DIY Dog House Ideas

improve your woodworking skills, and give you complete creative control. Even if you've never attempted such a task before, it's still one of the simplest Do-It-Yourself projects out there. This article discusses your many style options, and aims to get you off to the best start possible.

Going Over Your Options

Before you make a run for your local lumber yard, it's important for you to know exactly what your options are. It's also important to weigh them up against what is possible for your particular breed of dog, as well as your particular property.

The first decision you need to make is what shape and style your kennel will be. For the purpose of keeping things simple, this article assumes that you aren't looking for anything too fancy. Besides, those things can come after you've finished the main structure.

The most common styles are:

1) The Traditional Dog House - This one is what you've seen countless times on the television. Snoopy had a house just like this!

2) The Brick Dog Kennel - Very similar to the "Snoop" house, but chunkier, and obviously made from bricks.

3) The Duplex Dog House - If you have more than one dog, this is a great option. Not only will your pets have a separate room each, but they'll also be able to snuggle up together if they want. This is achieved by installing a simple removable wall.

Of course, there are many more options available to you. You'll need to sit down and go through the various styles at some point. Keep in mind that most internet-based building schematics come in packages with multiple styles. This means that there is no hurry to decide right away.

Pre-Construction Tips

Here are a few personal tips I'd like to share. They're pretty basic, but will potentially save you a lot of trouble in the building process.

- Forget flat roofs. They tend to collect water and bend in the centre. Your dog won't mind, I promise!

- Make sure to build overhanging roofing, so the water runs far off the kennel entrance.

- Use cedar if you can afford it. Treated pine is also fine, but you'll have to give it a nice paint job for it to come up good.

- Build on-site. No point in making a mess in the shed too!