Pet-friendly upgrades are one of the fastest-growing requests in Southern California residential construction. Whether you live in a Santa Monica condo or a Pasadena bungalow, allowing your cat to slip in and out freely improves quality of life—for you and your pet. But the first question homeowners ask is simple: how much to install a cat door?
In greater Los Angeles, professional cat door installation typically ranges from $275-$725. The wide spread comes from three factors:
• Door type and thickness
• Material selection (wood, fiberglass, metal, or glass)
• Labor accessibility, including wall cavities, wiring, or stucco adjustments
Below, CountBricks unpacks every cost driver so you can budget accurately and avoid surprise change orders.
Expect to spend $45-$200 on the door itself. Standard flap units in ABS plastic land at the lower end, while microchip-activated smart doors command higher prices. CountBricks catalogs current retail pricing inside our AI engine, so the cost you see in your live voice session already reflects today’s market price.
Cutting a clean opening through an exterior door takes precision. For hollow-core doors, minimal blocking is needed, usually adding $25-$50 in lumber plus 30-45 minutes of labor. Solid wood doors, by contrast, require careful routing, often doubling installation time. CountBricks estimators automatically apply the correct unit price based on the door construction you describe in real time.
No homeowner wants drafts or water intrusion. Expect specialized trim kits, caulking, flashing tape, and paint touch-ups to add $40-$90 in materials and up to one additional labor hour. When you generate a CountBricks estimate, our AI suggests the right sealant and finish coat to match your existing entry system.
Union vs. open-shop, travel time, and parking all influence labor. Average journeyman carpenter rates hover between $85-$110 per hour locally. CountBricks’ geolocation engine tags your address and applies the prevailing labor burden, keeping allowances transparent.
• Glass panel retrofits: Installing a cat door in tempered glass can exceed $1,000 due to glass shop fabrication.
• Wall penetrations: Cutting through stucco, insulation, and drywall adds demo and patch work—commonly $350-$600 more than a basic door install.
• Electrical or plumbing reroutes: If utilities run inside the chosen wall, relocation can balloon costs by $500-$1,200. CountBricks flags these conflicts during blueprint takeoff so you can pivot before work starts.
With CountBricks, you simply talk through your scope on your phone. Our conversational AI builds a detailed line-item estimate on the spot—no clipboards, no waiting, no guesswork.
CountBricks pulls daily pricing from regional suppliers. That means the “flap door, white, weather-stripped” you see in your proposal isn’t an outdated catalog price—it’s what your contractor will actually pay tomorrow morning.
Already have a floor plan? Upload it to CountBricks.com/blueprint and our computer-vision engine measures openings, wall thickness, and structural members automatically. You’ll know whether your chosen location clears headers or conflicts with shear panels before cutting begins.
Once you approve your cat door estimate, CountBricks converts it to an invoice schedule. Need to upgrade to a microchip unit later? Your voice command creates a change order instantly, updating budget and timeline.
1. Confirm door or wall location, ensuring stud spacing and clearances.
2. Measure pet’s shoulder height and mark the cut-out template.
3. Drill pilot holes at template corners.
4. Use a jigsaw or oscillating saw to remove the panel.
5. Install blocking or frame sleeve as required by door type.
6. Insert cat door assembly, apply exterior caulk, and fasten.
7. Add interior trim or weatherstripping.
8. Touch-up paint and test flap operation.
CountBricks’ task library times each step, so your estimate reflects the actual hours, not a rough guess.
• Schedule during another door or window project to reduce mobilization fees.
• Opt for mid-tier hardware; premium smart doors add convenience but not structural value.
• Provide clear jobsite access—free street parking can shave one labor hour off the bill.
• Confirm HOA approvals early; delays can rack up standby costs.
Handy homeowners can install a basic flap in a hollow-core door on a Saturday. But when you see any of these red flags, call a pro through CountBricks:
• Exterior wood door thicker than 1 ¾”
• Steel or fiberglass skin that can warp under improper cutting
• Stucco walls needing lath and waterproof membranes
• Any tempered or Low-E glass panel modifications
Ready to learn how much to install a cat door for your specific home? Start a free voice session at CountBricks.com/consultation. In under five minutes you’ll receive a detailed PDF estimate, a materials list ready for pickup, and an installation timeline that syncs to your calendar. CountBricks makes pet-friendly remodeling simple, accurate, and stress-free.
Last month a client in Echo Park used CountBricks to price a microchip-activated cat door in a 1940s solid mahogany entry. Here’s how our AI estimate compared to the final invoice.
• Hardware: $189 estimated, $189 actual (supplier price lock)
• Labor: 4.2 hrs estimated, 4.0 hrs actual
• Finish materials: $62 estimated, $58 actual
• Total variance: 2.3% under budget
Our blueprint takeoff flagged a concealed knob-and-tube wire path. The homeowner elected a minor relocation, scheduled simultaneously with the door cutout, avoiding an extra service call fee.
• Early discovery saves cash: CountBricks scanning caught the electrical conflict before demo.
• Integrated scheduling prevents downtime: Materials were delivered the morning of install thanks to the synchronized purchase order generated inside CountBricks.
• Transparent unit pricing builds trust: Homeowner viewed every cost line in the live estimate—no hidden markups.
If you’re weighing a similar upgrade, open the CountBricks app and say, “Create a new cat door estimate.” Our AI will ask follow-up questions about door thickness, wall composition, and preferred hardware style. Within minutes you’ll have a shareable quote ready for HOA approval or contractor bidding.
For more residential construction insights—from kitchen remodel budgets to solar-ready roof retrofits—visit CountBricks.com/services and explore how our technology streamlines every phase of home improvement.
