A DIY Dog House doesn’t have to be the most intense, expensive and time-consuming task. With the right help, products and plans, this can be the perfect DIY project for a weekend. One weekend of work for a lifetime house for your dogs seems like a fair trade, don’t you think?
In this week’s post we will discuss how to build a dog house and why CCA Tanalith Treated Timber is the ideal candidate to be your building material.
Why do you need a dog house?
Dogs are man’s best friend. They protect us and love us unconditionally. Therefore it is a no-brainer when it comes to providing them with their very own safe space if they are outside doggies.
In South Africa, our temperatures vary significantly depending on what area you are based, but one thing is for certain: There will be a time, even if it is just for a month, where nights WILL be cold, windy and wet.
Therefore, it is imperative that you give your pets shelter from the outside environment. While dog houses can be exuberantly priced in pet shops and from carpenters, it doesn’t have to be an expensive saga to build one. It might take a bit longer, and require more time for planning, but the result will be a dog house perfectly suited to your dog’s size and needs.
So let’s get down to the details of starting this DIY project:
Why use CCA Treated Timber for your DIY project?
There are two basic choices when it comes to dog houses: plastic or timber. I guess you can try building one with steel, but you’re going to need intense building materials, not to mention the struggle of trying to move that thing, and temperature control. So for the sake of this blog post, we will focus on the two most common materials mentioned above.
Plastic could be a good option, but the problem is, it is not a DIY material. Furthermore, plastic is prone to discolor when standing in the sun for long periods of time. Additionally, dogs love chewing on things they are not supposed to, and there has been many times that dogs chew down their own house! Then lastly, temperature! Imagine a plastic box standing in the sun all day!
So that leaves us with CCA Treated Timber. This is the ideal material to use – in our opinion, (We know, we might be about biased here) but hear us out:
CCA Treated Timber is:
- Lightweight
- Affordable
- Durable (Minimum 15 year guarantee)
- Protected against weathering
- Protected against insect attacks
- Easy to work with
How do you size your DIY project?
The perk of building your own dog house is that you can size it to whatever size you want. Whether you have a Pitbull, Great Dane or a German Shepard, you can build it to suit your dog. Simply put, the dog house needs to be big enough for your dog to comfortably lay down, stand up and turn around in. These specifications are generally accepted by most.
So how do you know what size to make it? In just a few steps:
- Measure yoour dog’s length and height
- Times the length and weight by 1.25 – 1.50
- This should be the inner dimensions of your DIY dog house.
This should allow for ample space for your dog to be comfortable!
Do you need to insulate your dog house?
It does not necessarily need to be insulated when you are building it with CCA Treated Timber. Timber dog houses are typically more adept at keeping heat in when it needs to. But, if you are living in an area that gets snow and a lot of frost during the winter months, your dog would appreciate insulation in his sleeping space.
How do you insulate your dog house?
You need to decide whether or not you want to insulate your dog house before building it. If you do decide on insulating the dog’s house, you will need to ensure that you build a double-panel type of wall in order to keep the insulation safe from chewing dogs, fleas and, other environmental hazards.
You can use foam or any type of household insulation in the dog’s house. If it is safe for your home, it’s safe for your doggy’s home.
DIY Dog House Plans
As always, we will be happy to point you in the right direction when it comes to DIY Dog house plans:
This should get you started on planning how to build your dog house. Remember to adjust the size of these dog house plans to suit your dog’s size!
DIY CCA Treated Timber materials:
As mentioned previously, CCA Treateed Timber is perfect for this DIY project. At Sabie Poles, we have a wide variety of timber materials to choose from. Whether you want to keep it simple with some CCA Treated Poles and square-cut poles, or if you want to go all out and create an aesthetically pleasing dog house with cladding and decking planks, we’ve got it all.
Here are some of the products you can expect to use in your dog house plan:
As always, our sales team will be more than happy to assist you with any queries regarding our treated timber products. You are welcome to check out our product range on our Online Quotation Generator or you can hop on over to our Facebook Page to ask your questions.
Additionally, you are welcome to send us an email right here with all your questions:
