There are a time of different dog doors out there nowadays in finding one that will mount through your stucco wall seems to be a little bit confusing especially looking at some of the different models out there. Not all doors are created equal and in fact there are many out there that do a much better job of keeping out the elements and have extra added security features when you are not using the door they can make all the difference in the world.
In general, the old adage "you get what you pay for" seems to be very true when it comes to what type of dog door you actually buy. What you have to keep in mind is that there are not many parts to these so you want what little parts the door has to be quality. This was a fun article to put together and there are a lot of really neat doggie doors that can be mounted through a stucco wall, let's take a look!
One Of The Top Pet Doors Out There!
The Endura Flap Pet Door is one of the best models out there due to its overall design and construction.
This dog door was one of the top picks for a few different reasons, mainly because of how well insulated the door is and because of a few key features that make it convenient and easy to secure when not in use.
This has a magnetic door catch mechanism that is adjustable so you can get a very tight seal on the door keeping out the extreme temperature variations that usually exist outside your home. This will also come in handy when training your dog to enter or exit through the door. The locking mechanism is really secure and bulky looking too, a nice addition.
A More Affordable, Highly Rated Dog Door For Stucco Walls:
The PetSafe Pet door is a more affordable option (around $100) that had a ton of positive feedback from people on Amazon.
It comes in three different sizes to meet just about any size dogs needs and needs and comes in a small, medium and large sized door.
he telescoping side will work for stucco and a lot of other materials because it is fully adjustable (ranges from 4.75 in. - 7.25 in.) You can also use a slide in panel, that will work on either side of the door (inside or outside) for added security when not using it.
Now this doggie door was a little over $100 and after the additional things that people bought it ended up in somewhere around $150-$200 for everything you need to install. That's not a bad price but I would consider this dog door more of a budget friendly version and you are not going to see some of the features that you see on some of the more expensive models.
The sliding security door is great and is not as secure as some of the other models and the flap on the door is not going to keep out the cold or heat that well, so keep that in mind.
A Nifty Bifold Door Doggie Door That Works Like A Charm...
This dog door (made by Carlson) has a unique design to the doors, they are essentially bifold doors that work like the ones you would see stepping into an old western saloon.
This is a no other higher and dog door that has a lot of upgraded features that you typically won't find with the cheaper models. Notice the picture on the right shows that the there are actually two doors that swing and like a bifold door would.
The doors use very strong magnets to ensure that a proper seal is achieved every time, providing it is clean and able to seal properly and the doors are a little bit more rigid than the flap material that you would find on most dog doors.
The other really cool aspect to this particular dog door is the fact that it has a stainless steel security door that you can use when not in use. This is a special feature that only this particular door has, from the research I've done. It only seems to come in one size and that size is what they referred to as a large door that measures approximately 18" x 14".
The Perfect Pet The All-Weather Dog Door
The Perfect Pet The All-Weather Dog Door is a pretty standard doggie door that has moderate protection from the elements and is reasonably priced, so a good balance overall.
This is a pretty basic door and if you take a look at the picture you may notice that it is designed to be installed on a regular entry door but with the optional wall kit that can be mounted into a wall, which would be a little extra money but doable.
This is another more affordable dog door, coming in at around $100 for the door and somewhere in between $150-$200 after you buy the additional wall kit and insulation/weatherproofing kit. You will get the basic features of a dog door, nothing too special and average performance but the stores highly rated so if you're looking for something that is just going to work decent and not cost a lot, then this is a good option.
A Pet Door For Your Sliding Glass Door, Who Knew?
This is a pretty unique doggie door that mounts right on the track of your sliding glass door and doesn't require any sort of stucco breakout at all!
This isn't a wall mount doggie door, like the ones we have typically been looking at but I thought it would be a nice addition for those of you who may be a little bit intimidated by the installation of a traditional wall mount doggie door and because I thought it was pretty cool and something most people may end up using.
The assembly process is really quick and easy and requires just a drill and a screwdriver. What I like the most is the fact that it has that large piece of glass on the top of the dog door part allowing you to see out of it and not taking up valuable visible space.
The only drawback I see with these is that they only come in a couple of different color so they will not match your the core exactly but I guess you could always paint it if you really wanted to so not a huge deal but something to consider.
6 Things To Think About:
Think About Security...
You will want to think about security when installing a dog door, something most people don't think about for the most part. Most of the time I hear people talk about raccoons and other animals that may come in during the night but rarely do they ever talk about somebody potentially gaining access to their house via one of these doggie doors.
Most of the models I have listed have some sort of locking mechanism on them but not all of them so keep this in mind when thinking about what kind of door you're going to get and if it even has this feature available.
How Insulated Is The Door You Have?
Most of us are familiar with that heavy plastic like flap that most dog doors use and these are terrible for keeping out the cold or hot weather. There are so many different options nowadays that are really help cut down a tremendous amount of cold or hot air coming into your home by using different types of doors, a different number of doors and so on.
Generally, the cheaper doggie doors are not going to be very insulated and something to keep in mind is the fact that if you install one of these dog doors it is going to take roughly the same amount of work to install a cheaper one than it would to install a more insulated, more expensive model. So the key here is to do the installation once and I would recommend spending a little bit more money on something that is going to keep out the elements a little bit better.
How Does The Door Work?
Like I mentioned in the last paragraph, there is a few different types of doors available and some will keep out the elements better than others. For instance, I have a couple of dog doors listed that have unique designs and the way the doors function like one model that uses a bi-fold door type of mechanism that creates a much better seal than a simple flap would.
Another model has a magnetic strip so that the door seals perfectly every time leaving no room for any potential gap for air to get inside. Some models even have double doors like you would find in a more modern store that keeps the heat and cold inside your home much better and reduces the amount that is lost through that opening.
Install It Correctly, Do It Right The First Time!
As I mentioned above, no matter how much you actually pay when you buy a dog door keep in mind the fact that a lot of effort, time and energy goes into installing one of these, especially when it is a wall-mounted door so you will want to have one that is insulated and secure.
Don't take shortcuts during installation process, especially if you're doing it yourself. There are lots of tutorials out there and I will eventually even make a tutorial on how to install one of these in the near future but if you do not have confidence in yourself you can always hire someone to do it for you so it gets done correctly and avoids potential challenges.
Pricing And Features, What It All Comes Down To...
Typically, you can find a wall-mounted doggie doors for $50, all the way up to $500 or more sometimes and from what I've observed you will want to spend at least $100 on a semi-decent one.
The optimal price range for an efficient and secure one seems to be around $300-$400 mark which can be a lot for some people but is way worth it and will eliminate the thought that you have later on that goes something like "I wish I would have bought a better door, this thing sucks!"
Do You Have Everything You Need?
When I was looking around at different dog door kits I noticed that not all of them come with absolutely everything you need so you want to make sure that whatever can you order it has absolutely everything you will need otherwise you're going to have to make an separate trip down to the hardware store just to get that thing installed the same day.
Some of these things were the actual sleeve that goes inside the wall cavity, which most of the kids came with but there were a few I saw that did not include these and they had to be bought separately. Another popular item that had to be bought separately was insulation and weatherproofing kits that had different strips of material that helped to further seal and insulate the door.
