Long awaited offgrid dogs den

The offgrid dog den has been changed several times over the past year. We cut 1 x 2 x 8s in half and stain them outside. This was an after thought since we started by nailing up the slats and then staining them. This proved to be abit too much work on the concrete floor.

We eventually made it smaller than it's originally intended size. We needed the kitchen to be bigger so the (den) became smaller to accommodate entertaining.

We have been in the house for one year now. I am so glad that we did not finish the back of the house. We have had the opportunity to live in it to see our needs. We entertain much more than we originally thought.

We decreased the size of the offgrid dogs den yet making it comfortable for our four dogs. This took us two weekends to complete since we both now work.

We laid 2 x 4s as a base and drilled holes in the concrete, then installed anchor screws. The pony walls are 49 inches high. We nailed 1 x 2s with 2" finish nails to the the pony wall creating a fenced in area for our dogs.

A stain called island blue was applied and then a urethane for protection when time allows. This allows them to still be in the kitchen and see everything but separate from our guests. It also makes the air flow from the wood stove to warm the den. They love it.

They now have their own room or den to go to and be away from people or each other. They can go right outside their doggie door onto their deck or the back yard to snooze or play.

We used a 4 foot level to get the spacing for the slats. We didn't want any of our dogs to be able to get their heads caught in the slats. It worked out great!

They can go right outside their doggie door onto their deck or the back yard to snooze or play.

Satin bead board was next to go up. It is the adjoining wall to the second bedroom so eventually it will be 8 feet high. Had I been listening to Ron it already would be 8 feet high. Per our communication defect, I didn't understand which wall he was talking about and insisted that it be no more than 4 feet.

Well, after it was up and I was looking at it. I made a comment that we could have built the wall to the offgrid dogs den 8 feet high. Well, that gave way to a whole other conversation regarding listening. Anyway, it was stained bayou green in keeping with my need to see many colors.

We made the gate from 2 x 4s and the posts are 4 x 4s. The last slats went up this weekend. They were stained bayou green as well because I grabbed the wrong stain. That's what makes our home interesting. There is a story behind every mix up. The hinges and latch are black made for an outdoor fence.

This view is from the hallway to the kitchen. It is very open which appeals to both Ron and I. The dogs are happy and we are happy to get our offgrid dogs den finished.


Go to Bathroom 1 from Offgrid Dog Den