What you need

Lumber sizes

A 2x4 is actually 1½″ × 3½″ and a 2x2 is 1½″ × 1½″. Every measurement in this plan uses the real size. ¾″ plywood is drawn at full thickness, but plywood sold that way is often a hair thinner, so measure yours and cut the pieces that fit between panels to match.

Shopping list

2Pressure-treated 2x4, 8 ftRunners, rated for ground contact.
12x2, 8 ftCorner posts.
3¾″ plywood, 4 × 8 ft sheetExterior grade, for the floor, walls and roof.
~601⅝″ exterior screwsCoated or stainless.
42½″ exterior screwsUp through the floor into the posts.
1Asphalt roll roofing or a bundle of shinglesWith roofing nails.
1Exterior paint

Tools

Circular saw
JigsawFor the door.
Drill/driverWith a ½″ bit for the door corners.
Tape measure, straightedge, pencil

Cut list

Fourteen pieces from three boards and three sheets. Label each piece with its letter in pencil as you cut it.

Part	Qty	Size, inches	From
ARunners	3	1½ × 3½ × 36	2x4
BCorner posts	4	1½ × 1½ × 20	2x2
EFloor	1	¾ × 30 × 36	¾″ plywood
FSide walls	2	¾ × 20 × 34½	¾″ plywood
GFront and backCut to the gable shape.	2	¾ × 30 × 28½	¾″ plywood
HRoof panels	2	¾ × 19¼ × 40	¾″ plywood

Board layout. Each row is one board, cut left to right, with the remainder hatched. Dark lines are saw cuts, about ⅛″ wide.

Build it

Six steps. The 3D view follows along as you scroll. The parts you're working on are yellow, and the pocket holes or screws for that step are red.

Step 1 of 6Cut the pieces

01
Cut the pieces
Cut every piece on the cut list:
- A Runners, three at 36″
- B Corner posts, four at 20″
- E Floor, one at 30″ × 36″
- F Side walls, two at 20″ × 34½″
- G Front and back, two at 30″ × 28½″
- H Roof panels, two at 19¼″ × 40″
TipAsk the store to cut the plywood into the rectangles above. Everything else is a straight cut you can make at home.
02
Shape the front and back
On each front and back blank (G), mark 20″ up from the bottom on both long edges, and the center of the top edge. Join the marks to get the two roof slopes, and cut them with a circular saw or jigsaw.

On the front only, mark the door: 10″ wide and 14″ tall, centered, starting 3″ up from the bottom. Drill a ½″ hole in each corner and cut between them with a jigsaw. Round the edges of the opening with sandpaper.
03
Build the floor
Stand the three runners (A) on edge, front to back: one flush with each side and one in the middle. Lay the floor (E) on top, flush all round, and screw it down with 1⅝″ exterior screws, three into each runner.

TipThe runners hold the floor 3½″ off the ground, so it stays dry and the cold doesn't come up through it.
04
Put up the walls
Screw a corner post (B) inside each end of each side wall (F), flush with the top and the end, set in ¾″ from the end so the front and back cover it. Use three 1⅝″ screws per post.

Stand the side walls on the floor, flush with its edges, and screw the back and front (G) to the posts the same way. Drive a 2½″ screw up through the floor into the bottom of each post.
05
Add the roof
Lay one roof panel (H) on the slopes with its top edge on the peak and 2″ of overhang at the front and back. Screw it down into the edges of the front and back with 1⅝″ screws every 6″. Add the second panel the same way, butting it against the first at the peak.
06
Roof and paint
Cover the roof with asphalt roll roofing or shingles, lapped over the peak, so the joint between the panels can't leak. Paint the outside with exterior paint. Leave the inside bare.

Sizing for your dog: the door should be about three quarters of your dog's shoulder height, and the inside at the eaves a little taller than your dog's head. This one has a 10″ × 14″ door, 20″ inside at the eaves and a 28½″ × 34½″ floor. Scale the floor, walls and roof together for a smaller or bigger dog.

Build safely

Build at your own risk. Check every measurement against your own lumber before you cut, test-fit before you glue, and wear eye and ear protection. Full disclaimer.