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by cledford on 21 May 2009 - 14:05
My wife and are planning on moving to a rental situation with much more property. This is primarily to have her horse with us, but will be great for the dogs as well. To this end, I’d like to design a proper kennel out-building for them. Since we’ll be renting, our current practice of kenneling in our house in magnum kennels probably won’t fly. I’m actually not to bothered by this. The dogs are in an unfinished basement during the day (plenty of windows and sunlight however) in their magnums, but keeping up with the dirt tracked in, dust, etc is a huge pain and pretty much renders the basement useless for anything else – as even with 2 air filters there is always a fine coat of dust on things no matter how much we vacuum/dust/etc.
So, I’ve been looking at “portable” out buildings that can be delivered and moved for few hundred dollars. They are essentially buildings on skids. This is how most sheds, garages, run-in, etc that are built offsite (usually by Amish here in the NE) and delivered to you are built. The structure needs to be “portable” as at the end of the lease I’ll need to move the structure to a new location. There are some really nice ones pre-built ones already available (12’ x 24’) setup as kennels, with electric, AC, plenty of windows and indoor/outdoor sections. The outdoor portions are essentially “decks” with a roof that two 5’ x 5’ kennels go under. This is nice as you don’t need to pour a pad. A pad isn’t necessary for our dogs anyhow. We’re around often enough to let them out on regular basis and they don’t soil their kennels. The reality is that we couldn’t pour a pad at a rental site anyhow. Here is a link to what I'm talking about:
www.barnyardsheds.com/dogkennels.htm
Anyhow, the rub is that the pre-built version I’ve been looking at are upwards of $10k. The reality is that they are constructed from less than $1-2k worth of materials – so 8 thousand or so for labor is a bit much, especially when I’m more than capable of doing it myself ;) Also, there are some things I’d do different. So, I’m considering building my own.
My questions are, has anyone tried this? Building a skid based kennel building, or converting a shed that was built off site (and delivered) to a kennel? I’d like to know tips/pitfalls/etc.
Thanks,
-Calvin
by Aqua on 22 May 2009 - 12:05
That's a lot of money! Though they are very nice kennels, especially the insulated and wired versions.
Had you thought of modifying or converting a prefab garden shed of the sort you can get at Home Depot?
Had you thought of modifying or converting a prefab garden shed of the sort you can get at Home Depot?
by Justk9s on 22 May 2009 - 17:05
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This is an idea for keeping the dirt under control, without pouring cement. I now own my home, but this idea was initially what I used for my old runs, so I could move them when I moved. Hard work, screwing them all down, and unscrewing to move, but could be designed in peices that fit like a puzzle.
If you already have the magnums, you will just need a deck to put them on. My dogs are let out of their runs whenever someone is home, so they do not potty in them. Here is the inside, under construction..
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by Aqua on 22 May 2009 - 18:05
VERY NICE!
by Jenni78 on 01 June 2009 - 22:06
I talked to a guy named Elam, who actually builds them, for sunrisepetstructures.com. Roger is the contact, but I bet Elam will call you. I told him what I needed and he gave me a GREAT price for a 4 dog run. The problem was that the size I wanted couldn't be delivered by the normal means and would cost me $2300. If I had fewer dogs or needed smaller kennels, I would've gone w/Elam in a heartbeat. Super nice guy, very accomodating, and understood the need for strong kennels for working dogs. I have no doubt he would've built me a phenomenal structure.
Check out http://www.sunrisepetstructures.com, email Roger, and ask about customizing. They are both great guys. Tell them Jen from Chicago sent you. I told them I'd try to help them out since they were giving me such a great deal.
Check out http://www.sunrisepetstructures.com, email Roger, and ask about customizing. They are both great guys. Tell them Jen from Chicago sent you. I told them I'd try to help them out since they were giving me such a great deal.
by justcurious on 01 June 2009 - 22:06
be careful about the pressure treated (pt) wood many prefab builds use, especially when the animal comes in direct contact with it. we've had serious problems with the chemicals leeching out and being taken up through the dogs feet etc. we learned this the hard way and only found out later many zoos and horse people will not use this wood for habitats & stalls because of the very same issue we found. if you do choose to use pt wood consider placing an impenetrable barrier between the dogs and the wood - i know i wish someone had given me a heads up when we were buying wood, in retrospect we can safely say the savings was not worth it.
by Jenni78 on 02 June 2009 - 16:06
justcurious...are you talking about the structures I posted? If so, they don't use wood on the floors at all....the decking is composite decking so it doesn't rot and is easy to clean.
As for the siding...it's either board and batten (which is easy enough to make sure you're not using any w/chemicals) DuraTemp siding, which is a special coated plywood sheet.
As for the siding...it's either board and batten (which is easy enough to make sure you're not using any w/chemicals) DuraTemp siding, which is a special coated plywood sheet.
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