How to Build a Dog House Easily

A dog house protects your canine friend from dangerous temperatures and unpleasant weather. You would not like lying on cold ground in the winter or having nowhere to escape the sun in the summer, so build your dog a house so he can evade unsatisfactory weather conditions. Building a dog house can be cheaper than spending money on an expensive wooden house or a flimsy plastic house that will not survive the first wind storm.

Things You'll Need

  • 1/2-inch thick plywood sheet
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Carpenter's square
  • Miter saw
  • Two 8-foot long 2 by 4 boards
  • 4-inch wood screws
  • Power screwdriver
  • 2-inch wood screws
  • Jig saw
  • Shingles
  • Roofing tacks
  • Hammer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut out the plywood pieces you need for your dog house. Use the tape measure, carpenter's square and pencil to draw the lines before you cut. Measure, draw and cut two pieces of plywood that measure 43 inches long and 25 inches tall. Cut two more pieces that measure 37 inches wide by 25 inches tall, one piece that measures 37 inches wide by 43 inches long and one piece that measures 40 inches by 46 inches.

    • 2

      Cut the 8-foot long, 2 by 4 boards to use in assembling the house. Measure, draw and cut these pieces to derive four pieces that measure 36 inches long and two pieces that measure 38 inches long.

    • 3

      Create two separate rectangular frames using the 2 by 4 pieces. Lay down two of the 36-inch pieces parallel to one another, and set two of the 38-inch pieces perpendicularly between the ends of the 36-inch pieces to create a rectangle. Use the 4-inch long wood screws to attach these pieces at each corner. Repeat this process for the second rectangular frame.

    • 4

      Set the 37-inch by 43-inch plywood piece over one of the rectangular frames. Leave half an inch hanging over on all sides and drive 2-inch screws down through the plywood piece and into the rectangular frame. Repeat this process for the second frame, using the 40-inch by 46-inch plywood piece, this time leaving 3 inches overhanging on all sides.

    • 5

      Turn the first rectangular frame with the 37-inch by 43-inch plywood piece upside down on the floor so that the plywood touches the floor. Ask assistants to help you hold the side pieces, measuring 43 inches long, up against the long sides of the rectangular frame. Set these pieces on top of the half-inch lip on the plywood bottom and attach those pieces to the rectangular frame along the bottom.

    • 6

      Set the remaining plywood pieces, measuring 37 inches wide by 25 inches tall, on top of the half-inch overhang at the open ends of the rectangular frame. Attach these pieces to the frame with the 2-inch wood screws and use roofing tacks to attach the plywood pieces to each other at the corners.

    • 7

      Place the other rectangular frame on top of the structure so that the 2-by-4 pieces fit snugly into the roof opening. Attach the sides, front and back to the top rectangle frame with the 2-inch wood screws.

    • 8

      Cut a door opening for the dog house with a jig saw. Make this opening approximately 10 inches tall and 10 inches wide.

    • 9

      Apply shingles to the roof of the dog house using roofing tacks and a hammer. Shingles prevent the plywood from soaking up rainwater and snow and leaking onto your dog.