How to Build a Large, Insulated Dog House

Although you might keep your dog indoors at night and at least part of the day, there are times when your dog will want to sleep outside. As long as you have a very secure backyard fence, letting your dog loose shouldn't pose a problem. A garage, however, is not a safe place for a dog, due to all the dangers found there, such as antifreeze and other poisonous substances, as well as tools that can be easily knocked over. A good, solid dog house, insulated from all the elements, is the next best place for the dog, apart from your house.

Things You'll Need

  • 2x4s, untreated (pressure-treated wood can be toxic to dogs)
  • 2x4s in cedar or redwood
  • 3/4" exterior-grade plywood
  • 1/2" interior-grade plywood
  • Measuring tape
  • Styrofoam in either block or shipping peanut form
  • Heavy-duty plastic sheeting
  • Aluminum drip edge
  • Tar paper or roofing shingles
  • Bricks, concrete blocks, or concrete pads
  • Carpentry nails
  • Staples
  • Staple gun
  • Power drill
  • Hammer
  • Craft knife
  • Enamel paint
  • Paint brush
  • 4 bolts
  • 4 nuts
  • Circular saw
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure your dog standing up, from the ground to his head. The lowest part of the ceiling of the doghouse should be several inches taller than your dog. If the dog is young enough to be still growing, make even more allowances for height. The house should also be twice as long and 3/5 as wide as your dog. Naturally, the house will have to be made even bigger if there will be more than one dog or a litter of puppies in residence.

    • 2

      Draw the floor plan: a perfect square divided into four equal parts. There will be nine points where lines intersect, working from left to right, top to bottom: ABC, DEF, GHI. Number the four sections, again from left to right and top to bottom, 1, 2, 3, 4. Each of those nine points of intersection will have an upright post in it. The house will have an exterior wall, as well as an interior one running from Point H to Point E. The door will be in Section 4, though Section 3 could serve just as well. The interior wall will serve as a sort of baffle--a protection against cold air blowing in. Imagine the basic design of an igloo and you have the idea. The walls will consist of three sections: two sides of plywood with Styrofoam between them. Think of the arrangement as a sandwich.

    • 3

      Build the floor frame. Set four cedar or redwood 2x4s on their 2" sides and form a square. Cut a fifth, shorter piece to run up the middle from Points B, E and H. Nail this frame together. Cut out a sheet of 3/4 " exterior plywood to serve as the floor and nail that to the frame.

    • 4

      Calculate the slope of the roof. The roof should be highest in front and lowest in back, with a slope sharp enough that a ball will easily roll from the front down and off the back; generally, a 5" to 6" inch slope will do. Cut three sets of 2x4 posts: the GHI posts should be the tallest, with DEF a bit shorter and ABC the shortest of all. Position the posts on their ends with all 4" sides parallel to one another. Nail them into place, then secure them even more by nailing 2x4s along the floor, all the way around the structure, and from Point H to Point E. Repeat this process along the top of the posts.

    • 5

      Cut out sheets of 3/4" exterior plywood to fit this box. Staple one or two layers of plastic sheeting to the inside of the exterior wall--that is, the side that will face the interior of the house. Nail the plywood sheets outside and the inside. If you're going to use blocks of Styrofoam for insulation, cut them out and fit them in after one side of the wall is put in. If you're using Styrofoam shipping peanuts, you can turn the house on one side, pour in the peanuts, then nail in the other wall.

    • 6

      Cut out the door in the lower right hand corner of Section 4. The bottom of the door should be 4" to 5" off the floor. Nail a frame of molding around the door inside and out to prevent wear and tear on the opening and keep everything looking tidy. Nail molding at the four exterior corners of the house, from bottom to top, as well as in all the corners of the interior. Make sure there are no loose nails sticking through into the interior that could hurt your dog.

    • 7

      Take a sheet of 1/2" plywood to construct the roof. It should measure larger than the house, with space left over for the roof frame and an overhang. It will not lie flat but rather at a slope. The roof frame will be a sort of frame within a frame, of 2x4s standing on their 2" ends. Once you've built that frame, nail an aluminum drip edge all the way around the roof, staple on two layers of plastic sheeting, and then nail or staple on tar paper, shingles, or other roofing materials. The roofing materials should end flush just before the drip edge. Lower the roof down onto the house. Drill holes through the inner beams of the roof frame through to the four corner posts. Run bolts through those holes and secure them with nuts. This is so you can take off the rook from time to time to clean inside the dog house.

    • 8

      Paint the house with nontoxic enamel paint.

    • 9

      Position the house in different spots during summer and winter. In the winter, the door should be away from strong winds and sheltered from the elements, while in the summer, the house should sit in shade. Of course, if the weather is too extreme, you should bring your dog inside.

    • 10

      Place the house on a flat surface. If one end wobbles, just prop it up the way you would a wobbly table, with wedges of wood, tiles, and so forth. Elevate the house on bricks, concrete blocks, or concrete pads. Don't be surprised if your dog chooses to dig under the house and even sit under there, but do keep an eye on how extensively he digs. Make sure he doesn't dig under the house's support; otherwise, the dog house could shift and fall, thereby injuring or killing him.