Pet Door Installation — Dog Door in an Exterior Door or Wall
You bought the pet door. Now someone has to cut a hole in a perfectly good exterior door or wall and make it seal in January. That is us.
JMB Builders does pet door installation across the Twin Cities metro: a dog door cut into a steel, fiberglass or wood exterior door, or framed through an exterior wall with a sealed tunnel. We size the opening to your pet, cut it clean, set the frame with the weather flap sealed on both sides, and put it in a spot your pet can use and the cold cannot. Priced per unit, quoted from photos within one business day.
- Priced per unit, door-mounted or wall-mounted
- Steel, fiberglass, wood and glass doors
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A pet door is a hole in the outside of your house. Done well, it is a framed, flashed, sealed opening with a flap that closes and a frame that does not leak. Done badly, it is a jagged cut in a steel door with foam showing at the edges, a wall tunnel with no flashing, and a draft you can feel from the kitchen table. The kit in the box is fine. The cutting and sealing are the job.
Where it goes matters as much as how it goes in. A door-mounted pet door is the quick version: one cut, the frame clamps through the door from both sides, done in a couple of hours. A wall-mounted door is more work but leaves your doors alone and puts the opening where you actually want it, off the deck or into a fenced side yard. Glass doors are the special case: you cannot cut a lite, so the answer is a replacement glass panel with a pet door built in, or a panel insert for a sliding door.
JMB Builders installs pet doors in exterior doors and through walls across the Twin Cities metro. We are a door and trim crew, so the cut is square, the frame sits flat, the weather flap seals, and the outside is flashed and caulked the way the rest of the door is.
What you supply
- The pet door kit, sized to your pet (send us the pet's shoulder height and the model you are looking at and we confirm before you buy)
- A photo of the door or wall where it is going, inside and out
- For a wall install: the exterior finish (vinyl, lap siding, stucco, brick) and anything in that wall: outlets, plumbing, dryer vent
- Paint or touch-up for the wall or trim if you want it done — quoted as a separate line, or do it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Layout and a clean square cut in steel, fiberglass or wood doors, or through drywall, sheathing and siding for a wall install
- Framing for a wall tunnel, with the sides and sill flashed and sealed to the exterior
- Sealant, foam, exterior-grade fasteners and interior trim where the wall opening needs it
- A replacement glass insert or slider panel with a built-in pet door when the door is glass, priced separately
- Flap adjustment and magnet check so the door closes flat and the lock-out panel fits
- Photos of the finished install in your job folder
How it is priced: per unit
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Door-mounted (one cut, frame clamps through) vs. wall-mounted (framed tunnel through the whole wall)
- Door material: steel and fiberglass skins cut differently than a solid wood door, and a hollow door needs the edges of the cut sealed
- Wall type and exterior finish: vinyl and lap siding are quick, stucco and brick take more time to cut and seal
- Size of the pet door, which sets the size of the hole and how much framing a wall install needs
- A glass door, where the answer is a replacement insert or slider panel instead of a cut
- Anything in the wall that has to be moved or worked around
- Painting or touch-up if you want it on the quote
Send a photo of the door or wall from inside and outside, the pet door model number, and your pet's shoulder height. That is enough to quote it firm.
How long it takes
Door-mounted pet door: about two hours. Wall-mounted through siding: half a day, longer in stucco or brick. Glass inserts depend on the panel lead time.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Pet door in a steel or fiberglass door
The most common install. We lay out the cut on the door, cut through both skins and the foam core, seal the raw edge, and clamp the two-piece frame through the door. The flap, magnet strip and lock-out panel are set and checked. Works on most entry and garage service doors.
Pet door in a wood or solid-core door
Same idea, cleaner cut. A solid door holds the frame screws well and does not need the core sealed. On a paneled door we place the opening in the bottom panel or across the rail so it does not weaken the door.
Wall-mounted pet door
A framed tunnel through the wall, sized to the kit, between studs. We cut the drywall and the exterior, frame and insulate the sides, flash the sill and jambs to the siding, set the frame and tunnel, and trim the inside. Puts the door where you want it and leaves your entry doors alone.
Pet door in a glass door or slider
Glass cannot be cut on site. For a full-lite door, the fix is a replacement glass insert with a pet door built into the frame. For a sliding patio door, a panel insert sits in the track next to the slider, no cutting at all. We source the panel or install the one you bought.
Pet Door Installation — Dog Door in an Exterior Door or Wall: questions, answered
Can you put a dog door in a steel or fiberglass door?
Yes. Steel and fiberglass entry doors are two thin skins over a foam core, and a pet door kit is designed for exactly that: cut through both skins, seal the edge of the core, and clamp the inner and outer frames together through the door. The key is a square cut in the right spot, low enough for the pet and clear of the lock rail. It is about a two-hour job on most doors.
Can a pet door go through a wall instead of a door?
Yes, and for a lot of houses it is the better spot. A wall-mounted pet door needs a framed, insulated tunnel through the whole wall, flashed to the siding on the outside so water runs off and not in. We check the wall for wiring, plumbing and vents first, cut both sides, frame the opening between studs, set the tunnel and frame, and trim the inside. It takes longer than a door install, but your doors stay original and the opening can go where the fenced yard is.
What size pet door do I need?
Measure your pet's height at the shoulder and its width at the widest point, then check the size chart on the kit you are considering. The top of the flap should clear the shoulders, and the bottom should sit low enough that the pet steps through instead of jumping. Buy for the biggest pet that will use it, and if a puppy is still growing, buy for the adult size. Send us the numbers and the model and we confirm before you order.
Can I put a pet door in the door between the house and the garage?
We recommend against it. The door between an attached garage and the house is a rated, self-closing door that seals the house from exhaust and fumes, and cutting a pet door through it defeats that. Put the pet door in an exterior wall, an exterior door or the garage's service door instead. If the old garage-to-house door already has a pet door in it, the right fix is a new rated door.
Will a pet door make the house drafty in a Minnesota winter?
A cheap single-flap door will. A kit with a double flap or an insulated flap, magnets along the bottom edge, and a lock-out panel for the coldest nights does much better, and the installation matters just as much: a frame that sits flat and is sealed on both sides does not leak around the edges. We seal the frame, check the flap closes flat, and on wall installs insulate around the tunnel.
Can you install a pet door in a glass door or a sliding patio door?
Not by cutting the glass. For a full-glass entry door, a replacement glass insert with a pet door built into the bottom of the frame swaps in for the existing lite. For a sliding patio door, a pet door panel sits in the track next to the sliding panel and the slider locks against it; no cutting, and it comes back out if you move. We install either and can source the panel for your door.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Fire-Rated House-to-Garage Door Installation
The door into the garage is the one that gets kicked, slammed and left open. Replace it with a rated, self-closing door that seals against exhaust and cold, installed by a licensed Minnesota contractor.
Read moreLabor-Only Door Installation — We Install the Door You Bought
You buy the door, we install it right — entry doors, house-to-garage doors, and interior doors hung plumb, sealed tight, and trimmed out by a licensed Minnesota contractor.
Read moreDoor Sweep Replacement & Exterior Door Weatherstripping
Daylight under the door, frost on the inside of the jamb, a rug that moves when the wind blows. The seal is shot, or the door is. We figure out which and fix it.
Read moreMenards Door Installation — Labor Only, You Buy the Door
The door is sitting in the Menards lumberyard, or already in your garage, and you need someone who will hang it square, seal it and make it latch — not a store referral list.
Read moreStorm Door Installation, Labor Only — You Buy the Storm Door
The storm door is in the box in the garage. The instructions are 40 pages. We mount it plumb on your brickmould, set the closer, and make it latch on the first try.
Read moreCloset Door Installation — Bifold, Bypass and Mirrored Doors
Closet doors that fall off the track, drag on the carpet or never quite meet in the middle. Replaced with new hardware on a track that is level, by a crew that hangs doors for a living.
Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
Where we work
Doors near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: