I would center it under a window and you don't have to worry about any extreme loads from above.

 

I assume under the window is a great spot as the header for the window should already be redirecting the weight to the sides of the window and down into the cement - leaving the cement under the window mostly load free, right?

 

It's going to be a lot of messy, dusty work mining a neat hole through the concrete. Seems like a lot of work - I'd make the dog pay for it, or teach him/her to use the GDO.

 

Rent a concrete chain saw it will do the job nice & neat no dust.
Plus it will cut exactly to your spec.

 

Might be easier to build a little set of stairs for the dog.

 

renting a diamond chainsaw's terrific but, in the hands of a newbie, not the best idea impo,,, we own 1 & there's no way i'd let anyone else us it
14" demo saw & cut from both sides,,, cut wet to eliminate dust - overcut & patch to finish

 

What are the pit falls the videos make it look like a breeze.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spgi5f9ft2s

I've had a chain saw since about 2003-4, and I've NEVER been able to cut nearly that fast with it in solid concrete. I'm guessing the concrete in the video is abnormally soft. We pre-cut everything with a regular 14" or 16" concrete saw first, because it's faster, cheaper, and creates a far straighter cut. To avoid the chainsaw pinching in the cut, we have to run a "fat" blade to chase the original cut before we start with the chainsaw.

To give an idea on the consumables, the chains cost around $300.00, the bars about $110. We get about 3-4 egress window openings in poured concrete before they're worn, and about 3 chains for every replacement bar.

These things are nothing like running a regular chainsaw, as they're far heavier (I think ours is upper 20#'s without the water hose hooked up) and they cut much, much slower than a saw in wood. And, even with starting straight with a conventional saw, the inside of the cut still tends to wonder, and is usually not the straightest.

All that said, it's still probably the best way to cut into a wall without major overcutting, and still allowing the mess and fumes ot stay outside of the building.

 

i bet it does,,, chains & bars are extremely expensive in the hands of the inexperienced tho,,, come to think of it, no one in atlanta rents them

 

At the end, he does say something about a $300 chain. I would be you would have to buy the chain if you could rent the saw.

 

You do have to buy the chain and rent the saw. They know that the average user is gonna burn it up. No better device for doing a straight cut through though. I keep a search on Ebay for the chain that we use when they come up on sale.

 

understand,,, its rare we can buy any sort of diamond cutting tool on ebay tho as good bladesmiths can't compete ( price ),,, segment matrix is as important as diamond size & shape,,, this might help explain: https://www.mkdiamond.com/home/tec_blade.html

 

I just keep a search for the part number that our ICS saw uses. It alerts me when one comes on there. I have scored a few good deals.

 

Now that you have told everyone, you will have competition for them.:biggrin2:

 

I have about 4 chains now....doubt many folks on the DIY forums are buying that saw or chain...but yes. Cat is out of the bag now.

 

Thanks - based on some of the convos about around a chain + saw rental perhaps it would be better to hire someone to cut the hole - hopefully it wouldn’t be TOO expensive. Wife says “I’m not qualified to cut through concrete in our new house” lol

 

Most of them have concrete coring in the company name around here.

 

Depending on your interest and sost factors, for a small dog door I'd probably use my bosch bulldog drill and a good 1/2 or 3/4 drill to "circle" the cut out and then a sledge to bust it out.

I think I would slightly over size the cutout and fill it in with a vinyl concrete to perfect square......rather than grind out the ridges that multiple drill holes will create.

You may likely run into some rebar that yould have to use a hack saw or recip to remove.

The bulldog is a great tool that you will find multiple uses for thru time....I use it a lot for digging with a spade bit and all sorts of demo work.

 

With my luck, I'd go to the trouble and expense of putting it in and the dog wouldn't use it (or the skunks would).

 

The good ones have a lock that opens with a magnet on the dogs collar.
Just hope skunks don't figure out where to get magnets.:biggrin2:

 

in atl, the min charge for this work would be $350-$500 & take 1hr,,, well worth the cost,,, of course you could do it yourself IF you can find a place to rent the saw & buy the right diamonds,,, then again, if you f it up, your wife'll have the last laugh

 

Up here...it would be double that number and still worth it.

 

I was gonna try that over cut on this next. On the "fat" blade, you are just talking about the ones that appear to be double thickness...correct.

 

Yes, ICS used to make a .250" thick blade that was pretty cheap, but they discontinued it years ago. I think I ordered some off brand from online last time. I've been told you can double up 2 similar blades in a pinch, but I would NEVER suggest doing so...........:devil3:

 

i'd install the door anywhere,,, doubt there's any reinforcement under window

 

Called around got a quote so far of 675!!! :vs_mad:
really thinking it'd just be easier to rent and to this myself. I was thinking it was 100 bucks then it'd be worth it but jesus 600+ no way.

 

The chains are $300.

You can cut it with a standard chop saw and then finish the corners with a sawzall blade for concrete. They make them...but they suck.

 

Get a new, electronic door lock that uses a fingerprint pad to enter and teach your dog to use the front door like everyone else in the house.

Problem solved.

 

Do dogs have fingerprints?

 

If it were me, I'd put the door up in the wood structure, and built a pair of compact little stairs/ramps for el doggo to climb up, enter the garage, then climb back down. Stairs might be a little better down the road when doggo gets old. Not as pretty but a lot more 'do it yourself -able' and I'd also feel better about having the opening be up off the ground a bit.