How to Build an Easy Wood Doghouse

Even outside pets need shelter. An outdoor dog is no exception. A good dog house is an essential part of a dog's habitat. You can build a dog house for very little expense. A dog house needs a floor, three solid walls, one wall with an entrance and a roof, and it is not difficult to build one.

Things You'll Need

  • 1/2-inch plywood
  • 5/8-inch plywood
  • Decay-resistant cedar 2x4s
  • 2x3-inch boards
  • Circular saw
  • Hammer
  • Nails
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Instructions

    • 1

      Construct the floor of the dog house. A dog house is most easily built from the ground up. Start by building the frame of the floor.

      Cut the 2x4s to their proper sizes with a circular saw. The frame should consist of five pieces of decay-resistant cedar 2x4s. Four of the pieces make the rectangle which will be the outer foundation and one will go in the center of the rectangle to provide more floor support.

      Use a hammer and nails to attach them as described above. Nail a piece of 1/2-inch plywood to the top of the finished frame foundation. The plywood should completely cover the frame without having any overhang.

    • 2

      Attach the side walls. These are the two walls that are perpendicular to the entrance wall of the dog house. Like the floor, the walls need frames. Use 2x3-inch boards to create a frame that follows the perimeter of the wall. Then nail a piece of 5/8-inch plywood to cover it. After assembling the walls, place them in their proper position and drive nails through the bottom of the wall frame into the floor foundation.

    • 3

      Create and attach the front and back walls. Cut two pieces of 5/8-inch plywood into pentagons (allowing for a peaked roof). Then cut a hole in one of these walls that is large enough for a dog to easily fit through. Make and attach frames for these walls just as you did for the side walls. Nail the front and back walls to the side walls and floor frame.

    • 4

      Attach the roof. Cut two pieces of 1/2-inch plywood to the desired size for the roof. Nail them to the top of the wall frames to complete the dog house.