How to find dog house plans for free

There are dog house plans for free on a number of web sites. In fact, many of them can be downloaded and used immediately.

But before you order any plans, make sure you have done your home work and know what to look for.

Some things to keep in mind before ordering any plans are:

1. Measure your dog's height and length -- so you can to build a dog house that will be the right size. If your dog is a puppy, make sure you will end up with a dog house that's big enough for the dog when fully grown.

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2. Are there building codes in your area? ? In some cities and towns there are codes that restrict what you can and cannot build on your property. If there are building codes in your area, be sure you understand them before ordering any dog house plans

3. Will your dog house plans keep your dog comfortable in any weather? Think about your local weather conditions. Does your area have very severe winters where the temperature can fall to zero or below and stay that way for a week or more? In the summer, do  you have many days in the high '90s or even in the 100s? If you answer "yes" to either of these questions, you will want to find dog house plans for free that are for an insulated dog house.

4. How about your skills as a carpenter? If you are not very good at carpentry, you should probably choose a plan for a fairly simple dog house. On the other hand, if you're a good carpenter, you can definitely look for something more complicated like the custom house plan listed below.

5. When evaluating dog house plans for free, look for one that either includes a partial wall or is large enough that you can add a partial wall.  This is so that the dog can escape the elements as necessary. That way, when the weather turns bad, the dog can either sleep in the entry room or go around the inner wall into its "inner sanctum" for added warmth.

6. Does the free dog house plans you're thinking about using include a hinged roof? If not, would it be easy to add hinges? This is important because it makes for easy cleaning. You see, when you clean your dog, you should make sure you also clean the dog house and bedding.

Some good sources for dog house plans for free

Woodzone - http://www.woodzone.com/plans/doghouse/doghouse_plans.htm

This site offers a two-page plan for a fairly simple but attractive dog house. I like the plan because it includes a bill of materials (the materials you will need to build the dog house), a list of the tools required and a lumber cut diagram and step-by-step instructions for building the dog house.

Lowe's - http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=HomeDecor/0302_Doghouse.html&rn=RightNavFiles/rightNavHomeDecor

This plan from Lowe's is rated Skill Level: Advanced, so tred carefully unless you're a pretty experienced carpenter.  Like the Woozone plan, this page has a complete bill of materials, a cut list, information about the paint recommended, and a list of roofing, fasteners and the tools required. There are good instructions for constructing the dog house and a downloadable PDF of the actual plan.

All About Dog Houses - http://all-about-dog-houses.com/docs/diy/index.htm

This site offers a free dog house plan rated "intermediate," so the house should be easier to construct than the one offered by Lowe's. It's called the "Sparky," and features features an insulated floor, roof, and walls, a removable roof for ease of cleaning, a cedar deck with roof, an optional inner wall, and solid construction throughout. The plan includes a drawing and materials list, and information on the four steps required to build it. The dog house drawing makes the project look fairly simple. The instructions are easy to follow and are illustrated with photos.

DIY Network - http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/lp_dogs/article/0,2041,DIY_14061_2270645,00.html

This page from the DIY Network consists of a free dog house plan and instructions for building it. There are photos illustrating the various constuction steps and a list of the materials required. However, there is no cut diagram so I would rate this plan as more for the advanced DIYers.

Georgia-Pacific Building Materials - http://www.gp.com/build/pageviewer.aspx?repository=bp&elementid=3765&pid=4699

The building materials giant, Georgia-Pacific has a free dog house plan for a dog house designed to provide a sturdy shelter for a medium sized dog. The G-P dog house plan comes as a PDF documents and includes a materials and cut list, a cutting diagram, helpful good illustrations, and step-by-step instructions for building the dog house.

A custom dog house - http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_wildlife_other/article/0,1785,HGTV_3654_1385537,00.html

If you're a serious DIYer and feel up to tackling the construction of a custom dog house, this free dog house plan may be just what the doctor ordered. Landscape architect Louise Leff created this plan and estimates that the estimates that a professional would charge about $800 for the custom doghouse and plants, but do-it-yourselfers can build and plant their own for about $275. There are instructions for building this custom dog house and photos illustrating the various steps, but the instructions are not what you would call comprehenwive  and there is no cut list, bill of materials or cutting diagram.

And more

Obviosly, five plans do not represent an exhaustive list of the free dog house plans available. Other sources for free dog house plans include:

wayneofthewoods.com/doghouse.html

terra2.com/ab/totem/dog-house-aboutdogs.pdf

http://www.ashevillehumane.org/forms/doghouse.pdf

http://www.nafi.com.au/timbertips/dog-house.html

http://www.freeww.com/doghouses.html

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