As a dog owner, you know that a dog house is not just a shelter. It is a symbol of your love for your furry friend. And if you are a DIY enthusiast, you will find the process of building a dog house pretty exciting. In this post, we are going to show you how to build a dog house with a porch.
Things You Will Need
Wood Products
- Plywood Siding, 4/9"
- Cedar Picket, 2x7, 70"
- Board , 2x5 , 95"
- Dowel Rod, 3x2, 46"
- Plywood, 3/4" Thick
Hardware & Supplies
- 1 1/2" Screws
- 2 1/4" Pocket Screws
Tools
- Jigsaw
- Circular saw
- Tape measure
- Miter saw
- Sander
- Nail gun
Step 1
First, attach the bottom rails. Determine the pocket hole locations. For this project, you have to drill all pocket holes at 1 1/2" and use 2 1/2" screws. To attach the rails, use outdoor wood glue.
Step 2
Add one of the support rails and two of the side rails.
Step 3
Now attach the top rails and the initial frame will take its shape. Before you do that, drill the pocket holes into the legs.
Step 4
Add the remaining support rails and side rails.
Step 5
Now lay the floor plywood. To attach the plywood to the bottom rails, use 1 1/4" screws. If the plywood does not fit into the walls, cut notches into the plywood.
Step 6
Then add the support stiles at the front. In the next step, we will support the back stile.
Step 7
This should be intuitive. Just add the back stile. If you want to learn how to build a dog house with a porch, use your intuition often so that next time you do not have to read these step-by-step instructions. Now your dog house will take its shape.
Step 8
Attach the roof rafters to the ridge. Put the 40-degree end to the pocket hole. Make sure the top is not more than 45 degrees. Use a countersink drill bit to put the sunk 2 1/2" screws.
If you want a lower roof, just cut the angles at 45 degrees. And if you do so, do not forget to adjust the rafters as well.
Step 9
Now adjust the side sidings and attach them to the sides. To attach them, use 1 1/4" screws.
Step 10
Do the same thing with the back siding. Measure it carefully before you cut it.
Step 11
Then attach the front siding. Before you attach it, you may want to cut the door or window for proper fitting.
Step 12
Next, take the two roof plywood pieces and attach them. At the top, they can slightly overlap, because they are a bit different in size.
Step 13
Now work on the gable. Measure this triangular part and cut it out of the siding. For those who want to learn how to build a dog house with a porch, the first requirement is to learn how to take measurements properly.
Step 14
The next step is to add the roof boards. You can attach them with some brad nails and glue. Cover the screws with the nails so that the screws are no longer visible. It should be done on both sides.
Step 15
Now, to make the dog house look cute, add some trim to the windows. To attach the trim, you can use a brad nailer and some liquid nails. However, you do not have to trim out the door right now. You can do that after building the porch.
Step 16
Start working on the porch. Use 2 1/2" screws and 1 1/2" pocket holes to attach the boards.
Step 17
Attach the floorboards of the porch. Before you cut out the area, measure it carefully and make sure it sits precisely with the plywood.
Step 18
Keep laying and attaching the floorboards. Make sure they look uniform. There should not be empty spaces between the boards.
Step 19
Build the door now. To make the framing, you can simply rip the pickets to 1 1/2".
Step 20
Then you have to add the roof of the porch. To get started, add the brace which is just above the door. You can rip down the same fence pickets.
Step 21
Make the side porch roof. You do not have to attach it right now. Take the four boards. On top of the boards, lay the two runners. You can staple or brad nail or glue the boards. This is going to be the underside.
Step 22
The porch roof should have a slight slope. Cut the porch pillars accordingly. For this, use 2" dowel rods. Then attach the roof boards to the roof brace and the dowel rods.
Step 23
You have probably already figured out how to build a dog house with a porch. From here, things will get really cosmetic! The meeting point of the siding will not be visible because the trim was added to both the sides and the front.
Step 24
Then the top trim has to be attached to the fascia. The fascia is the triangular part of the side roof. Miter it the same way as you would do with other roof boards.
Step 25
The next step is to attach the front trim. This trim can be ripped from the same pickets. And the side framing can be covered with the back and front framing boards.
Step 26
Give the top its finishing touch. If you find it hard to bevel the boards together, make one board slightly larger. It will overlap the other board. This is a rather easy route.
Step 27
You have made a cute little house for your furry friend. Now paint the house the way you want, and it will look amazing. If you have just read the instructions but not taken a single step, just get started, you will figure out what to do next as you go ahead.
Final Thoughts: How to Build a Dog House with a Porch
Building a dog house may sound a bit intimidating, but it gets easier when you start enjoying the process. The key is not to make an attempt to do everything at once. Just follow the instructions step by step and you will end up building a cute little dog house.
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