and finished. We've built platforms and landings for older dogs that can't manage a step-over.

If your installation location has an awkward approach — a drop-off, a step, an unusual height — mention it when you reach out. Jason can assess what's needed and we'll include it in the estimate. Custom work is quoted separately from the door installation itself.

It's a fair question and one we hear often — particularly from customers considering large doors for big dogs. The short answer is: not with the brands we install, and not if the door is sized and installed correctly.

All three brands we carry — Hale, PlexiDor, and Endura Flap — include locking covers or security panels that block the opening entirely when the door isn't in use. PlexiDor's steel security plate is particularly robust: it attaches with machine screws from the inside and cannot be removed from outside the home. The cylinder lock on PlexiDor units provides additional keyed security for everyday use.

Hale offers security barriers for their wall units, including a Cat Guardian option that prevents animals from entering through the opening. For customers leaving home for extended periods, locking the door takes about thirty seconds.

Two measurements matter: shoulder height and body width. Shoulder height is measured from the floor to the top of your dog's shoulders — not the head. The top of the pet door opening should be at or slightly above that measurement. Width should be slightly wider than the widest point of your dog's body.

The most reliable method is what we call the cardboard test: cut a hole in a piece of cardboard using the passage opening dimensions from the size chart and see if your dog moves through it comfortably. Dogs duck their heads going through a pet door, so fit is less intuitive than it seems — most people overestimate the size they need.

We include a sizing guide with every estimate we send. If you're uncertain after reviewing it, call or text before we place the order — a wrong-size door is expensive to fix after the fact.

Almost certainly, yes — though some pets take longer than others to figure it out. The most common mistake is trying to push or shove the pet through during training, which creates a fear association and makes everything harder. Don't do that.

The standard approach: prop the flap fully open at first and use treats to encourage the pet to walk through the open frame. Once they're comfortable with that, gradually reduce how much you're holding the flap. Most dogs work it out in a session or two. Cats are often quicker than dogs, which surprises people.

Nervous or timid pets occasionally balk at the flap sound or resistance. All three brands we carry allow for magnet removal, which reduces the force needed to push through — Endura Flap and Hale both make this straightforward. For electronic doors, the activation sound can spook a cautious pet initially; disabling the electronics for a week while they learn the flap usually solves it.

Depends on what you're having done. Here are realistic timeframes for our most common installation types:

Custom panel jobs run longer because they involve glass replacement, panel fabrication, and finish work — there's more to get right. Wall installations through brick or block take longer than wood-framed walls. Unusual situations — extra-thick walls, custom accommodations like steps — add time and will be reflected in your estimate.

Yes — and the scope is broader than most people expect. Our installer, Jason Lucia, runs a full home renovation company. That means we can handle carpentry and repair work alongside pet door installations: rotted framing around an old pet door, damaged trim, an opening that needs to be rebuilt before a new door goes in. If the area around your existing pet door is in rough shape, we assess and address it as part of the job rather than leaving it for you to sort out separately.

For pet door product repair specifically: Hale, PlexiDor, and Endura Flap — the three brands we carry — are designed to be serviced. Replacement flaps, panels, frames, and hardware are available. We can work on those brands even if we didn't do the original installation.

Most other brands — PetSafe, Ideal, and the various big-box and warehouse products — are not designed to be repaired. They're built to be replaced. If you have one of those and it's failing, the honest answer is that product repair usually isn't viable, and we can discuss replacement with one of the brands we carry.

Pricing varies by installation type, wall material, pet door brand and size, and whether any custom work is involved. We don't publish a price list because the job-to-job variation is real and we'd rather give you an accurate number than a misleading one.

That said, here are honest starting-point ranges for our most common installation types — door unit plus installation, before tax and any optional finishes:

Customers outside our standard 25-mile service area pay a travel surcharge of $2.25 per mile beyond that radius. We'll include the exact amount in your estimate before you commit to anything.