# Cat flap in double glazed door or brick wall?



## stuno10 (Mar 1, 2019)

Hi folks. We are moving to a new home later this year and my research in to this is hitting a bit of a wall. What are the costs and draw backs of a cat flap being fitted in a wall or double glazed window on a door? Appreciate any advice from folk who have done one or the other. 

Cheers

Stu


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @stuno10 and welcome 

I have a cat flap fitted in an outer wall of my back porch. The reason I chose to have it fitted in the wall is because the back door is solid oak and I didn't want a hole in it.

I prefer having the cat flap in the wall anyway as it's tucked around the side out of the wind so does not blow open.

At my previous house (a terraced house) I had a cat flap fitted on the back wall of the sitting room, in preference to one in the glass of the French Windows.

I got a builder to do the work both times. It took about an hour and cost about £75 in labour. Very easy to fill in the hole and plaster over the bit, should you decide in future to move or when you no longer have a cat.


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## ChaosCat (Dec 7, 2017)

We have a flap in a doubleglazed door- but it's not set into the glass. I exchanged the glass panel for a shorter one and put in a plastic coated wood panel for the flap. I don't trust holes in double glazing.
This way it works well for us.


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## Saffy Cat (Sep 20, 2018)

When we got a back door we got told by the door provider (who also installed the cat flap for us) that they didn't recommend having a cat flap put into double glazing and they sold us a door with a solid panel at the lower half of the door like @ChaosCat post above. My friend has a cat flap in her double glazed sliding door but I think her husband put that in.

I think it probably compromises the gas in the glazing?


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## ChaosCat (Dec 7, 2017)

Saffy Cat said:


> When we got a back door we got told by the door provider (who also installed the cat flap for us) that they didn't recommend having a cat flap put into double glazing and they sold us a door with a solid panel at the lower half of the door like @ChaosCat post above. My friend has a cat flap in her double glazed sliding door but I think her husband put that in.
> 
> I think it probably compromises the gas in the glazing?


The risk of the pane becoming cloudy is high.


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## stuno10 (Mar 1, 2019)

I am in communication with an installer in Essex and will come back when they come back to my questions. Clearly I don’t want to compromise the garden door or risk damaging the glass.


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## GingerNinja (Mar 23, 2014)

I have a flap in my kitchen wall under my dining table, I didn't want one in my French doors and it works well having a sort of tunnel to the outside.
I also got a man from my builder or similar


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## FloozieLoozie (Apr 5, 2018)

I have a cat flap in my double glazed door but had the whole lower panel replaced with one with an in built hole. It cost around £270 I think from a local glazer.


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## bluecordelia (Jan 5, 2014)

I think security wise a hole in the wall is better. I wish we had put a pipe through with the extension but I was overruled .


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## Jaf (Apr 17, 2014)

I have a double glazed door, but it’s metal rather than plastic. I put a cat flap in it but the metal interferes with the microchip reader. Had to buy a bit of plastic from the cat flap people, now it works fine.

My walls are 2 feet deep so don’t think the cats would fancy going through tunnels!


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

I have a cat flap into an external brick shed and had a hole made in the wall of my house leading to the shed from the living room.

I got a builder to make the hole and he lined the internal walls of the hole with wood which I painted with washable paint. The tunnel through the wall is about 30cml ong . I have a lockable cat flap on the living room side and a non lockable simple flap on the shed side. The flap between the shed and outside is a sure flap microchip cat flap. As the shed wall was single brick i made and lined that hole myself.

The building work to make and line the hole between house and shed cost about £80 though I suspect a proportion of that cost was making the wooden sleeving to line the inside of the hole. This was 15 years ago so costs have probably gone up.

With three flaps beween the outside and inside it is rarely draughty. It only is noticable if its stormy outside and the wind gets in between the roof gaps in the shed.


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## stuno10 (Mar 1, 2019)

Below is the quote. We decided for aesthetic reasons we will go the wall route. 

The cost for fitting a new double glazed unit in your door, with a hole for the cat flap is £340
The cost for fitting a cat flap through a wall is £290.
This includes a cat flap, lining the wall, making good and removal of debris.
This includes VAT, fitting and a Petsafe 4 way locking cat flap (not microchip reading)
If you have your own cat flap please deduct £25 from the above prices.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

I recommend you get a microchip catflap. Javing used non microchip cat flaps before the sure flap microchip catflap has been great at keeping out intruders.

If you havent used them before ocado have a 30 percent discount for online new shoppers for a minimum spend of £60. They sell the sureflap for 49.99 so that plus some cat food will get you a 30pc discount. Offer ends 6/3/19

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/produ...Cat-Flap/296473011?from=search&param=Sureflap


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## DolomiTTe (Jan 17, 2019)

stuno10 said:


> Below is the quote. We decided for aesthetic reasons we will go the wall route.
> 
> The cost for fitting a new double glazed unit in your door, with a hole for the cat flap is £340


That's quite expensive. I work for a double glazing company and we charge around £150.00 - £180.00 for a new double glazed unit (door sized) with a hole in it, then fit the customer's own cat flap free of charge.


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## Sarahragdoll (Aug 28, 2016)

I realise this is an old thread but it’s been so helpful. We’re about to fit one into a wall but does it effect buildings insurance? X


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sarahragdoll said:


> I realise this is an old thread but it's been so helpful. We're about to fit one into a wall but does it effect buildings insurance? X


I am not sure why it should, as it wouldn't make the house any more vulnerable than if it was fitted to a door. And it would not damage the integrity of the wall. I had one fitted in an exterior wall at my last house and at my current house I have one fitted in the wall of the back enclosed porch.


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