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Julie is a bit of a dog fanatic. Keep in mind after viewing this page
that this is the substantially scoped down design for what she
initially envisioned as outdoor shelter for our two labs (they're inside
dogs, but spend the days outside, and there are those 2-3 days/year in
Austin when the weather is cold or wet).
To start, I added a lower deck at the bottom of the steps from the
original deck on the house. This was designed to provide both a sunny porch
as well as a shaded porch for the doghouse.
Mostly for grins, and because I was working as an intern architect, I
decided to mimic standard residential construction to some extent. So, I
started by framing up the structure with 2x4s.
I deviated from typical residential construction by using masonite where
drywall would normally go...and putting that in after the framing was
complete. I then added insulation (R-13 or R-19 -- I can't remember which).
After that came the siding, custom-made plexiglass
double-paned windows, a cedar shake roof, and lots of trim, including
dog-like details such as dog bone faux columns and dog paws in relief over
the door. We painted the doghouse to match our own house -- gunmetal gray
with white trim.
The design was modular to facilitate cleaning and moving. We
started with the carpeted floor. The walls were two C-shaped sections that
overlapped the floor slightly.
The roof then rested on top. I included a carriage bold at each corner
that a wingnut could be tightened on to hold the roof down. This
was...silly. This roof isn't going anywhere.
The final product.
It has held up fairly well. Some of the trim is rotting
away, but the house survived two relocations (one within the initial
backyard, and one to a new house altogether).
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