If you have a four-legged friend, you know how important it is to provide him with a safe and cozy retreat. A dog house is an ideal home for your dog, as it offers him protection from wind, rain and cold. If you are handy and a doghouse is too expensive for you, then a homemade shelter for your four-legged friend is an option. Here you will learn everything you need to know to build a doghouse yourself.

Material selection

Before you start building, you need to know about the material. Untreated woods such as Douglas fir, spruce or fir are best suited for building a doghouse. These woods are sturdy, durable and keep moisture and dirt out. You should also pay attention to screws, roofing felt, roof battens and nails needed for construction.

Size of the doghouse

The size of the doghouse should be adjusted to the size of your dog. Your dog should be able to stand upright in the kennel and turn around without hitting the ceiling. As a guideline you can take the following:

• Small dogs: approx. 60 cm long, 40 cm wide and 40 cm high.
• Medium-sized dogs: approx. 75 cm long, 50 cm wide and 50 cm high
• Large dogs: approx. 90 cm long, 60 cm wide and 60 cm high

However, these are only rough guidelines for orientation. In the size of the doghouse you can of course vary in the construction and depending on the financial possibility of your dog a larger own kingdom.

Planning and drawing

Before you start building, you should make an exact plan, so that you have all the dimensions and distances in view. For this purpose, you can make a drawing on which all the necessary dimensions and materials are recorded. After that, you can start buying the materials. After you have purchased all the materials, you can finally start. You will need to complete the following steps:

1. Base plate: Build the base plate from boards and fasten it with screws.
2. Side walls: Build the side walls and attach them to the base plate.
3. Roof: Build the roof from battens and attach it to the side walls.
4. Roofing felt: Cover the roof with roofing felt and fasten it with nails.
5. Door: Build a door and attach it to one of the side walls. Here you should make sure that the door is big enough for your dog to get in and out comfortably.
6. Interior: Use old blankets or pillows to make the interior of the kennel cozy.
7. Paint: Paint the doghouse in a color of your choice to protect it from moisture and dirt.

Finished. Your homemade doghouse is ready for your four-legged friend.

Conclusion

Building a dog house yourself is an exciting DIY project that is not only a lot of fun, but also cost-effective. The important thing is that you have all the materials and tools ready and stick to the plan exactly. With a little skill and craftsmanship, your four-legged friend will soon be sleeping and feeling comfortable in his new home.