building the dog barn

We had a project at wok that they needed some sheets of wood for. But they only needed them for a week. They were never nailed down to anything and aside from some concrete splashes, they were brand new. My boss wanted to throw them away so I claimed them. What to do with the wood?

We planned on beginning our morning early, getting to work by 9 to build a dog barn...Adam calls it a dog condo but I think it looks like a barn. The alarm went off bright and early so I would have time to cook breakfast, feed us and the dogs, get dressed and hang the laundry on the line before we got going. It was pouring rain so I turned it off but never really got back to sleep. Eventually, I got out of bed and did what I could inside. I had finished sewing my curtain panels and started on my valances. Around 11, it stopped raining and sometimes after that, we all went out to work.

I had to hang my laundry first though so I did that. On the other side of the fence is a big crepe myrtle. It's finally started blooming. I love those blooms. There was a breeze blowing through and it was nice and cool. So great!


Adam called his friend to see if he wanted to come over and help. He showed up just as I was walking toward the garage door after leaving the laundry part of the yard. So we had some help. James and I put in the foundation blocks and got them fairly level while Adam built the side walls. Then we discussed how to proceed from there.


The frame is almost complete here but there are a couple of things missing at this point.


We got the roof on, then James left. We let the dogs out to investigate it. None of the dogs like power tool sounds (well, Tucker doesn't seem to care too much since he was laying in it while we were using an impact screwdriver at one point. Poor Jack was shaking like a leaf while Adam was using the saw in the driveway...that's when I put them inside. The dogs were curious and anxious to all claim it.


It was funny to see them all running around...like they just got a new toy or something. Jack and Tucker have given it their seal of approval. Ihaven't caught anyone else using it yet though.


It's not finished yet. We'll be putting something on the roof to protect it some from the weather and I'd like to paint it but we'll see if that happens. There's also one more board to put on in the front top. Aside from that, it's done.


The footprint is about the size of a loveseat so it fits two dogs. As long as they really use it, we plan on building a second one so there's enough room for all the dogs. And we also have plans to build some kind of den/cave thing for Bear since that's what he likes. He currently lays under a propped up square of cement. When Barry redid the deck, he put this random square of cement under the stairs, not sure why. Bear wasn't sure why either since that's always been his favorite place to lay. So, I picked it up and propped it up temporarily but Bear decided he liked that tight place. 2 years later, it's starting to crack and I don't want it falling apart and crushing him so we're trying to figure out what to do to make a safe substitute for him that won't fall over.