How to Build a Doghouse

Every dog needs a place to retreat away from the outdoor elements. What better place for the dog to this than their very own doghouse. Building a doghouse for the family pet can be a fun family project. The project can easily be completed over the weekend. Pet owners need to simply break the project up into a few simple steps. With the project being broken into steps, it will be simply for anyone to complete the task.

The first step in building a doghouse is the planning phase. You should carefully consider what style of doghouse you prefer to build. You should decide if you want a traditional doghouse, or if it needs to match your home in style, or do you want it to be an original design of your own. The internet has many web sites that will lend inspiration to your doghouse designing.

With a picture of the perfect doghouse firmly planted in your mind, the time has come for some practical considerations to be made. Take a good look at the spot that you want to place the doghouse in. You should check the area for any rainwater drainage issues that the spot might have. You do not want to place it in a location that frequently has water standing in it. Depending on where you live, you should consider how other outdoor elements might impact your pet. If you are in a colder location or you often receive heavy snowfall, you should consider this when locating the doghouse. You do not want the wind to blow directly in the door, and you would not want the snow to form a drift that would bury the dog and his home. In warmer climates the sun and heat are the many concerns. You should place the doghouse in as cool of a location as possible.

On paper, you should sketch out the construction project in stages. You need to remember the size of your dog when planning this. It needs to be sized in proportion to your dog. Make it tall enough that the dog has enough overhead space to standup, and it should be deep and wide enough for him to turn around. You should not make it overly large though, because the pet will need a space small enough that he can heat it with his body heat in the winter. You should decide on the construction of the floor of the doghouse. You need a floor to keep the dog off of the cold, damp ground. Plywood or planks nailed to under lying crosspieces of wood will work well. Next you will want to plan for the underlying supports for the sides and the roof. The last step will be planning for the outer covering for the pet’s home. You could use left over siding from your home for the outside walls. Exterior manufactured board can also work well. A simple look for your pet’s house could be to use planks for the outside walls. The wood would serve as a better insulator than vinyl siding. Some options for the planks would include layering them from the bottom up to mimic the traditional clapboard design. You could also mount the planks vertically and use narrow strips of wood to cover the vertical seams. Some roofing options include tin or actual shingles. The exterior can be as elaborate or as simple as you and/or your neighborhood restrictions allow.

Before heading to the local home improvement store, make a material list based on your sketches. You will need to purchase wood based on the size of your doghouse. Calculate the size and lenghts of the boards that will be used and tally that for the total needed. Do not forget to add nails, screws, and paint for the project to your material list. You will need basic construction tools for this project. Make sure you have a hammer, tape measure, drill, and a saw.

Now it is time for the fun part. Make your pet’s dream doghouse become a reality. If you involve the entire family, you will not only have the extra help you need, but you will have the opportunity to create a lasting memory with your family.