Planning the Dog House
Determine how long and how wide you want the dog house to be. While some people will construct a dog house that just fits their dog, others will want to build a supersized jumbo dog house. Think about how big you want your dog house. Measure your dog to see the minimum size your dog house needs to be. Always make it larger than your dog. Add at least half a foot (15 cm) above your dog’s height. Plan to make your entrance half a foot (15 cm) wider than your dog. For simplicity, try to round the measurements of your house to the nearest half foot. This will help not only in sketching, but also in measuring and buying materials.
Sketch the dog house. Before you can start constructing the dog house, you need to spend a little time sketching it so you’ll have a plan to work with. Sketching your doghouse will enable you to start the construction process with confidence that what you're building will turn out as a well-crafted product. When sketching your dog house, use one inch to represent a foot. Use half an inch (1.25 cm) to represent half of a foot (15 cm). Since you rounded to the nearest half foot in an earlier step, this should be relatively easy. Draw the base (perimeter) of your dog house with all four sides having a measured value. Draw each face of the dog house with all four sides having a measured value. Include a measured value for the entrance. Sketch the roof outline for each face, and from the top looking down. Include a measured value for all sides. Make sure each piece of your frame is labeled and has a measured value. Make sure each piece of plywood siding that will go over the frame has a measured value.
Pick a good spot in your yard. You also need to pick a spot in your yard to place the doghouse once it’s built. Picking a safe and convenient spot is extremely important as your dog will likely be spending a good bit of time there. When picking a spot, consider: Proximity to the house. You might want it to be close in case you need to feed or check on your dog. The contours of the ground. Make sure to pick a spot that is high and flat. You don’t want water pooling around the dog house. An area with shade. If you’re dog will be out during the summer, you probably need to make sure the dog house is in a shaded area. Otherwise, the sun will beat down on its roof all day and heat up your poor pup.
Prepare the ground for your dog house. After you’ve chosen a place to put your dog house, you need to prepare the ground. You’ll need to even any uneven areas and remove any grass or organic material. This is important, as the floor of your dog house is going to be the ground on which it sits. Use a shovel to dig up any grass or plants from the spot. Get some soil from nearby or from the store to fill in any holes that might be left. Use the backside of a rack to flatten and even out the soil.
Gathering Your Materials
Get all of the appropriate tools. There are a wide variety of tools you’re going to need to build your simple dog house. Make sure you get all of them before you start any aspect of your construction. If you don’t, you’ll have to pause construction to run over the neighbor’s house or to the hardware store. You’ll need: A saw. A table saw or a hand saw will work just fine. A hammer. An electric drill. A paintbrush. Small roofing tacks. 1.5-inch (4 cm) screws, 2-inch (5 cm) screws, and 1-inch (2.5 cm) nails.
Buy wood. To build your dog house, you’ll have to buy a decent amount of wood. The amount of wood depends on the size of the house and on your sketch. Make sure you buy enough wood. Consider buying at least 10% more wood than you think you’ll need. This will provide you with extra material if you make any mistakes or make any unplanned additions. Buy 2x4s for the frame and support. Buy plywood (your choice of gauge) for the siding of the dog house. Use waterproof wood for the house if you plan to store the house outdoors. Have your wood pre-cut at the store if this works for you.
Decide on and buy roofing material. In addition to plywood and 2x4s, you’ll also need to decide on roofing material. Roofing material is important because it will protect your dog house from rain and snow and help prolong the life of your creation. Consider 3-tab roofing tiles. If you have old roofing supplies from previous projects, feel free to use them. If you want to put tar paper, felt, or other roofing paper underneath the roofing tiles, you can.
Pick a paint color. You also need to buy some paint. Painting your dog house will both help protect it from the elements and it will add a measure of style to your new creation. Consider a color that matches your house. For almost all projects, one gallon of exterior paint will work fine. Avoid interior paint. Only use exterior paint as it provides a measure of weatherproofing. Feel free to use extra paint if you have some laying around from another project.
Building the Dog House
Cut your wood, unless you had it pre-cut at the store. The first step you need to take when building the dog house is to cut all of the wood you’ll need to use in the construction process. Pre-cutting your wood will make sure you have all of your materials ready to go once you’ve started the construction process. Make sure to cut with precision and remember that you used one inch to represent one foot on your sketch. Cut 2x4s to use for your base. You should have four base pieces (two long and two short). Cut 2x4s to use for your framing. Your framing will include four corner posts. It will also include four pieces to use as the top of your frame (these will match the dimensions of your base pieces). If your dog house is longer than three feet, consider adding extra support frames. Cut plywood to use for your siding.
Attach the base. Take the four base pieces and the bottom plywood piece and attach them to each other. The base will create the foundation of the house, so make sure to do it correctly. Turn the 2x4s up so the 2 inch sides are on the ground. Make sure you’re working on a level surface. Take one short piece and one long piece and attach them (2 inch or 5 cm side on the ground) by screwing a two inch nail into the wood with an electric drill. Take the now L shaped foundation and attach the other short 2x4 to the opposite side of the original short 2x4. Take your final long piece and complete the rectangle by screwing another 1.5 inch (4cm) screw into the corner of the rectangle. Use a square to make sure the side pieces are attached at a right angle.
Complete the rest of the frame. After you’ve got the base together, you need to consult your sketch and complete the frame of the dog house. Since the frame is the most important, you need to do this slow and carefully. Take the corner posts and use an electric drill to screw (and attach) them to the base. Make sure the long face of the 2x4s are parallel to the long side of the dog house. If you have extra support 2x4s, place them equal distance between the corner posts on the long side of the dog house. Top off the frame with the four pieces that were measured the same as the base. Use your electric drill to screw them into the corner posts. In addition, make sure to use two inch screws to screw them into each other. Use a square to make sure the side pieces are attached at a right angle.
Build the roof. After you’ve framed the house, you need to frame the roof. Your roof frame and shape will follow whatever you chose in your sketch, so make sure to follow it. If you chose a gable roof (a roof that has two sides that slope and a triangle-shaped "gable" wall at each end), make sure to frame your “A” shape well. Use an electric drill to screw 1.5 inch (4 cm) screws into your roof frame. Use more 1.5 inch (4 cm) screws to attach the roof frame into the main frame of the dog house. If you choose a flat roof when you made your sketch, you can move on to the next step.
Attach the plywood to the main frame and roof frame of the dog house. After you’ve framed the roof, it’s time to move on to attaching your plywood siding to the dog house. Your plywood siding will create the walls of your dog house and serve as a stabilizing force. Take your pre-measured plywood and attach it to the long sides of the dog house. Use 1-inch (2.5 cm) nails and hammer them into the frame. Use 3 nails for each corner post, spacing them evenly. Use another 2 sets of 3 nails to secure the plywood to the base and to the top 2x4 of the frame. If you used an extra piece of 2x4 for support, use 3 more nails to secure the plywood to it. Take your pre-measured plywood and attach it to the short sides of the dog house. You should have cut special wood (based on your sketch) for the dog house door. Use 3 1-inch nails to secure each side of the plywood into each corner post. If you chose a flat roof, simply attach your pre-measured plywood to the main frame of the dog house.
Putting on the Finishing Touches
Nail on your roofing material. After you’ve secured the plywood to the frame, it’s time to attach your roofing material. Attaching your roofing material is important as you’ll want to protect the dog house from rain and snow. If you’ve chosen to put down tar paper or other material underneath shingles, put it down. Use ½ inch (1.25 cm) tacks or nails to secure the paper. Lay your 3-tab or other roofing material on the roof of the dog house. Use ½ inch (1.25 cm) tacks or nails to secure the 3-tab.
Paint the dog house. Coat it with some paint of your choice. Coating it with paint will help preserve it. It will also add to the aesthetics of your yard. Take your paint brush and apply a thin and quick coat of paint to the dog house. After the first coat has dried, apply another coat of paint. If you want, you can flip the dog house upside down and paint inside. This might help the wood stand up to the elements longer.
Inspect the dog house. After you’ve finished the roof and painted the dog house, it will be time to inspect the dog house. Inspecting the dog house is important, as you want to make sure it is safe for your dog. Put as much time as is needed to inspect the dog house thoroughly. Look for any nails or screws that are protruding from wood. Pay special attention to nails that might be coming through the roof or frame of the roof. Make sure each piece of the dog house is attached to each other and to the frame. Do a soft shake test. Rattle the dog house a little to see how stable it is. This will give you an idea of how it will stand up to your dog moving around in it.
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