I remember growing up with two dogs, both kept outside.
I always worried about them in the winter, as the temperature could reach 10 below zero overnight.
My father threw together a house for each of them made from plywood, and made sure they had hay or sawdust for warmth.
Although their accommodations were an improvement, I still remember being concerned that they would freeze if the weather became too severe.
There were a lot of dogs in the area that weren't so lucky.
They were left to fend for themselves as they braved the cold nights and snow/sleet mixtures, which were common in the winter months.
My father is very handy, and is in fact a contractor in his retirement life.
However, I have inherited virtually none of his skills, and would have a rough time building a dog kennel from scratch.
If I had the need to construct lodging for my dog, I would probably do what many do-it-your-selfers would do, and hop on the internet looking for free dog kennel plans.
A few questions to ask: 1.
Are the plans reliable? There is really no sure-fire way of knowing this, especially if this is the first time you are looking for online plans.
2.
What will be the total cost of materials? Even though free plans don't cost any money, it is important to know how much money is necessary for materials, prepwork, etc.
Free plans often don't give a true indication of the complete cost of the project.
3.
Is there customer support? If you find free plans online, that is pretty much all you get.
If you have any trouble with reading plans, tool questions, etc.
, you are essentially on your own, and can spend additional time surfing the internet asking questions, or looking for more information.
In short, using free plans may end up costing more time and money than finding a low-cost, quality set of dog kennel or dog house plans.
If you are like me, you want to do things right the first time.