it's working fine and cost me zero dollars 
(asside from the endstop issues i havnt had a chance to work on). I got rid of the lever and moved the cable to the middle of the door. Opens fully now. Not trying to cut holes in the door or invent some goldberg machine with rfid laser tag tripple fisters. Just trying to fabricobble something that works.
I agree a DC motor would have been just as easy if not easier than a stepper, but i don't have any dc motors... unless i want to take the ole dwalt apart.