Instructions on How to Build a Dog House

Before you decide to add a four-legged member to your family, be sure to do your research. While a new pet can bring love, companionship and the joy of pet ownership, they can also bring hefty and unexpected bills. You will need to purchase many supplies to make a comfortable home for your new dog or puppy, but there are some ways to mitigate your damages. Rather than investing in an unnecessarily fancy doghouse, build a simple and perfectly functional one yourself for a small to average-sized dog.

Things You'll Need

  • Pine board: 21 inches wide by 34 inches long by ½ inch thick
  • Pine board: 27 inches wide by 39 inches long by ½ inch thick
  • 2 pine boards: 23 inches wide by 24 inches long by ½ inch thick
  • 2 pine boards: 24 inches wide by 34 inches long by ½ inch thick
  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil
  • Circular saw
  • Hammer
  • Galvanized nails
  • Construction sealant
  • Paint and paintbrush (optional)
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Choose the cleaner of the 23-inch by 24-inch boards to be the front of the doghouse. Decide which side will show and lay the piece of wood flat with that side facing up.

    • 2

      Measure up 3 inches from the bottom edge of the front piece of wood and mark this spot. Measure in 4 inches from each side edge and mark these spots. Using a straight edge, draw a rectangle 16 inches wide by 10 inches high that goes through the marks you made. Use a circular saw to cut out this rectangle to make a door for your doghouse.

    • 3

      Turn the front panel face-down. Pick up one of the 24-inch by 34-inch panels and align the shorter side with the left or ride side edge of the front panel. Hammer 3 to 4 galvanized nails diagonally along the seam to secure the side panel, or turn both pieces over and hammer the nails along the side of the front panel into the edge of the side panel. Attach the other 24-inch by 34-inch panel to the other side of the front panel in the same way you did the first.

    • 4

      Line up the longer edges of the back panel with the edges of the affixed side panels and use 3 to 4 galvanized nails along each edge to attach it onto the doghouse.

    • 5

      Lay the bottom panel flat, since it is slightly smaller than the perimeter of the house, and set the house carefully over it so that it is centered into place. Hammer 3 to 4 nails along the bottom of each side panel and the front and back panels into the edges of the bottom to secure it.

    • 6

      Place the flat-topped roof into place. Realize that the roof will overhang all around by a few inches. Attach the roof by nailing each side into the panel edge it rests on using 3 to 4 nails along the length of it.

    • 7

      Fill in all of the seams of your doghouse with construction sealant to provide some weather-proofing. Paint the doghouse if you desire. Allow everything to dry overnight before using the doghouse.