Building a Dog House – Best Dog House Building Plans
So, you want
to build a doghouse, but you’re not sure exactly where to start. If
you’ve never built one before, you will probably want to find
step-by-step dog house building plans to help you in the process. However, before
finding
dog house plans,
there are some basic questions you should first ask yourself. Otherwise,
you may jump the gun, and get some plans that don’t really fit your
needs.
What kind of
dog house do you want? When we talk about the kind of doghouse, we are
talking about the features this structure needs to have, and how the
final project will look. When talking about various kinds of doghouses,
to a great extent, we are talking about the kind of roof you will build.
There are two popular styles of dog house roofs: the barn style, which
has a dual sloped roof; and a gable style, which is in the shape of an
upside down V. This roof has an equal slope on each side of the
doghouse.
Once you
have determined the style you want, the next good question is “how large
should my dog house be?” The biggest determining factor here should be
the size of your dog. If you live in an area where temperatures get very
frigid in the winter months, you want your pet’s body heat to help warm
up the inside of its home. This can’t happen if the house is way too
big. A good general rule of thumb is to make your doghouse large enough
for your furry friend to be comfortable but not too large. First measure
your dog from its rump to its neck and from the ground to the top of its
back. Generally speaking, make the doghouse length about 1 ½ times the
length of your dog; its width about ¾ your dog’s length; and its height
about 1 ¼ times the height of your dog. This can vary by several inches
each direction.
Dog House Plans - Which Dog House Plans Are Best?
If you live
in an area with extreme temperatures, you may want to consider finding
some insulated
dog house plans. If it gets too cold, your dog won’t have enough
body heat to do any significant warming. Insulating the walls, roof, and
floor can greatly help. If you go to that extreme, you probably would
want to buy an insulated door as well. If that isn’t enough, they also
make plug in heaters that you can get from Amazon. These, along with a
dog mattress should keep your best friend comfortable year round.
There are
some other features you may want to consider. Wouldn’t it be neat to see
your favorite pet sprawled out on its own shaded porch? You can actually
buy
plans for an insulated dog house with a porch. Another feature you
may want to add is a cleaning door on the side, which allows you to open
up the doghouse and easily clean it. This opening also
lets you feed and water your pet with ease.