Key West Inspired Doghouse Beach House Recycling Project!!!

13 Materials
$50
2 Days
Advanced
I wanted to stretch my crafting chops and make a doghouse. I was inspired by Key West and thought it should be a beach house inspired doghouse - like someone built a colorful cottage, right on there on the beach. Of course it had to be sturdy and colorful! I made it for my sister's rescue dog, Coco. She had rough beginnings and deserved something nice.

I wanted to use as many recycled materials as I could. I used a table (found just outside of a dumpster, up in Wisconsin), for the frame. I used three old pallets, for the siding and building the roof structure. I did buy plywood for the base and for the part of the roof. I used shims, from Home Depot, for the shingles. I wanted the shingles to be different sizes because remember this is a beach cottage.

Watch the video above for Part 1 and below for Part 2, to see exactly how I made it!!! icon Woof! Woof!
Below are the highlights. Full directions are in the videos and more pictures are available at the link at at the bottom.
I first gathered my materials, which included the pallets and an old table.
I cut the bottom out of the table and screwed it to a piece of plywood, which I sealed with a waterproof polyurethane.
I took pieces of the pallet wood and nailed it to the table. The table legs provided a great frame.
I painted the doghouse with a mixture of a blue and white to give it a little bit of a washed out look. I made sure to use indoor/outdoor paint that would withstand the weather.
I built the roof structure out of more pallet wood. Exactly how I built it is in the video.
I added shims to the roof to act as shingles. I then gave them a whitewash to seal them for outdoors.
I painted some accent colors and had to make sure Coco would fit, so I had to test it out!
I added a bone (also from pallet wood and I added shingles to an arch for the front.
I added more whitewashed pallet wood to the plywood base, to act as a wood walk.
I used a mixture of resin, sand and white glitter to make the sandy front yard and I even gave her a little resin pond.
There is Coco, exiting her house!
There are lots of small touches and hidden treasures, including the interior that you can see on the videos!
Suggested materials:
  • Pallet wood   (Check Craigslist or Home Depot for free pallets!)
  • Plywood   (Home Depot)
  • Acrylic paint (outdoor)   (Craft Store)
See all materials
Mona  ~ Craft Klatch
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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