Pet doors in Wollongong.

A pet door is a hole cut low in a door, so the way it is fitted matters. Done badly, it becomes a weak point that undermines the whole reason you fitted a security door. Done properly, with a reinforced surround and a lockable panel, it gives the dog or cat the run of the yard without compromising the home. We fit pet doors so a security screen door keeps its AS 5039 rating, which is the detail a general handyman won’t think about.

Where a pet door can go.

• Into a security screen door: fitted into the bottom rail with a reinforced surround. Cleanest when done at the time the security door is made. ~$150-$300 on top of the door.
• Into a flyscreen door: a simple, low-cost fit for an existing screen door. ~$150-$250.
• Into glass: fitted into a sliding glass door or fixed panel, usually with a new toughened-glass pane made with the cut-out. ~$350-$450 plus glass.
• Into a solid door: cut and sealed into a timber or composite door with a weather flap. ~$250-$400.

Lockable and weather-sealed.

Every pet door we fit takes a slide-in locking panel, so you can close the opening at night or when the house is empty. The flap is brush- or magnet-sealed against the Wollongong weather, the wind off the coast, and the driving rain that comes up the valley, so you are not heating or cooling the street. We size and position the door so a person cannot reach an internal lock through it.

A worked example.

A family in Dapto getting a new 316 stainless rear security door wants a large-dog door built into it. Fitting the pet door at manufacture with a reinforced surround and lockable panel adds $260 to the security door cost, versus retrofitting later, which would mean cutting a finished door. Doing it together keeps the rating intact and the price down.