Putting a dog door in a storm door?

I would like to put a dog door in an Andersen storm door.

I have in mind putting a dog door in the bottom and a piece of acrylic on the top. It appears that the glass pane is held in by 4 plastic strips, so it should just be a matter of pulling the glass and putting a replacement panel in. But I don't know a whole lot about doors so I could be all wrong.
I would still have to be able to use the door, but I can't see why that would be difficult.

The storm door is on an enclosed porch, so there would still be a real door to the house. We want to fence in the backyard for a new dog, and there is just no other place for getting her into the house from the fence in area, nor anyplace to else to put a dog door. Well, there is the walkout basement, but that's not a great idea.

Any advice here would be appreciated.

 

I have the same door, and in looking at it, the 4 interior strips can be pulled out and the glass released. Be super careful as that glass is tempered and one rap on any corner will send it into 4,563,245,231 pieces You would probably need to cut a piece of plexiglas the same size and cut out for the smaller pet door. I am not sure how you will attach it, since most doors require 2 3/4" sandwich to attach to. Have you selected a door yet?

 

This is a bad idea. If you insist on doing it, take out the glass panel and put a sheet of plywood in its place. Find an inexpensive storm window and cut a hole in the top half for the window. Add 1x2 trim to the perimeter of the open and screw it on.

Cut a hole in the bottom plywood for your dog door.

The original stops will hold the plywood in if it is the same thickness as the glass (3/32" / 7/64"?)

Then down the road that whole panel can come out and the glass can go back in.

Use acrylic instead of plywood if you want but I think it will be too thin and wonky.

 

I haven't bought one yet, but Walmart has one for 3/4" panels. I assume it is junk, but it is cheap enought to replace. I am a woodworker, so making a shim should be easy enough.

My first idea was to make a wooden bottom panel to take the dog door and put a plastic panel up above. I could route a grove in the wood panel to hold the plastic. It would be a lot more work because I would have to rabbet the panel to fit the door, but then I wouldn't have to worry about breaking the plastic when I cut it out for the dog door.

I know tempered glass can shatter, but aren't glass coffee tables tempered? Whey don't they shatter?

 

Why is it a bad idea? I would really appreciate your opinion, but need more information.

 

Go buy a cheap storm door that is 50% glass, 50% non-glass and have at it. You can then build up the thickness as needed and save this expensive door for either another location or to replace the dog door one when you go to sell. Heck of a lot easier, and you are not monkeying with an expensive door. You won't have to look at plywood and plexi as an added bonus.

 

You can, then, set this door aside in secure storage for reinstallation at a later date.

Coffee tables, shower surrounds, all are tempered glass. Hit one on the edge with something like a razor knife, or in one of the corners and they will break very easily. They have tension in the middle and won't break with normal bumping and use.

 

You can get some very nice wood screen doors solid wood on the bottom half that would be easier to mount a dog door in and screen on top. You could add a removable plastic panel for the top part.

Or use a ready made:


36 in. x 80 in. Chesapeake Series Reversible Wood Screen Door with Extra-Large Pet Flap-WCPK36XL - The Home Depot

 

And the winner is Ray!

That is your best and most efficient use of time and money.

 

Or the bottom 2 on this page...https://www.stormdoors.com/storm-doo...2-c53d4061efc3

I believe every manufacturer has something similar.

 

Nope, Vic is the winner.

 

Yes, bad idea. Last picture (above) = good idea.

 

No credit to me...I sold more than a few of these.

 

Am I thought the idea was mine.

 

Honestly, I've never seen a quality storm door with a dog door in it. Probably because I have never looked. Looks to be Andersen?

I have an older dog that can't negotiate the steps to the basement and dog door anymore, and this would be a boon for us!!

 

It's an EMCO, owned by Andersen. It's a wood core door, you could make your own pretty easily, but by buying theirs premade, you have an active warranty at least. There is another option with a slightly nicer handle set. And I looked after posting, LARSON makes one similar.

Not exactly cheap, and a little short on details about a door blocking panel, etc but if you can get a Vet to buy it, that knocks 10% off right there.

 

I prowled around Lowes.

I agree putting a dog door in an acrylic panel is way too flimsy.
They had a storm door with a dog door in it, but pulling the old one out, installing the new one, storing it, and then reversing the whole thing is expensive and a lot of work.

My wife would kill me if I put a plywood panel in.

I have pretty much settled on a wood panel for the bottom and acrylic for the top. Not too expensive, pretty easy to do, and should be plenty sturdy. I could even build it with raised panels, though that seems excessive.

I have a spare Andersen screen door that appears identical to the storm door. If you think taking the glass out is potentially dangerous, I could rebuild the screen door and store the storm door. They are reversed directions; can the latch be flipped over?

She actually wants me to open up a cinder block wall in the garage, and then put in a fence in the garage to keep the dog from going out the garage door. Aside from lowering the resale value of the house and requiring removing some shrubs, it will take up about 20% of the garage. But it will reduce the number of steps down from 8 to 3. She is afraid of Chloe slipping in the winter. Our old dog ran up and down a 50' 40 degree perfectly smooth granite slope (the summit of Cascade in the Adirondacks); I think this one can handle 8 stairs even with a little ice.