I am gearing up for my front door, currently have a cat access..it’s just a hole in old 6 panel door, temporary type thing.
I did make a sliding closer to lock up at the wee hours when skunks are prowling for cat food.
Now, I want to make “THE” door..probably a cross buck Dutch door, 9 lite top.
I have 4 other exterior doors, 2 prehung steel units that I don’t want to mess with..one is brand new, the other OK, needs work.
The other 2 are in need of replacement , one 2 panel wood, with 2 lites..is iffy at best, another steel prehung is shot..has to be replaced..not so bad I can’t live with it for a winter (with work).
I hate the available pet doors..and they are pricy fer sure..the dog is cool, it’s the quats that need to go to and fro..I do not do litter boxes. that’s a period.
While ALL the ext. doors do not have to match, I do want to finalize a “style”..one of the new doors has to have a critter crawl.
In central KY, it’s not crucial to be absolutly airtite ( I’ll deal with the draft/heat loss, hell, it’s a log house)
Any of you Einstiens got a cool,elegant, obscure, advant garde,cutting edge,WOW the socks of the visitors idea????
going thru the wall is NOT an option..at least not yet..lol
gotta plan ?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
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If it is just for the kats, since they like to jump up, make the access through a window instead of a door. Have a little "cat walk" leading up to it on the inside and have a ledge or shelf on the outside for the cat to jump up to. I don't think skunks are much for jumping, although I could be wrong - don't know about racoons, however. I bought one of the 6" or so flapping cat doors from a pet shop and put it in a panel that is trapped by a sliding glass window which secures it but allows it to be removed. Haven't had any skunks but several other neighborhood kats seem to think it is their rightful passageway.
wellllllll...that may be an option. I got one ol boy, that never heard the word jump..it's all he can do to mosey..lol. 17 lbs and he's only 4 yrs. old. He ain't fat, or lazy..just a bigg lugg.
I will keep it mind, fer shur
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Hi Sphere,
I'm hoping someone comes up with that WOW kitty entrance. I'd like one of those too. Thus far, we are planning on the standard commercial flap door, with a lexan canopy to keep rain from getting in, installed in a wall. From what I've seen in your posts, I trust you'll come up with a beauty, so please post pics.
CaseyR
Raccoons and opossums can and do climb almost anywhere they want to. We had our windows open one night. I got up in the middle of the night and found a raccoon sitting on top of the fridge. It made a beeline out the hole it had cut into our window screen.
kestrel
We have used Johnson Pet doors for many years for dogs and cats. Pet's Mart and such pet stores sell them.
Those are the gray plastic flaps with magnets and a wooden door panel to close them when you don't want the critters in or out.
We put them on screen doors, not the main door.
Our doggy got an almost scale copy of the side door, stained to match and cut between the studs alongside. Made of lexan with fir trim to attach hinges and a handle for her to push with nose. Logs are a problem though, maybe have to conceal hinges in one panel of a door, and trim to match. You seem to do great trim work, why you asking a idiot like me?
I put a store bought cat door in a plywood panel for a customer a while ago, and the neighbor cats learned faste than there own on how to get in. going to have to put away the food at night, or latch it closed to limit the temptation.
Dan
OK evry body..lets get MORE creative..how about a revolving cat door? I can see it now, like a hampster on a wheel..
Or, bat wing cafe doors?
I have not yet decided on the screen/storm doors ( for us, NOT the cats).
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As far as keeping extraneous critters out, I've seen doors that only open to your animals--they have to wear collars though that have a transmitter of something that tells the door to open. Maybe youe cats don't wear collars. As far as cool, how 'bout doors like on Star Trec? Love the sound they made--"quish". How's that for onomotopoeia? (Don't know about my spelling however.)
For something different, you could put little stained glass windows in them. Have fake, brass locksets. Have a portcullis (sp?) like on castles--counterweighted gate with spikes on the bottom (maybe kinda screw up the functioning of the people portion of the door). Well, until I have more coffee (and then look out world!) that's about all I can come up with.
we're gettin there..I just thought about mini-golf couse...all the barriers..the wind mill comes to mind..I can just see " 'tater" getting sliced in half
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Yeah, the portcullis thing might do that too--or cut off a toe or two.
what about a matter transporter????
just make sure you don't end up with brundelcat!!!!
or a sliding door with a button the the cat has to push. a bit like on startrek of something
First, I think you need to use them engineered Ibeam joists and you'll need really high ceilings.
Then, wait till the circus comes to town and hide behind a big bush with a bag of freshly roasted peanuts.
Oh.
Wait aminute.
Elegant pet doors?
Sorry ....
"It is as hard for the good to suspect evil, as it is for the bad to suspect good."
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero, statesman, orator, writer (106-43 BCE)
LMAO...If it's hard to come up with a decent cat door, I am glad I don't have any elepahants..
elephino what to make.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Tack old Buggsie the Wonder Rabbit's hide over the hole. That ought to serve as fair warning to the uninvited guests!
Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
do want to finalize a "style"..one of the new doors has to have a critter crawl.
The best installations I have seen actually have two doors between the inside & outside. So, the outside protected porch door has one, and the door from house to porch does also. That way, if there's a head count question, you can lock the "to house" door, but still give protection. Like most things, that's easier said than done.
The "style" of door, not that's something worth noodling over. I like the idea of scaling down the door to fit a panel in the door, and swing it off a pair of cafe (double acting) spring hinges.
Well, I had a cool 3 light, pseudo-six panel door with matched pet door ready to convert to wmf & thence to jpg, but my computer has eaten it (and it's little ACAD session, too <evil, wicked witch laughter> . . . )
well if the 'puter pukes it up again, post away. lol
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'puter pukes it up again, post away. lol
10-4
Viz.,
Cat door stiles are 1 1/2 wide, mid rails are 1"; I had to go to 1/4" bead for the lites, and a 5/8 panel dimension to keep it "right." Toughest part might be getting the 2" x 8" kickplate to match <g>Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
ah, yes...the mini-me of doors.
we might have a winner, you sittin around drawin up cat doors at work?
I've saved that pic. might resort to doing that..I can see the paw prints on the itty-bitty lites..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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you sittin around drawin up cat doors at work?
Well, maybe a little--I do have the paying project open 2x times, editing & printing revisions; I'm answering the intern's questions; and running diagnostics on the boss's computer. With that amount of multi-tasking I think I can be spared the time to modify up a near-stock door elevation--as long as ever'body keeps theys traps shut, huh?
can see the paw prints on the itty-bitty lites
I was told a good ways back that being able to see through a door helps improve pet use of the door.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I was told a good ways back that being able to see through a door helps improve pet use of the door.
True. I had one of those stock doors..or ten over the yrs. they were all see through.
If not, I can see a few headon collisions in the future.
These two twits I have now, HATE each other.."tater" was here when I bought the house..half feral
"Mr. P" is 4 and fat..thinks he owns the place..brought him up from NC..gawd, 5 hr ride with him in the van, not fun. But, not as bad as moving from PA to NC..took 3 in a cat crate on the front seat of my toyota P-cup...11 hours of hell.
Gotta ask myself..why?, why?..these are ingrates after all..lol
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Cat = 2 year old human.
With no poopy diaper to deal with.
Otherwise, same-o-same-o.
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
I recently put in a raccoon door that the cats ocassionally use.
Which led me to find plans on building a cat trap that to date has caught 6 raccoons.
Things never turn out the way I plan for some reason?
Gotta ask myself..why?, why?..these are ingrates after all..lol
'Cause, every so often, the cat (or cats) make it all worthwhile, a headbutt, a fingerlick, a belly-to-the-sky sprawl alongside. Rare as blue moons, but just as real.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Wonderful. All it needs is a little, teeny brass mail slot!
is a little, teeny brass mail slot!
Ok, I'm frightened, very frightened, of the entire concept of catmail . . .
I was nagged about where would I find a 1/3 size latch set to match the door's--sheesh, I dunno, I'm jus' the dumb ol' archy . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Ok, so it's not an original design idea, but I really like the PetDoorsUSA catalog when it comes to actually buying doors - lots and lots of selection, much better than any local store.
http://www.dogdoors.com/
Here you go...
Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
I already HAVE 5 windows missing in action upstairs...no more holes please...
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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I'm surprised nobody has directed you to this, yet, for ideas. House has also been subject of various television features.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0836221834/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-3747214-2974418#reader-link
I just had one put in my sliding glass door.
It's similar to many of these others with the double lexan door. But they took out the glass pane and replaced it with a new one having a rectangle cut out of the bottom right corner of the pane. Then reassembled the door. Put it back in the track and I've got a fully functional sliding door. Cost about $500 or so. Not a mess in the house since.
Well, the only 'mess' in the house (so far) was a 8'' field rat, on the bath room floor..just happened this AM..0500..lol
No slideingglass doors here tho'..but a good plan.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Thanks fer the link
an BTW..hahahahahaah By, Bob Walker..haha
I thought he just hung around the Tav..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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we trained our first cat to go in and out the window
struck a pile of bricks outside and the cat was fine
Sphere,
The cat door that I have is plastic. Lexan door, I believe.
It is just the right size for cats. And possums and porcupines, and raccoons, and skunks, and mountain beavers, and hedgehogs and feral cats and and and and and.....
This door can be set in door or wall or window.
It has a magnet to pull it back closed, and fuzzy around the edges for drafts.
It has a latch on it that I can totally lock the door with. Or set to only allow the cats to come in. Or only allow them to go out. I usually set it for only allowing to go out at night.
If you don't need the info immediately, I'll try to draw and explain the latching mechanism. No reason you can't incorporate that sort of thing into your own.
I bought the door 4 years ago, at *gulp* Lowes. I don't have the manufacturer info.
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
No hurry Luka-san. I haven't even started on the doors yet..just got the news today, the bearings for my planer are 112.00$ OUCH..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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I know you want to make one, here's a company that does, you might get some ideas.
http://www.coppawoodworking.com/dogdoors.html