How to Build a Shed for Dogs
- 1). Measure the length and width of your dog when it is lying down and add at least 12 inches to both measurements in order to determine the ideal dimensions for your dog shed. In order to determine the ideal height for the dog shed, measure your dog's height when standing and add about 12 inches.
- 2). Cut four pieces of untreated 2-by-4 lumber using the length measurement you determined and four pieces using the width measurement.
- 3). Arrange the 2-by-4 lumber into two separate rectangular frames, each utilizing two of the width pieces and two of the length pieces, by laying the boards upright on their narrow sides so boards of equal length are opposite each other. Be sure to arrange the boards exactly the same way on both rectangles. Use a nail gun to drive two nails through the outside of one board into the end of the adjacent board to attach all four boards for each of the two frames. One frame will be used as the base of the shed and the other as the upper frame to support the walls and roof.
- 4). Cut a sheet of untreated 3/4-inch plywood to the dimensions of the shed base and lay it on top of one of the rectangular frames just assembled. Align the edges of the plywood with the outsides of the frame and, using the nail gun, drive nails down through the surface of the plywood into the wooden frame below. Use two nails at each corner and additional nails approximately every 6 inches in between.
- 5). Cut four pieces of untreated 2-by-4 lumber to the desired height of the shed walls minus 8 inches. Stand one piece of lumber upright in each corner, on top of the shed base, so the outside edges are aligned. Use the nail gun to drive nails at an angle through inside, outside and sides of the upright lumber into the shed base to secure it.
- 6). Set the second rectangular frame on top of the upright pieces of lumber you just installed, aligning the edges. Use the nail gun to drive nails at a downward angle through the outside and inside of the upper frame into the upright boards below.
- 7). Measure the length and height of the four shed walls from the floor to the top edge of the upper frame and cut a piece of untreated 3/4-inch plywood to size for each wall. Leaving the front wall open, stand the sheets of plywood for the remaining three walls upright against the shed frame with the bottom edges on the floor and the top edges aligned with the top of the upper frame. Attach the plywood with nails driven through the shed base, upper frame and vertical boards at the corners.
- 8). Cut a door in the remaining plywood wall using a jigsaw. To determine the best size for the door, measure your dog's height and width when standing and make the door a few inches wider and taller. Sketch the outline of the door on the plywood in pencil before making any cuts.
- 9). Install the fourth plywood wall at the front of the dog shed following the previous procedure.
- 10
Cut another 2-by-4 board to the length of the shed and lay it upright on its narrow side on top of the upper frame board above the shed door. Secure the board in place by driving nails at a downward angle through the board into the frame below. This board will support the angled roof. - 11
Cut a sheet of untreated 3/4-inch plywood to about 6 inches wider and longer than the dimensions of the shed base to serve as the roof. Center the roof over the upper frame so the bottom rests on the back of the upper frame and the front rests on the board installed above the door. Attach the roof by driving nails from a nail gun at an angle through the top of the plywood into the upper frame at the back and into the roof support board at the front. - 12
Cut two triangle-shaped pieces of untreated 3/4-inch plywood to the dimensions of the gaps between the roof and the upper frame on either side of the shed. To get a triangle, cut a 3 1/2-inch-wide piece of 3/4-inch plywood to the length of the wall then cut it at an angle from the top right corner to the bottom left corner using a jigsaw. - 13
Hold the boards in place under the roof and attach them by driving nails from a nail gun through the outside of the plywood into the side of the roof support board. Drive additional nails through the outside of the triangular boards at an angle into the upper frame and down through the roof into the triangular boards. - 14
Lay sheets of tar paper on the roof, overlapping the edges of the sheets by 6 inches, and use a staple gun to secure them. Line up the first asphalt shingle in the back corner of the roof and nail it in place. Finish the row of shingles, overlapping them slightly, then install another row slightly overlapping the top edge of the first. Continue installing new rows of shingles until the entire roof is covered.