When you’re thinking of buying a dog, you also need to think of where it will sleep, if you decide the best place is outside in the garden then a dog house or kennel will be necessary, and should you wish to rise to the challenge you can do this yourself. When building a dog house, you need to make sure that the house is of quality and can stand up to all weathers without suffering damage. Proper preparation and planning will ensure that you have the necessary tools to design and build the perfect dog house, if you’re not sure where to start, it might be better for you to hire someone to do the job for you, but if you believe you have the skills, you can easily create the best dog house within a day.
Planning
The planning stage shouldn’t have to be a complicated process, but there are a few basic things that you need to observe:
- When you are building the house, you need to make sure that it is high enough from the ground, which will prevent water from entering during days and nights that heavy rain pours. This will also reduce the cold temperatures from having an affect during the winter seasons.
- As you design the house, you also need to factor in the dog’s habit, because clearly you need to create a comfortable house for the dog. If the dog likes to sleep on top of the house (snoopy style!), you need to use materials that will be comfortable for the dog, and there should be no exposed nails or other sharp edges that could cause harm
- Don’t be afraid to scale the dog house to a comfortable size so that it can accommodate the size of the dog. It should be big enough so that the dog can turn around easily without having to struggle.
- Think about what type of design you want to go for, will the house have a pitched roof or flat roof? Will it have garden shed style slatted sides, or will the sides be flat plywood panels?
Building the House
Once you’ve made the proper considerations during the planning stage, the next step is to get building. You’ll need to buy all the necessary tools that you need for the house and observe all precautions. The house should be built on a safe ground, and positioned whereby the dog is at a safe distance from the house. The actual materials you use are completely up to you, after all this thing doesn’t need to meet stringent building requirements, it just needs to be safe and secure. Just be sure to use materials that are weatherproof – treated wooden panels, stainless steel screws, and weatherproof wood glues are all essential.
