Hole in double glazed patio door for cat flap.

A question about : Hole in double glazed patio door for cat flap.

Been quoted £90 by a glazier. Is this about right?

Best answers:

• I'm curious how this can be done. Double glazing panels are sealed units. How do you keep the seal by making a whole in the glass?
• Cheers. Not sure how it's done. But apparently it can be. And he'll fit the cat flap which I have to supply.
• pollyanna
  Check again how this is being done, and what impact this may or may not have on your insurance ( contents/ buildings)
  I say this as its very cheap that quote, The quotes I was getting when I asked about this before was around 250 the ceapest, but most round the 400 mark. I never bothered in the end.
• Your sealed unit will be completely wrecked by doing this.
  It will be permanently clouded with condensation and will also lose virtually all of it's insulation properties.
  Don't do it IMHO.
  £90 is about right for visiting your house, cutting a hole in two panes of toughened glass and fitting a cat flap supplied by you, if that's what you REALLY want to do.
  I would say there was a risk of the door shattering anyway, as it's toughened glass.
  I suggest putting it in another door, or alternatively just make the cat stay outside until you let it in.
• He might have a new double sealed unit made.
  I can not see how they can do it with the existing one.
• Hi I am new to this and came across this site whilst looking for info on fitting a cat flap in a patio door.
  I have been quoted £350 but that was the first place I rang. That seems like a horrendous amount but apparently the whole pane has to be replaced!!??
• When a cat flap is fitted the whole sealed unit has to be replaced & the cat flap is fitted by the factory when the new unit is being made.
  I had a cat flap fitted into my large patio door shortly after moving to this house & it cost around Ј250.
• Thanks to everyone who has answered the op's question as I was thinking of getting the same thing done. My actually door is not in great condition, so I think I will replace the whole door.
• Is the glass in your door in 2 parts? (1 at top then pvc then 1 at bottom)
  If so, just remove the bottom glass part and store it somewhere safe. Then get a plastic/pvc panel and put the cat flap into it at a cost of about £20. Luckily my cousin works for a windows company and so got us the panel for nothing, however he says that if you had to pay it would only cost a few quid. This is what I have done in this house and my previous. It means that you can put the original glass panel back in at any time and it is totally undamaged. Thats what we did when selling the last house.
• Sorry, just realised that you are talking about a patio door so my suggestion will prob not work. Do you perhaps have a back door into which it could be more easily fitted?
• I haven't seen this thread before. I'm curious as to what the OP did in the end (I see they posted this last month).
  £90 seems so cheap to me that it makes me suspicious about how they are going to do the job.
  If the glass is tougened, then nobody can put a hole in it. The whole pane would break when you tried. Holes in toughened have to be done before the glass goes through the toughening process.
  If the glass is laminated. It is possible to do this, but it would mean......Taking the whole DGU out of the door. Taking it back to the factory/workshop. Splitting the unit (not an easy job). Once the unit is split, cut the hole in each pane of glass (fiddly job). I charge £40 per hole cut in laminated because it is a tricky/fiddly job. Once the holes have been cut, resealing the unit (including the hole). Taking the unit back to the house, and reglazing. £90 for all this is far too cheap (I would want nearer £150 to £180). At any stage of this process, the laminated could break. This would be at the customers own risk (you would have to pay for a new pane).
  If I was looking at this job, I would recommend a new toughened DGU. A patio door toughened DGU supplied and fitted with a catflap would come to far more than £90.
• I'm really intrigued by Leothecat's suggestion - I have a double glazed back door which I ideally need a cat flap in. I don't mind paying to have it altered but I'm on rented accomodation so may cost me a lot with turning it back.
  I like the idea of removing and storing the glass and replacing it with a panel - do you have any idea who I would contact to do this or at least supply the panel? I'm not particularly DIY clever, but this sounds like the ideal solution for me.
  Thank you!
• Hi
  Just wanted to let you know I have done this.
  I had a double glazed door and we put in a cat flap. It cost Ј80 plus Ј16 for the cat flap. We have kept the glass panel in case we need to replace it should we move.
  Thanks
• williamrobb88
  you say you do about 10 a week and I see you are located in Manchester. I live in Bolton and need a cat flap in my patio door. Do you do any work here or could you recommend anyone?
  Thanks
• Williamrobb88... many thanks for your clear response to cat flaps! I've heard every excuse in the book (& some) as to why I can't have a cat flap fitted into a patio door! Do you know of anyone in Cornwall who can fit a cat flap as you've instructed please? Any contacts gratefully recieved!
  Thank you!
• Williamrobb88 -- Interested to hear your experience on resealing double glazed windows after fitting a cat-flap.
  I have two large DG window units around 8 years old now ( outside warranty) that have started to cloud up between the glass panes....i
  As these units have a special "thermal break" spacer with a gold colour and separated with a black insulated strip...not produced any more I understand, but have been very good to prevent condensation inside the rooms around the edges of the window on very cold nights due to the thermal break between the glass....is it possible to get these re-sealed, or do we have to have two new wondow units made...??
• Hi, WilliamRobb88 could you please mail me your details as well. I live in Adlington, chorley and want a cat flap installing in a double glazed door.
  thanks!