Our shingles, windows, solar panels and insulation are designed by 3M to help find solutions to the most pressing climate challenges that impact people’s lives. I’m using these materials in the dog kennel to show you where technology is advancing, but imagine if every new building site were using them too and we started making our buildings work in better balance with nature.
Modern dog house plans
The materials I used to build the dog house
Step 1: Place the parts and pre-drill
There are four main components that need to be built: the deck, front, back, and roof. I started by grabbing all the parts that would make up the deck and laying them out on my workbench so I could pre-drill and screw things together with screws. I have a bunch of plans for this project if you’d like a material and culture list to build your own.
I then laid out all the flooring materials to attach to the top side of this frame. I was shocked that the price was a third of the cost and I just made sure to put the ugly side aside! You will need to make sure the frame is square before installing the deck. I used an 18 gauge nailer to quickly attach things.
Step 2: Connect the pieces to form the front of the dog house
Okay, so the first big component is at the bottom. Now let’s put that aside and pull out the pieces that will make up the foreground. I cut all the parts according to my cutting list and then dried them first to make sure there were no obvious issues. Once everything was laid out and things seemed to be going well, I started attaching things. As you can see I pre-painted my frame and because of the color scheme I wanted in the end, it is much easier to pre-paint the frame.
After that was done, I set it aside and repeated the same steps to frame what would be the back wall, then put it in with the others.
Step 3: Make the roof of the dog house
The last major element of construction is the roof. If you are using my plans to build this dog house, I recommend keeping the pieces separate this way, which makes the build time much faster. At each stage, I was able to grab the parts needed for this assembly and then quickly arrange them and screw them together. If you notice that I’m skipping the wood glue it’s because it doesn’t stick well to painted parts. If you have raw parts, you can use some in each joint, just make sure they are external.
After removing the roof frame, I applied tweezer and groove material to the top. You could certainly use some sheet material like OSB or plywood, but I wanted the inside of the roof to match the siding I’ll be adding later. The Tonge and Groove is great because it goes together very well and connects to the previous panel.
I’m again using an 18 gauge nailer here to attach it to the frame. I started at one end, then worked my way to the other. When I got to the end, I clamped the board in place, made sure the tongs and groove were facing the right direction, made a mark on the underside, and then cut this board to the desired depth to fill the remaining space.
Step 4: Fasten all the assemblies together
Okay, now let’s play shuffle and start putting all the main ingredients together. I’m going to put the roof here, and move it back and forth, so I can grab the roof and put it back on the workbench. Now I’ll grab the back to start, and if done correctly, it should slide right onto the deck. I pre-drilled and threw in some screws to secure it. Then repeat with the front. Since this kennel is a small camper, there is a balcony so the front is set back in a way to create said balcony.
Now let’s throw away the roof. I found it easiest to climb on my workbench to do this, but building it on the floor can work too. The frame of the front and back walls has “ears” to help locate the roof, but may need some help to hold the roof all the way in since it’s a tight fit. Something that helped with this was undoing the top screw on the frame to allow that “ear” to flex a little. Once the roof was installed all the way, I could tighten the frame back up but also attach the frame to the roof to secure it.
Step 5: Install dog house siding to seal the walls
Next is siding! This is made of the same clamp and groove material I made for the roof, and is as easy to throw vertically as it is horizontally. Once you have it cut to length, you just need to make sure that the panel you are working on is fitted along the length of the previous panel. Again, I use a nailer to attach things. Nice and simple. When I get close to the top, I use the bandsaw to cut the desired angles. RT sound I consider good. I did the exact same process on the other side.
Step Six: Complete the front and back walls of the dog house
Let’s complete the front and back walls. I’m sure you’ve been wondering why there are so many empty designer cavities. That’s because I wanted the kennel to have row panels. I don’t know about your little ones, but my little ones love being able to see what’s going on in their field. Instead of one large panel, which you can do well if you want to keep things simple, I decided to divide the space into several smaller panels.
This is where our first scientific product from 3M comes in. Not the glass…but the film applied to the glass. Fun fact: Visible light is the light you can see, and infrared is what you can feel. 3Ms Sun Control Prestige Series window films reflect infrared sunlight significantly reducing the ingress of rays through windows. In addition, it also rejects up to 99.9% of harmful UV rays. These films are designed to be applied directly to your existing windows to provide an easy and cost-effective upgrade versus replacement. It allows my little one to have open windows without letting in heat and UV rays.
If you can’t tell, I love this thing.
Step 7: Build the dog house roof
Well, go to the roof! Before adding the shingles, I went around the edges and added a metal drip edge. What I do to install this is I hold it over the edge, starting with the short side first, and then cut it where the corners land. You will need to use roofing nails to install it. Since one piece wouldn’t wrap completely, I left the rest of the piece break, then used a new piece to finish covering the remaining side. Using roofing nails to address both.
However, it was a simple matter of installing the shingles. I caught the overhang on the left and then let the right one go. I’ll cut it later. Shingles have a yellow area to use nails on.
As I make my way from the evening to the summit, let me tell you the fascinating science of these shingles. 3M makes granules that reduce contaminants (the tiny particles that make up shingles) which may sound like a mouthful but they’re great. These granules will absorb and retain nitrogen oxide in the air that comes into contact with them.
It will then convert them into water-soluble ions which not only wash away safely with the rain, but carry the nitrogen to the ground below helping plants and grass. To put it simply, these granules, shingles turn your roof into a smog-fighting surface that will take nitrogen from a place we don’t want it, and carry it safely to a place we do want it.
And this, my friends, is how you can build a buggy house for your dog, very simple and easy but very elegant. Also remember that I have a bunch of plans available if you want to build your own.
Step 8: View some 3M products
I’ll go ahead and add more accessories to show you two more amazing products that 3M has launched and released to do their part in changing the world.
The first is the dog bed. 3M has created a 100% recycled, feather-free insulation material called Thinsulate. I use it as a padding material in a dog bed (I just bought one and then replaced the inner padding with insulation) however, its daily application is actually within performance and outerwear. It’s made from 100% recycled content like the plastic bottles that end up in the ground, which means it helps tackle global waste. It’s as lightweight as natural down and still works when wet.
Then the last thing to show off is the solar roof panel in the middle of summer where 3M’s Ultra Barrier Solar film is incorporated. Due to low material consumption, and unique manufacturing and production process, Midsummer solar roofs have a 90% lower carbon footprint compared to traditional solar panels.
I’m very proud to partner with a company like 3M that not only cares about the bottom dollar but sets goals for itself to be carbon neutral and then invests time, money, and research to create products to achieve that. Every new 3M product has a sustainability value commitment that demonstrates how it contributes to the greater good. The four products in this dog kennel are just an example
I really hope you enjoyed this project. Visit my website for a set of plans not only for this purpose
