If you are longing for a view of those beautiful plants in your back yard, maybe it's time to add that patio door you have been thinking about. You may be able to add the door yourself if you are confident in your handy abilities around the house. You just have to be able to overcome the psychological resistance to knocking a big hole in one of your exterior walls. It's a hard thing to take that first step, but in the end you'll love that new view.

There are some basic principles involved in the installation of preassembled patio doors. Detailed installation instructions will be included with the particular door you choose. Installing a patio door in an existing opening is relatively easy as long as you properly measure the opening before ordering the door. Cutting an exterior wall to install a patio door is more involved and will require that you repair or replace the interior surface of the wall in which the door is placed.