Building a DIY dog house is a great way to save money and develop your woodworking skills. With the right dog house blueprints it can be a smooth, simple project that will give you a heap of self satisfaction. This article discusses picking the right design, materials, and guides you to the next step in obtaining top quality construction plans.

Dog House Design Options

Chances are you’ve already got a general idea about your choice of design. However, you may not have heard about some of the more modern approaches to dog kennels. Here is a list of style options with a short explanation of what purposes they suit.

1) The standard wooden dog house - You can’t go wrong with the age old “Snoop” dog kennel. It can be customized easily, and can be built to accommodate any sized dog. Insulation is easy, and you can fit some colorbond roofing to further reduce the internal temperature.

2) The flat-roofed kennel - This one is very much the same as the Snoopy kennel, but with a flat roof. This design is easier to construct, but is arguably less attractive. The benefits of having a flat roof are many. Your dog can use it as a place to lay in the sun, you can use it for extra table space (say, for a herb garden), etc..

3) The duplex dog house - If you’ve got multiple pets at home, this is a great idea. A duplex kennel saves a heap of space, and is a very attractive design. You can build it flat-roofed, or angular. You can even install a divider so that your pets can sleep apart in summer, and together in winter for extra warmth.

Basic Material List

You’ll be given a complete material list along with your dog house blueprints. However, you might like to learn a bit about which woods are best for this type of DIY project. If you want to go cheap, pine and plywood are fine. They can even look great with a bit of paint.

If you want to go “all out” on your dog’s house, cedar is a very popular, high quality lumber. Make sure to barter with the lumber yard. In this age of financial crisis, you can save a good amount of money most of the time.