Can I make an existing dog door bigger for our new larger dog?

Question

We have an existing dog door that we had installed in the wall for our beagle. We have since acquired a larger dog and she has out grown the door. I'm worried about injuries, so any advice will be much appreciated. Can we make the existing door bigger?

Answer 1

Usually, yes. It's normally just a matter of removing the old door, cutting the hole bigger for the new one and installing the new one. The challenges come when your door has interesting features like inset panels, hardware, etc.

Answer 2

The short answer is yes, it can be made larger, but the complexity of this depends on a number of factors.

1. What is the exterior of your house? Stucco can be cut through easily, brick would require a lot of chiseling
2. How much larger is the new door? If it exceeds the distance between studs (16"), then some additional framing is needed. This might also be needed if the existing door is not centered in a stud (and say one side was a corner or could not otherwise be extended).
3. The location of the door. Obstructions like plumbing or electrical will need to be relocated.

Answer 3

Yes, of course how much work it is depends on how big the door needs to be. If the door needs to be wider than ~15 inches, you will most likely have to deal with studs (16" on center is standard) which can introduce a whole new, but not unsolvable, challenge. Otherwise it is just a matter of cutting a bigger hole in the wall.