How to Build a Dog House

Dogs are common family pets. They are loveable, protective and loyal. Most dogs are indoor outdoor dogs. When the weather turns and the rain falls it is good for your pet to have shelter, such as a dog house. A dog house can give Fido a dry place to lay when it's raining, and can give him a cool place to lay when the hot sun is shining down. You can save a lot of money by building your own dog house walls out of scrap wood.

Step 1

Decide how big you want the dog house to be. Decide a measurement for the height and the width of the dog house. Use a tape measure, speed square and marking pencil to measure and mark as many 12 inch wide boards needed to meet the width to be the height. Use 3 12 inch wide boards for a dog house that will be 3 feet wide, for example. Do this for all 4 sides of the dog house.

Step 2

Measure and mark 3 2 by 4's for each side of the dog house according to the width you decided upon using the tape measure, speed square and marking pencil.

Step 3

Cut the wood on the cut lines you made using a circular saw. Wear eye protection while using the saw to avoid getting sawdust in your eyes.

Step 4

Lay out each wall using the wood pieces having the 12 inch wide pieces laying vertically and the 3 2 by 4 pieces horizontally. Lay a 2 by 4 at the top bottom and in the center to hold the wallboards together straight and tight. Insert a 4 inch screw every 2 inches horizontally across each 2 by 4. Do this for each dog house wall.

Step 5

Use the cordless drill to insert 3 inch screws into the 2 by 4 ends, 1 inch in diagonally from each corner. Put 2 screws in the end of each 2 by 4 to secure the 2 by 4's to the wood wall boards. Do this for each wall then set the walls up and insert 4 inch screws diagonally through the corner of 1 wall into the corner of the wall it borders, Do this for all 4 corners of the dog house to hold the walls all together. Add a roof and you have a complete dog house.