Doggy Style

Spice up your door life with a new door: doggy style

Has your door life gone stale? Feel like you need to try something new and maybe then you’ll get the passion back? Here’s how you can replace an old exterior door and add a doggy door that’ll be sure to hit the spot.

Out with the old

By this point I’ve almost completely remodeled the entire inside of my house. But my exterior doors stick out like a cry for help. My door life is at best frustrating and at worst just plain sad. It’s disappointing, boring, and drafty. My back door had actually warped to a point where it was near impossible to weather seal. With winter coming I decided it was time to replace it.

I also had installed a doggy door in this door when I first bought the place. At first I was hesitant but after I had tried doggy style door I will never go back. With a fenced in yard it really makes not just your dog’s life easier, but yours also. Now the only bodily fluids I clean up in my house are my own.

I opted for a whole door system which includes the door and the frame. I could have just replaced the door and I would have if it was an interior door. But with an exterior door system the weatherstripping is already installed and you’re almost guaranteed a great fit and operation, depending on the quality of door. If you were to just replace the door (or slab) you have to get the placement of the hinges and hardware perfect or it won’t work properly. You may save some money but if you mess up you’ll be spending more on a second slab.

I did opt for a cheaper door because I was going to cut a giant hole in it for the doggy door anyways. The door I got was steel with an insulating foam core and double pane window. I could have gotten a built in doggy door but Menards wanted way too much money and it wasn’t near the quality of the one that I already had so I chose to reuse mine.

The Foreplay

First, I removed the door by taking off the hinges. I had also removed the doggy door because I was going to reuse it. I spent a lot of money on an insulated doggy door and it was still in good shape. Then I removed the interior and exterior trim because I would be taking the whole door frame out.

I used a reciprocating saw to get behind the door frame and cut the nails that were holding it to the studs. I also removed some screws in the sill because I would be replacing that as well.

With all the nails cut, I was able to just push the entire frame out of the house and toss it to the curb like I had just dumped it.

Make It Fit

Because of the way the original frame was built the opening was larger than my new door frame was even though they were the same size door. In order to make my new door fit, I had to add a two 2x4’s on top and a 2x6 on the bottom so that my opening was the right size and my door sat a proper height relative to the floor.

You want your opening to be in the ballpark of 3/4” wider than your door frame and 1/2” taller. This allows for wiggle room when you are making the door plumb with shims.

A note on flashing… I forgot to take a picture of flashing the opening. For an exterior door it is important to flash the opening, which means putting a waterproof material such as metal or flashing tape over the outside corners to prevent any water from getting to the framing. I had a bunch of flex seal tape lying around that worked perfect for this. While it may be an unusual choice, my whole life is unusual. And it’ll definitely get the job done.

Slide Right In

With the opening sized right, I was ready to slide the new door system in. I ran a good amount of caulk on the bottom of the sill to get a good seal. Then, with the help of a neighbor, I tipped the door into the opening. It’s very important to use a level to make sure the door is plumb so that it works properly. I used shims on both sides to make sure it stayed level and square. I then took one screw out of each hinge and replaced it with a 2 1/2” wood screw. On the other side I ran 3 more wood screws just behind the weatherstripping so that they are hidden. Once done I told my neighbor to get lost and continued working.

I then put some insulation in between the door frame and the stud. There’s going to be a slight gap because of the shims. I used a screwdriver to put the insulation in place. The key is to not pack it tight because insulation does absolutely nothing if it’s compressed too much.

For The Dogs

Now it came time for the main event, the doggy door. New dog doors should come with a template but because I was reusing the old one I had to take the measurements off of the hole I had cut in the old door.

If you are considering a dog door and you have cold winters you should consider a double flap door that is also insulated and has seals for the flaps to prevent drafts. The door that I use is the IdealPet Ruff-weather pet door. In fact, 10 out 10 emo dog owners recommend it.

I then transferred these measurements to the new door and used a nail punch to start holes that I would be drilling. I had to drill holes for the dog door bolts and pilot holes in the corners of the rectangle I would be cutting out so that I could have spots to start my reciprocating saw.

I then cut out the rectangle. My top cut isn’t the straightest, but hey who is nowadays?

If you’re curious about what a steel door looks like on the inside you can see the section I had cut out. It is just a slab of thick solid foam wrapped in a steel skin.

I then installed the doggy door and my dog was now able to distance herself from me as she pleased.

Finishing Touches

Because the old sill was wider than the new one I had a gap between the floor and the door. Luckily, I had some scrap flooring from when I installed it and was able to cut a piece that fit that gap, all while my dog criticized everything I did, per usual.

I installed the new door knobs and deadlock, the interior trim (casing), and the exterior trim (brickmould). I ran some caulk along all of the trim and around the perimeter of the doggy door and I was done.

All in all this took me a solid day and cost about $350 which is far less than the cost of a Taylor Swift concert ticket and almost as enjoyable, so I’ll take it as a win.