How to Make a Wooden Dog House

Making a wooden doghouse or kennel for your dog is a truly satisfying task. You get the satisfaction not only of a job well done, but also of seeing your pooch cozy and protected in his new home. A homemade doghouse is not a project for a total newcomer to woodworking, but you don't have to be an expert---if the corners aren't exactly 45 degrees, your dog will still love you anyway.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 lengths 8-foot lumber, 1-inch by 2-inch
  • 3 plywood sheets, ¾-inch exterior grade
  • Saw
  • Wood glue
  • Clamps
  • Nails, 2-inch, galvanized
  • Hammer
  • Piano hinge
  • Drill
  • Screws, ½-inch, galvanized
  • Miter saw (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut the 1-by-2 lumber into four 33-inch lengths, four 28-inch lengths, four 20-inch lengths and one 31.5-inch length. Cut the plywood into four 34.5-by-22-inch pieces; one 33-by-30-inch piece and two pieces that are 30 inches wide and have sides that extend up for 22 inches, then angle in at 45 degrees to a triangular point at 37 inches high.

    • 2

      Cut a 15-by-10-inch door into one of the plywood pieces with the triangle end. Make the door two inches above the flat end of the plywood. You can place it centered or to one side; it's up to you.

    • 3

      Form the 33-inch and 28-inch 1-by-2 planks into two rectangular frames, the ends of the 28-inch planks abutting the inside edge of the 33-inch planks. Glue the joints, clamp and let dry. Hammer two nails through each joint of the frames.

    • 4

      Place the 33-by-30-inch plywood pieces on top of one of the frames for the floor of the dog house, make sure the edges are flush and nail in place. Center the 34.5-inch plywood pieces vertically over the 33-inch sides of the floor, for the doghouse walls. There should be a ¾-inch overhang on each side. Glue, clamp and nail in place, making sure the walls are at right angles to the floor, and the bottom edge of the walls are flush with the frame underneath the floor.

    • 5

      Glue and clamp the second frame onto the top edge of the walls, flush with the top but with a ¾-inch overhang on both sides, like with the bottom frame. Nail in place along the sides of the walls.

    • 6

      Fit the two pointed plywood pieces over the remaining sides of the frames. These pieces will sit inside the ¾-inch overhang of the side walls. Glue and clamp the pieces in place, then nail them down through the top and bottom frames, as well as through the joint with the side walls.

    • 7

      Insert the 31.5-inch plank between the two pointed ends of the triangular plywood pieces---it should be a snug fit. Glue and clamp in place before nailing the plank in position through the front and back walls, into the end of the plank.

    • 8

      Position the 20-inch planks along the angled sides of the triangular point---the sides of the planks should be flush with the sides of the plywood. Glue, clamp and nail in place.

    • 9

      Miter one 33-inch side on each of the remaining 33-by-22-inch plywood pieces to 45 degrees, which will form the roof. Mitering is simply cutting at an angle; it is typically used to form corners by mating two mitered pieces of wood. In this case it will be the joint of the roof. You can miter with any saw, although there are special saws available for this, called miter saws.

      Position one of these pieces resting on the 20-inch-long planks on the angled side of the roof with the mitered edge on top. There should be a 1.5-inch overhang at the bottom. Nail in place.

    • 10

      Center the piano hinge along the mitered edge of the other plywood piece, and screw it in place using the drill. Position the hinged edge along the mitered edge of the nailed-down plywood piece, making sure the two pieces are flush. Screw in the remaining portion of the hinge, so that the dog house roof lifts up on one side---this makes routine cleaning of your dog house very easy. Drill three ¼-inch holes near the top of each triangle for ventilation.