Question: I have a question regarding a dog door and what I can do to keep the heat out. We both work so the dogs need yard access while we are gone. Unfortunately, the door is on the south side of the house and we currently don’t have a patio cover, so the heat blasts into that area in the afternoon.
With that, the amount of heat that comes through the thin-paneled vertical dog door we’ve set into the door track, is unbelievable. We’ve done everything that looks horrible like taping cardboard, adding blackout curtains (they get destroyed with dogs going in and out) and foil. Nothing keeps the heat out.
Is there something we can do permanently that would help? Building the patio cover is a few years out for us, so this has become priority in the meantime. Any ideas?
— MaryAnn H.
Answer: MaryAnn, reach out to a reputable glass company. It will be expensive but not as much as a patio cover. This is my best recommendation.
They can fabricate a new sliding door where the top approximately two-thirds is the glass panel, and there will be a horizontal frame which will then support a section of glass below, as well as a built-in heavy-duty dog door.
The insulation is, by far, better than the inserts, and they are very stable.
The next step if you like having the door open yet you need pet access without the flies and such, would be to have a screen company fabricate the same idea, though in a sliding screen door. I’ve seen both, they are fantastic and heavy duty. Best of luck.
Robert Lamoureux has more than 40 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at [email protected].
