The Dog Saloon

TL;DR

My four-legged friend, Walter, is scared of many things, so I built a dog house in the style of an old western saloon.

Lessons Learned (Top 3)

While over-engineering can be fun and lead to some unique results, it does come with a cost
Just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean you can't be the first
Always measure your doorways when making furniture

Fun Fact

The tin roof was the most expensive detail in the entire project.

$77.91 - Corrugated tin roof

$59.88 - Oak Balusters

$35.70 - WALTER letters

$12.99 - Horseshoes

*All other materials were already available

Background

This is Walter. He's a Borador. In case you've never heard of this breed, you're not alone. Boradors are a labrador retriever and border collie mix, and they're a well-balanced blend of intelligence, athleticism, and affection. They're also a little ornery.

While Walter exhibits the typical upbeat, outgoing attitude of the breed, things like thunderstorms, fireworks, and crackling noises from the stovetop turn this dynamic dog into a panicky pooch. That's right, one loud noise and it's straight to the basement. It turns out that this isn't uncommon for dogs, and there are some things that you can try to ease the anxiety. We tried the thunder jacket with no success, so we moved on to the next recommendation which was to create a "safe space" for your pet.

Most normal people would buy a dog crate and move on. However, it just seemed like too good an opportunity to make something fun, and instead, I decided I would build a dog house. It couldn't just be any ordinary dog house either, we needed something with character. Thinking of the leftover barn wood from the Big Sky Saloon project, it was decided that we would do something in the style of a western saloon. A dog saloon.

With a rough idea in my brain, I headed to the internet to see what other people had done in this area. It turned out it wasn't much. Most of the time when I think I have a unique idea, I google it and quickly see that it's not as original as I think. This time however was different.

With only a handful of previously built dog saloons for reference, I turned my focus to looking at images of real saloons for inspiration. There were a few that had hexagonal shapes and balconies, which for some reason, seemed to have the character we were going for. The decision was made to go with this style, and after taking a quick measurement of the dog and his bed, it was confirmed that we had "enough" leftover barn wood to complete the project. Everything else would be improvised.

Getting Started

It started with a simple base that would act as a porch and allow Walter to sit up off the ground. Using a repurposed pallet and half sheet of plywood, a few basic cuts were made and the two were secured together with a handful of screws. A basic cube was then made which would serve as a frame for the rest of the project.

An opening was then cut into the front of the cube and Walter's bed was placed inside to confirm it fit. It did, and it was now time to move the frame from the garage to the house. Everything from here on would be built in the basement office as getting the finished product through the door would be difficult (it barely fit in case you were wondering). It was also a good opportunity to verify that Walter would actually get into the saloon before continuing. Success!

With the base in place, it was time to start transforming this primitive box into something that looked more like a saloon. The same barn wood that was used for the Big Sky Saloon project was cut to fit the front of the base, and some smaller pieces were also added to finish the porch. While it was still a long way from completion, it was starting to paint a clearer picture of what the final product would look like.

Next up was the balcony. A few pieces of plywood were cut to match the shape of the porch, and stair balusters bought from a local home store were used as supports. While it would've been cheaper to make these myself, purchasing the pre-finished materials was significantly quicker and it also ensured consistency. The balusters already had patterns cut into them and they also had a nub on the bottom that could be used to secure them with glue to the base. The only decision I'd have to make is what color to paint/stain them.

As demonstrated a few times already, a benefit of DIY is the ability to repurpose materials from previous projects. This would again be the case when determining the finish for the balusters as several samples were created using leftover cans of stain. The stain didn't quite match the weathered nature of the barn wood as I'd hoped, so I ended up creating a few more samples using leftover paint. In the end, the balusters were painted black and then covered with a coat of burgundy. After a light sanding, they felt decently worn and I was happy to move forward.

The project seemed to be going pretty smoothly up to this point. The frame was in place, everything fit through the basement door, and most importantly, Walter was starting to take on the idea that this was his new space. It was time to start finishing the external walls however when it was noticed that the amount of wood remaining was dwindling quickly. While it seemed like the pile of remaining wood was sufficient, there were a fair amount of boards that were warped and could only be partially used or were unusable altogether. Before moving forward I'd need to find a solution.

Buying additional barn wood could be an option, but finding something that matched the existing wood wouldn't be easy. It would also mean additional cost and potentially having to drive a decent distance to get it. Buying "weathered wood" from the hardware store also wasn't an option as it doesn't have the same feel as century-old lumber.

The solution came by using a technique I'd later learn is known as resawing. Using a table saw, I found that the boards could be cut down the middle, exposing both weathered sides and doubling the remaining surface area. Not only did this solve the wood supply issue, but it also helped with the overall weight of the project (which was already really heavy and difficult to move around the room).

The resawn boards had one final hidden benefit in that they could be glued into place instead of requiring a nail gun. By gluing, I was able to attach each piece to a 1/8" sheet of sanded plywood versus nailing directly to the frame. This also meant the outer walls and balcony floors could be unassembled in sections, and if need be, moved into another room in the house.

The final walls and balcony pieces were added leaving only the finishing details. Since almost everything up to this point had been repurposed, I didn't feel guilty spending a few extra dollars on some cool accessories to go with it.

Thanks to the internet, I was able to find rusted steel letters, a heavily worn corrugated tin roof, and vintage horseshoes (which were originally put on upside down) to complete the saloon. The only thing left to add was the dog.

Conclusion

It turns out the dog saloon didn't change Walter's opinion for bad weather, but he certainly has one cool place to hang out the next time it storms.