Let's See Your Dog Houses!

Eddie B

Just wondering what everyone is using to house their dogs. Expensive, cheap, bought, homemade, insulated, simple design, shed, etc.

Going to invest/make something soon, so just looking for idea's. Pictures would be a great help cheers!

Vizzy

Here's my offering.

Its about 1m x 1m x 1m. (but you can make this as big or as small as you want)
Frame is 50mm x 50mm boards.
Outside is cladding, inside is 10mm ply, fibreglass insulation sandwiched in between.
Roof is hinged and slopes from one side to the other.
I have since added a bed made from an old foam mattress which is covered with thick tarpaulin( the stuff used on curtain sided trucks).This takes up about 50% of the house. I also put a"door" on it made from clear flexible plastic ( like you see in refridgerated warehouses). I have to replace this every 6 months or so as my 2 tend to get bored and chew it.
If you use the same type door, make sure that it opens easily or the dogs might not go in.
From recollection it cost me about €100 to make it.

The two of them are snuggled up warm as toast tonight ( -4C)

Eddie B

Man I am well impressed with that. I particularly like the idea of insulation. Did you place ply on both sides of the insulation, or just on the inside of the box?

Vizzy

I only placed plywood on the inside but the insulation is well squeezed in. Its probably about 200mm deep.
It weighs a ton as it is !!
Benefit of the insulation is that it keeps the kennel relatively cool in the summer.

If you decide to make one yourself, here are a few things to think about;
- Use off cuts of cladding (or second hand) and decide on how big or small to make the kennel based on the width of the panels of cladding. You can also use rough cut boards for the frame and the floor and this will keep costs down, big time.
- Not sure if you can see it in the pics, but I filed all the sharp edges on the cladding and put a strip of L shaped cladding on each corner to stop the dogs slicing themselves open
- I put an offcut of timber under each corner which acts as a sacrificial "leg" when it is sitting on wet ground. When this rots, just replace without having to do anything to the kennel itself. Also raises the kennel off the ground if you want to powerwash under it.
- Consider casters underneath it ? Makes it easy to move around, but it also makes it easy for large dogs to push it around too.
- Was only thinking in the last few days about putting heating in it - could be tricky or expensive given the tendency of my two to chew everything. Afterlast night and how warm the dogs( both shorthaired) seemed to be this morning, I probably wont bother but it could be something to think about if you were starting from scratch.

Best of luck in whatever you decide anyway

Eddie B

Yes noticed how you finnished the entrance alright, and noted it too incase I go down that road.I recon having the two dogs sleeping in it will keep it warm too along with the insulation. Cheers for the info! Really thinking of having a go at making one now.

deerhunter1

Vizzy wrote: »

I only placed plywood on the inside but the insulation is well squeezed in. Its probably about 200mm deep.
It weighs a ton as it is !!
Benefit of the insulation is that it keeps the kennel relatively cool in the summer.

If you decide to make one yourself, here are a few things to think about;
- Use off cuts of cladding (or second hand) and decide on how big or small to make the kennel based on the width of the panels of cladding. You can also use rough cut boards for the frame and the floor and this will keep costs down, big time.
- Not sure if you can see it in the pics, but I filed all the sharp edges on the cladding and put a strip of L shaped cladding on each corner to stop the dogs slicing themselves open
- I put an offcut of timber under each corner which acts as a sacrificial "leg" when it is sitting on wet ground. When this rots, just replace without having to do anything to the kennel itself. Also raises the kennel off the ground if you want to powerwash under it.
- Consider casters underneath it ? Makes it easy to move around, but it also makes it easy for large dogs to push it around too.
- Was only thinking in the last few days about putting heating in it - could be tricky or expensive given the tendency of my two to chew everything. Afterlast night and how warm the dogs( both shorthaired) seemed to be this morning, I probably wont bother but it could be something to think about if you were starting from scratch.

Best of luck in whatever you decide anyway

I have something similar that i bought,it has 40mm insulation,warm in winter and cool in summer, my one does not open on top,but lifts up from the floor for leaning, a bit heavy to lift open,so I put hinges on the back and wheels (castors) for moving about,will put up pictures later

garv123

Made mine out of Polypropylene and put it on a plastic pallet to keep it off the ground, neither will ever rot. slanted roof so the rain falls back and a small porch to keep the rain from blowing in, pvc sheeting (like a walk in fridge) across the door to keep the wind/rain out.
2 dogs in it and it holds the heat very well.
The plan is to eventually get a bigger shed and use some of that one for the dogs.
pic inst great

cavan shooter

Since last Thursday it's a 4 bed 1600 square foot bungalow......and she has squatters rights from what I can gather. Went to lock her up last night and she went straight in the back door and sat on a doggy pillow in the utility....

cookimonster

Cavan shooter....Same, same. Although I'm frequently in the dog house with my misses, the cocker spaniel has the run of the semi detached...

Eddie B

deerhunter1 wrote: »

I have something similar that i bought,it has 40mm insulation,warm in winter and cool in summer, my one does not open on top,but lifts up from the floor for leaning, a bit heavy to lift open,so I put hinges on the back and wheels (castors) for moving about,will put up pictures later

Please do, sounds good.

Eddie B

garv123 wrote: »

Made mine out of Polypropylene and put it on a plastic pallet to keep it off the ground, neither will ever rot. slanted roof so the rain falls back and a small porch to keep the rain from blowing in, pvc sheeting (like a walk in fridge) across the door to keep the wind/rain out.
2 dogs in it and it holds the heat very well.
The plan is to eventually get a bigger shed and use some of that one for the dogs.
pic inst great

Really nice setup all round. Another thing for me to think about, using Polypropylene, or something similar. Is this something which is easily got hold of?

garv123

Eddie B wrote: »

Really nice setup all round. Another thing for me to think about, using Polypropylene, or something similar. Is this something which is easily got hold of?

access plastics in Ashbourne would be closest to you I'd Say,
I used 6mm embossed and welded it together, could be easily screwed to a timber frame tho.
If I was doing it again I'd sandwich insulated panels between the 6mm sheets. The 2 dogs are plenty warm inside it but not sure how warm it would be for 1 dog.

nowwerehurlin

garv123 wrote: »

Made mine out of Polypropylene and put it on a plastic pallet to keep it off the ground, neither will ever rot. slanted roof so the rain falls back and a small porch to keep the rain from blowing in, pvc sheeting (like a walk in fridge) across the door to keep the wind/rain out.
2 dogs in it and it holds the heat very well.
The plan is to eventually get a bigger shed and use some of that one for the dogs.
pic inst great

That's a nice set up. Do you know how much it roughly cost you ?

garv123

nowwerehurlin wrote: »

That's a nice set up. Do you know how much it roughly cost you ?

Material for the pallet and box was got at work
I put down 5m cubed of concrete, and 12ton of gravel over 60m squared.

I Paid someone who has a small digger to dig it out and put the stone down, and then I paid someone to put the concrete down with 2 of us.
less than a days work when you have lads with experience doing it.
about 1100-1200 for the labour, stone and concrete

300 for the run panels, second hand.