How to make a do-it-yourself dog house
Miscellaneous / / April 04, 2023
Lifehacker has prepared five step-by-step instructions.
What you need to know before making a dog house
About device
If we leave aside design solutions and excesses, which, in fact, are needed by the owner, and not by the dog, then the device of the booth is extremely simple. It consists of three parts: a base that also serves as a floor, a frame sheathed on one or both sides (optionally with insulation inside), as well as the roof - preferably opening or removable for ease of maintenance, cleaning and replacement bedding.
The unusual appearance of the roof, wall cladding, windows and other decorative items are completely unnecessary for the pet. Therefore, it is enough to keep three things in mind: the booth must be strong, dry and protected from the wind.
About the nuances of the design
There are not so many really important moments. The floor of the kennel should be raised off the ground to protect the animal from dampness and provide natural ventilation. This can be done by immediately providing legs 5-10 cm high in the design or simply by installing the booth on bricks or bars.
The manhole must be arranged in the long side and not in the center, but shifted to one of the corners. This is necessary to reduce the blowing of the internal space and make the dog a quiet corner. After all, it is drafts, and not cold, that the animal is most afraid of. For the same reason, it is desirable to provide a vestibule, separating the main space with a partition and building a hole in it as far as possible from the main entrance.
It will not be superfluous to have a threshold 10–15 cm high (5 cm for small breeds). This detail will also reduce airflow and prevent bedding from being pulled apart. As it, by the way, it is best to use straw. It is straw, not hay, since its stems are hollow inside and retain heat well, and also regulate humidity.
About sizes
The house for the dog should be of such a size that the animal fits freely in it, but not too large - otherwise the pet simply will not be able to heat it. The specific dimensions depend on the breed, in reference books you can find the following figures (W × D × H): small breeds - 70 × 55 × 60 cm, medium - 115 × 75 × 80 cm, large - 135 × 100 × 95 cm.
The required dimensions can be determined independently by measuring the height of the dog at the withers (H), its length (L), as well as the half-girth of the chest (width, B) and making simple calculations. The length of the booth will be equal to the length of the pet with a margin of 10–15 cm, the width of the house will be equal to the height of the dog, also with an increase of 5–10 cm. The width of the hole is the half-girth of the chest + 10 cm, and the height of the entrance should be 5 cm less than the height of your pet.
About materials
As with your own home, it is best to use safe, natural materials when building a pet house. Pine board and timber are excellent, as well as board materials such as plywood or OSB. Clapboard, siding or the same pine boards can be used as exterior cladding.
For the roof, trimmings left after the construction of a house or other objects on the site are useful. Take everything that is at hand: slate, metal tiles, corrugated board, soft roofing, roofing material.
About warming
The main thing is that there are no gaps in the booth and it is not blown. An insulated kennel is needed only for short-haired breeds or in a particularly harsh climate, although they most often contain dogs that are resistant to frost.
From all sorts underfloor heating it is better to refuse - they are useless to the pet. If desired, you can lay polystyrene foam or XPS in the walls as thermal insulation. But this is not necessary either: if the booth is not insulated, then in severe frosts it is enough to throw snow at it.
How to make a do-it-yourself dog house
A cute version of the house for an apartment dog, in which you can place couch. The frame is made of timber, the flooring is made of plywood or other sheet material, and the walls are made of fabric. The dimensions of this booth are designed for a bulldog, but you can adjust them according to the size of your pet.
What you need
- Beam 40 × 40 mm;
- timber 20 × 50 mm;
- round sticks with a diameter of 15–20 mm or a thin bar 15 × 15 mm;
- plywood;
- dense fabric;
- velcro tape;
- glue for wood;
- screws;
- self-tapping screws;
- miter saw or hacksaw;
- jigsaw or circular saw - optional;
- screwdriver;
- drill;
- pencil;
- scissors;
- roulette;
- protractor - optional;
- grinder or sandpaper;
- varnish or paint;
- roller, sponge or brush.
How to do
1. From a 40 × 40 mm beam, make four legs 140 mm long. From a 20 × 50 mm timber, saw off two pieces 640 mm long and two pieces 430 mm long. They will go to the longitudinal and transverse frame.
2. Assemble the structure together. If you have an oblique screw template, you can use it. Or just screw in the screws at an angle, after making holes for them with a thin drill, so as not to split the parts. For strength, the joints should be smeared with glue.
3. Using a hacksaw, jigsaw or circular saw, cut the base out of plywood and attach it to the frame with screws. For accurate marking, it is enough to put the structure on a sheet of material, circle along each of the legs and connect the lines.
4. If you used thin plywood or you have a large dog, then for strength the base can be further strengthened by sawing it to size and adding another 20 × 50 mm bar in the middle. You need to fix it with six screws - two on each side and a couple more on top.
5. With a miter saw, cut two pieces 500 mm long from a 20 × 50 mm timber with one end at a right angle and the other at an angle of 22.5 °. And two more parts 430 mm long with angles of 22.5 ° and 45 ° on each. If you don’t want to bother with the corners, you can simply overlap the pieces of wood to make a house-shaped figure.
6. Repeat the same. And then connect the fragments with screws, after making holes for them with a thin drill, and assemble the two parts in the form of the letters "L".
7. Temporarily remove the plywood from the body and attach the L-shaped parts to it along the edges, wrapping the screws from below.
8. Put the whole assembly on the frame and attach on top with a few screws.
9. Measure the distance between the front and back of the house and cut five pieces from a round stick or thin bar. Fasten them with screws at the bottom and top of the walls and along the roof ridge. Pre-make holes for the screws with a thin drill so as not to split the tree.
10. Walk on all surfaces of the booth with a grinder or sandpaper. Then, using a brush, roller or sponge, coat the structure with varnish or paint. Let dry.
11. Cut a piece of fabric to size to cover the kennel, with a little extra hem you'll need for attaching.
12. Wrap the fabric inside, cut off small pieces of Velcro tape and glue them to the cape, thereby securing it to the structure. If necessary, the material will be easy to remove and wash, for example.
13. Place a lounger inside and invite your pet to a housewarming party.
If you have any questions, take a look at the video tutorial.
How to make a do-it-yourself dog house with a gable roof
A sturdy and rather pretty kennel with a gable roof, which is easy to build from pallet boards. In the original project, the dimensions are designed for an average dog, and there is no insulation in the walls. If desired, the design can be changed by adjusting the dimensions and adding, for example, expanded polystyrene.
What you need
- Pallets;
- hacksaw - optional;
- screws;
- glue;
- miter saw or hacksaw;
- nail puller;
- jigsaw;
- screwdriver;
- plane;
- clamps;
- square;
- pencil;
- roulette;
- drill;
- grinder or sandpaper - optional;
- brush and paint or varnish - optional.
How to do
1. Carefully disassemble the pallets with a nail puller so as not to damage the boards. Knock and pull the nails out of them. If some connections are knocked down too tightly and do not lend themselves, just saw up nails with a hacksaw.
2. First of all, make two shields that will serve as the side walls of the booth. To do this, take 12 boards and cut them with a saw to a length of 900 mm. Also prepare 4 more boards 600 mm long.
3. Fold the long boards, leveling them and securing them with a clamp, and then lay the short boards on top of them, not reaching the edge by the thickness of the board, as shown in the photo.
4. Attach the short boards to the long boards with wood screws (two for each), pre-drilling with a thin drill bit. For greater strength, you can also lubricate the junction with glue.
5. Repeat the same for the second shield. The side walls of the booth are ready.
6. Now assemble the back wall in the same way. The height of the upper transverse board fastening the shield should be at the level of the side wall. Do not forget to also indent from the edges by the thickness of the board.
7. It remains to put together the last shield for the front wall. Please note that here the mounting boards are arranged differently - in the form of the letter "P", inside which there will be a hole.
8. Use a bucket, lid, or other round object to mark the semi-circle of the entrance. Then cut out the hole with a jigsaw.
9. Lay all the walls together on a flat surface and temporarily hold them together by screwing in one screw at a time at the corners. Mark the desired height of the booth in the center above the manhole. In the original project, this is 720 mm from the floor. After that, draw lines from this point to the side walls.
10. Disassemble the booth and saw off the protruding parts of the boards along the line. Then attach the front wall to the back as a template, circle with a pencil and remove the excess in the same way.
11. Now finally assemble all the walls together, after smearing the joints with glue. Make holes for the screws with a thin drill and screw them in.
12. Next, fix the bars from the pallets with the narrow side along the edges of the roof, mark with a pencil and saw off all the excess.
13. Apply glue and fasten the bars with screws from the inside - two in each board.
14. On the back wall, do the same, but instead of the bars, take the boards and attach them flat.
15. Before proceeding to the roof, put together another shield for the bottom in the same way as the walls, and attach it with screws.
16. The roof will consist of the same boards from pallets. Start assembly from the bottom. Attach the first part with screws, having previously drilled holes for them with a thin drill so as not to split.
17. Lay the second board with an overlap and also attach with screws.
18. Continue until you have covered both sides. Please note that the top boards must converge strictly along the roof ridge.
19. With a planer, lightly grind the sharp edges of the comb to get a flat surface for the skates of the board.
20. Attach a narrow board on top, which will close the gap at the junction of the two slopes.
21. It remains to saw off and attach two end boards from the front side of the roof, having previously drilled holes for the screws.
22. If desired, the finished booth can be sanded with sandpaper, and then painted or coated with varnish or other wood composition.
Details are in the video.
How to make a dog house with a flat roof, vestibule and insulation with your own hands
A relatively simple insulated kennel with a shed roof for a fairly large dog. The main advantage is the vestibule, which is organized by a removable partition. In the summer, it is easy to remove it so that the pet is more spacious and cooler. The outer skin is made of wooden lining, but if necessary, cheaper OSB can be used instead.
What you need
- Bar 30 × 50 cm;
- OSB board 12 mm;
- polystyrene foam or EPS;
- ruberoid;
- lining;
- corners for lining;
- screws;
- nails;
- circular saw or hacksaw;
- screwdriver;
- hammer;
- sharp knife;
- stapler;
- drill;
- nails are optional.
How to do
1. Assemble a 1,700 × 900 mm frame from a beam, fastening it with screws in the corners. This will be the base frame. Pre-make holes for fasteners with a thin drill so that the self-tapping screws do not split the tree.
2. Cut a piece of OSB to the desired size, lay it over the frame and screw it in with screws or small nails. If you don't have a large slab, make a multi-part cover. But in this case, it is advisable to add an additional bar to the frame so that the OSB pieces are joined on it.
3. Cut the insulation with a sharp knife and lay it inside the base frame. Try to fit the pieces as tightly as possible to each other so that there are no gaps in the structure.
4. Turn the base over and sew the insulated frame with OSB board on the reverse side.
5. Screw one bar along the edges and in the center with self-tapping screws. These are the legs that will lift the booth above the ground.
6. Saw off four 90 cm long bars and install them at the corners of the structure, securing each with a self-tapping screw screwed in at an angle (later the walls will be reinforced with sheathing, so this is quite enough).
7. Cut it out of the timber and fix the upper trim with the same screws, closing the outline of the frame. Install additional supports on the long sides of the walls to increase strength.
8. In the front wall, make a frame for the hole from the bar: attach one vertical support, one horizontal and another auxiliary vertical in the corner, which is then useful for outdoor skins.
9. Sheathe all walls with OSB boards from the inside, attaching them with screws or nails.
10. Cut out the roof from OSB, making it 5 cm larger than the frame of the booth to get overhangs to protect against precipitation. From the beam, make a frame according to the internal size of the walls and attach it with screws to the roof.
11. Lay the insulation inside, carefully cutting it with a sharp knife to achieve the most accurate and tight fit.
12. According to the already proven technology, install OSB-plates on top of the insulation, cutting them to the desired size.
13. Now, if you turn the roof over, it will clearly fall into place.
14. Cut out the vestibule partition with a manhole from OSB and install it in place. Make latches from small pieces of OSB that form grooves where the partition will be inserted - two on the whole side and one on the cut one. For the summer, the part can be pulled out.
15. Next, insulate the walls. Cut appropriately sized pieces of Styrofoam or XPS and fit them tightly into the frame voids from the outside.
16. It remains to complete the sheathing with decorative material, namely wooden clapboard. Cut it to size and fasten each plank to the bottom and top of the frame with studs.
17. Frame the outer corners and the opening of the manhole with a finishing corner for lining to hide joints and junctions.
18. Cut a sheet of roofing material to the size of the roof and fix it around the perimeter with stapler brackets.
19. Go around the roof front and sides with bars for additional material fixation and a more aesthetic appearance.
20. The booth is ready, if desired, all that remains is to paint the walls. The roof is straight, so to drain water, you can put small pads under the legs in front to create a slope.
Learn more mono nuances from the video instructions below.
How to make a dog house with a canopy and insulation with your own hands
Relatively simple design of a booth for an average dog, in which the animal will not freeze in winter and can rest in the shade in summer. The most affordable materials are used, tools too. In the original, the house is insulated, but this can be abandoned if the pet is not afraid of the cold.
What you need
- Pallets;
- board 25 × 150 mm (or other);
- EPPS;
- professional sheet or metal tile;
- fire bioprotection for wood;
- mounting adhesive foam;
- screws;
- jigsaw or hacksaw;
- chain Saw;
- screwdriver;
- grinder;
- sharp knife;
- roulette;
- pencil;
- self-tapping screws;
- nails - optional;
- nailer - optional.
How to do
1. Take two pallets as a base and cut down all the protruding parts of the floorboards around the perimeter.
2. Treat pallets with bio-fire protection in a couple of layers to extend the service life. Pay special attention to the lower bars that will be in contact with the ground.
3. Place two pallets long sides together and lay a layer of XPS on top. Fill the joints between the plates with mounting adhesive foam for tightness.
4. On top of the insulation, attach the flooring from the boards with screws, which will serve as the floor.
5. Sheathe all the ends around the perimeter of the base with the same boards.
6. Sand the surface of the flooring with a grinder or manually using a sandpaper to remove all roughness.
7. Install another pallet at the edge of the base with the boards inward and fix it by screwing a pair of self-tapping screws into each bar or driving in two nails.
8. Take another pallet and cut a suitable size hole in it with a jigsaw or hacksaw, forming the front wall.
9. Install and fix it in the center of the base and fix it with screws or nails.
10. From two pallet bars, make the columns of the future canopy, and attach one board on top.
11. Using a tape measure or a long rail, mark the slope of the roof.
12. Saw off all excess with a chain saw or hacksaw according to the marks.
13. Dismantle several pallets, the boards from which will go to the sheathing of the booth. If desired, go over them lightly with a planer to give a more attractive look.
14. Sew up the walls of the booth from the outside with the resulting boards. Start at the bottom and work your way up, overlapping the planks.
15. Before proceeding with the sheathing of the front wall, install bars from the pallet on the sides of the manhole.
16. Close the top of the hole with a board, screwing it to the central bar.
17. Finish up the front wall.
18. Proceed to the rear wall trim, following the same principle.
19. After finishing the side walls, cut off the parts of the boards protruding beyond the indicated slope of the roof with a jigsaw or hacksaw.
20. Using the same pallet boards, frame the manhole and outer corners of the dog house.
21. Insert pieces of XPS into the gaps between the pallets of the front and back walls. Insulate the side surfaces with whole sheets. The author of the original project did not sew them up inside the booth with anything, but it’s better to close the material with at least the same boards from pallets, otherwise the dog might gnaw it out of boredom.
22. Insulate the ceiling in the same way by filling the joints with adhesive foam.
23. On top, install the boards of the crate on which the roof will rest.
24. Fix the profiled sheet or metal tile with roofing screws.
25. Install the end strips of the roof, if any are at hand.
26. The house is ready. If desired, it remains to paint it or cover it with a composition for wood.
The detailed process of creating a warm booth for a dog with your own hands is in the video below.
How to make a do-it-yourself doghouse with a ramp, a rooftop bed and a folding wall
An unusual kennel in a modern style with additional amenities, designed for an average dog. Modifications in the form of a ramp, a sunbed on a roof with an artificial turf, a folding wall are not necessary and can be omitted. The original project did not use insulation, but it is easy to add it by simply laying XPS inside the floor frame, walls and roof, and then sheathing the inside of the booth with plywood or OSB.
What you need
- Beam 40 × 80 mm;
- timber 40 × 40 mm;
- rail 15 × 30 mm;
- plywood 15 mm;
- plywood 12 mm;
- soft tiles;
- lining carpet;
- cornice strips;
- nails;
- piano loops;
- artificial turf;
- miter, circular saw or hacksaw;
- jigsaw;
- screwdriver;
- stapler;
- sharp knife;
- hammer;
- drill;
- metal scissors.
How to do
1. From a 40 × 80 mm beam, assemble a frame measuring 1,200 × 1,200 mm, fastening the parts with screws. Add another jumper in the middle for strength.
2. Cut a piece of 1200 x 1200 mm plywood 15 mm thick and attach it to the base frame with screws with a pitch of 250–300 mm. This is the floor.
3. Assemble two frames from a 40 × 40 mm bar, which will serve as the frames of the side walls. On the lower part 900 mm long, install the front pillar 810 mm high and the rear pillar 750 mm high. Then lay the top piece down and file the uprights a bit at the right angle to get a snug fit. Add a center post. Fasten the bars by screwing in one long self-tapping screw, first making holes for them with a thin drill so as not to split the wood.
4. The frame of the back wall is noticeably simpler. To assemble it, saw off two bars 40 × 40 mm 1066 mm long and three - 750 mm long. Then simply assemble the frame by fastening it with screws.
5. Build the front wall: saw off two 40 × 40 mm bars 1066 mm long and four 810 mm long. Make a rectangular frame. Then add two additional posts along the edges of the manhole: one at a distance of 475 mm on the left, the other at a distance of 51 mm on the right. After that, cut out a part of the lower beam along the edges of the manhole, raise it by 590 mm and attach it with screws on the sides.
6. Assemble the frame of the booth together, fastening it with screws at the corners and ribs in increments of 250–300 mm. Install the resulting structure on the base, leaving 27 mm indents at the back and sides, and then screw it to the deck (best from below through plywood).
7. From a 40 × 40 mm beam, make five parts 1,188 mm long and two 1,346 mm long. Assemble the roof frame from them, as shown above, connecting the material with screws.
8. Attach the frame to the frame of the booth, aligning it in such a way that you get a 67 mm roof overhang at the back, and 100 mm at the sides.
9. Using a 12mm plywood jigsaw or circular saw, cut four pieces for the roof hemming at the front, sides, and back. You can refer to the sizes above, although it is better to measure them according to your booth.
10. Close the roof frame from below by screwing the prepared parts to it with screws with a pitch of ≈200 mm.
11. Similarly, cut out two panels for the outer skin of the side walls from 12 mm plywood, focusing on the dimensions above.
12. Fasten the sidewalls to the frame with screws, screwing them in increments of ≈200 mm around the perimeter and on an additional stand in the middle.
13. Saw out a 12 mm piece of plywood for sheathing the back wall according to the indicated or actual dimensions.
14. Screw the plywood into place with screws, observing a pitch of ≈200 mm.
15. Make the front wall from the same 12mm plywood. You can focus on the dimensions, but it is better to attach the sheet to the frame and circle the edges with a pencil, as well as along the contour of the hole for greater accuracy.
16. Attach the part to the frame with screws with a pitch of ≈200 mm along the outer perimeter and around the entrance.
17. Cut out a sheet of 15 mm plywood measuring 1268 × 1346 mm and attach to the roof with self-tapping screws around the perimeter and frame bars.
18. Saw off parts of the required length from a 30 × 10 mm rail and go around all the outer corners of the booth, the contours of the roof, floor and manhole. They can be fixed both with screws and with the help of small nails.
19. Next, proceed to the installation of the roof. To do this, cut out the cornice strip with metal scissors and install it on the roof at the back. Nail the part with nails with a pitch of ≈150 mm in a checkerboard pattern (“snake”).
20. On top of the entire area of the roof, stick a lining carpet or nail it if there is no adhesive layer on it. Use a sharp knife for cutting.
21. On top of the carpet, nail the end strips on the sides. Use metal shears to cut them.
22. In the same way, nail another end bar in front.
23. Now you can lay soft tiles. Start at the bottom by cutting and laying the first row to size, then nail it down. Trim the second row so that its petals are between the petals of the previous one. Continue in this way until you cover the entire roof.
24. In general, the booth is ready, and you can stop there. All that remains is to paint or coat the outer surfaces with some kind of composition in order to extend the service life. If you want to pump the pet's house as much as possible, continue on.
25. To make the right wall open, cut it along the contour to the full width from corner to corner and to a height of 590 mm. Saw the central beam too, but do not throw it away.
26. For strength, add a frame for the resulting hatch (on the sides and top), and also use the sawn-off bottom and center bars. On top of the hatch, also add one bar to strengthen the rest of the wall.
27. Now it remains to attach the hatch with screws to the wall on the piano hinges, thanks to which the sash will open. Also screw on a chain with hooks at the ends to hold the wall up.
28. The next modification is an artificial turf bed on the roof and a ramp so that the pet can climb up. To assemble it, first cut out two sidewalls from 15 mm plywood according to the dimensions indicated in the picture.
29. You can not use the frame, but for strength it is better to strengthen the structure with vertical posts and horizontal on the site. Attach them with 30 mm indents from the edge of the plywood along the slope of the ramp, and at the back - where there will be no artificial turf - with an indent of 10 mm.
30. From the same 15 mm plywood, cut out the top platform, slide, front and back walls. The width of all elements is 370 mm, the length is indicated above.
31. Fasten the structure with screws and add another transverse bar to the middle, which will stiffen the sidewalls. From the inside, it will look like the picture above.
32. It remains to cut and lay the artificial turf on top, nailing it to the ramp with nails. And also make two fasteners from a bar 80 × 40 mm and a piece of rail to fix the ramp to the booth with self-tapping screws through them. So she will not start to move, and if necessary, it will be easy to remove.
33. Also in this modification, instead of soft bituminous tiles, the roof can be covered with artificial grass, leaving the rest of the roof structure unchanged.
See video instructions for details.
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