Need insulated doghouse help

[sixdogs]

I need a little leeway here regarding posts but I need an answer from a tractor guy that understands my situation. I need help ASAP.
I am building a doghouse for my neigbor that leaves his three beagles out over the winter. Nice guy but isn't around when the wind is blowing and can't see the old doghouse is insufficient.
The new house is 35" W X 60" L X 25" high (to eve) (gable roof) with a 30" W X 30" WX 20" high super-insulated "sleeping compartment" inside. The sleeping compartment has 1 1/2" foam on all four sides sandwiched between plywood. It's a box within a box thing. I'm a tractor guy not a builder. The dogs will have an open door to this compartment that is 8" X 10" and an offset outer main house door that is bigger, maybe 10" X 12" ? Should I vent the enclosed sleeping compartemnt since dead air/moisture could get trapped in it?

My concern is with the potential for condensation inside this sleeping compartment and what to do about it? I don't want to do more harm than good but have searched the web to no avail and need help. How do I avoid condensaton? Less insulation? Leave gaps?.

I wonder if vents at the gable will help but how will that small space/ventilation vent three dogs in a tight compartment? Remember this is a box-in-a-box thing with an indirect/separate door to the outside. There is a door to the sleeping area and a separate door to the outside.

Can someone help? The climate is mid-Ohio with a typical winter and flat ground with often windy conditons. Any help appreciated. Am trying to build ASAP.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Build a Dog House

A couple of holes at the peak of the roof should suffice....

 

[KHNewman]

I built a number of dog houses for beagles that lived outdoors year round and we never vented the roof. We made the roof flat and covered it with steel. We always use an offset entrance to keep the wind out and sometimes used a flap to add further protection. The box was always lined with 2" foam on all 6 sides and filled with staw which let them build a nest inside and really punch up the insulation factor.

The most important point I recall when we built the sleeping area was to make sure it was only just big enough for the dog to stand up and turn around. Keeping the box as small as possible allowed the maximum amount of heat to be trapped inside and keep the dog warm. I know this worked because when we hunted in the adirondack park the dogs had no trouble staying in the back of the pickup in their portable boxes at -15F. It can sometimes be hard to picture how small an area a dog actually needs to turn around so you need to test this out depending on the size of the dogs.

My concern about the vent would be that in really cold conditions it would allow too much heat to escape. If you do use a peaked roof consider building the interior like a house with an insulated flat roof inside and then vent the peaked attic. I think this is the best solution.

 

[KHNewman]

woodlandfarms...

That dog house design in the link wouldn't keep my dog alive at -15F for a week! It is a great backyard doghouse for mild climates too keep the dog sheltered from wind, rain and sun but it isn't meant for a dog that lives outdoors year round in a cold climate.

 

[woodlandfarms]

woodlandfarms...

That dog house design in the link wouldn't keep my dog alive at -15F for a week! It is a great backyard doghouse for mild climates too keep the dog sheltered from wind, rain and sun but it isn't meant for a dog that lives outdoors year round in a cold climate.

This is the whole reason I left Wyoming for the left coast ;-) enjoy your winters guys, I think it hit, like, maybe 60 outside last night. Brrrrrr.. Had to put a dog on the bed to keep warm and please, no, it was not my wife.

 

[Matt_Jr]

I agree with Woodlandfarms. A couple of vent holes in the roof should suffice. In cold weather survival training we were told to poke 1 hole with a stick or tent post through a snow shelter near the top for ventilation. Hadn't thought about the moisture part though. My grandfather put a light bulb in the one he built to add warmth. You'd be surprised how much a light bulb helps.

 

[KHNewman]

check out this link...

Insulated Dog House

They have great info on doughouses for outdoor climates and it is a canadian site so they know winter...

No mention of venting, specifically mention FLAT ROOF design and even provide guidlelines for size based on the dog size!

 

[Matt_Jr]

check out this link...

Insulated Dog House

They have great info on doughouses for outdoor climates and it is a canadian site so they know winter...

No mention of venting, specifically mention FLAT ROOF design and even provide guidlelines for size based on the dog size!

Looks like a pretty good link. I'd go with building one of those.

 

[EddieWalker]

For condensation to form, you need the tempature on the inside to lower the humidity level down to the point of moisture. This happens in summer on metal roofs all the time, but I'd very suprised if this was possible in winter. Especially on an insulated wood box. I think you are overthinking this and by venting the sleeping area, are being counter productive. I would not vent it.

Use exterior grade plywood on both the inside and ouside of the dog house because they will bring the moisture in there with them on their fur. The floor also needs to be rated for exterior use as that's where the moisture will end up. Getting the animals off of the floor would be more important then trying to vent for humidity in the air that might cause condensation. A drain hole in the floor might work if it's kept clean. Rubber mats with holes in them like they use in resturants would also help.

Eddie

 

[studor]

Why not run wire and put in a doghouse heating pad? That way you are sure the dog will be OK and condensation will not be a factor.

 

[studor]

Why not run wire and put in a doghouse heating pad? That way you are sure the dog will be OK and condensation will not be a factor.

 

[davitk]

I agree with Eddie, don't vent it and for crying out loud stop over-thinking it!! Seems to be a problem on this site

 

[sixdogs]

Wow...thank you all for the info I was looking for. As far as info goes, i get the best advice on this site.
KHNEWMAN hit it right on and had the actual experience. I had seen the plans he linked to and used it as my base. I asked a beagle guy/nut that HAS 50 BEAGLES! and he helped me pick a proper small sleeping size. As mentioned, I built a house within a house so they can get out of the winter

cold but also have an uninsulated buffer. Here is the 3 ft X 5 ft house mostly complete. The main sleeping room is insulated and is on the right. For a top to this room there will be a piece of OSB that fits on top at a 20" height followed by a thick piece of foam and another piece of OSB. They are removable so dogs can be checked and bedding changed. I don't want to overthink this but moisture in winter is a killer and I am trying to help, not hurt, these little beagles,
The base is a sandwich of of PT ply with foam inside and an OSB top for the dog's area.
Remember, this is a pro bono free (but not for me) project for my neghbor's dogs and not my own. Mine are Springer Spaniels, are well-behaved and are inside.
Tonight I'll do the siding and lift-up roof and should be good to go. I'll post more photos as I try to recall how to post a jpeg. I forgot.
Eddie--how are you doing on all of those listed projects? Seems like you are, or should be pretty busy.
Thak you all.

 

[gemini5362]

I didnt have the time to build my dog a house ( I temporarily inherited because my son had to get him out of where he is living) I just bit the bullet and bought a insulated igloo style dog house. The weather here has hit high 20s a few times and it is a doberman with short hair. I am not sure how warm the doghouse will keep him. He has never went in it yet and everytime I look he is laying on the ground no matter what the temperature. I would get a cardboard box and see if the beagles will use it before I built a good dog house. Considering what the doghouse I bought cost I am not a happy camper that the dog is not useing it. I am in the process now of putting feed into the dog house for him, to try and coax him into it.

 

[davitk]

I didnt have the time to build my dog a house ( I temporarily inherited because my son had to get him out of where he is living) I just bit the bullet and bought a insulated igloo style dog house. The weather here has hit high 20s a few times and it is a doberman with short hair. I am not sure how warm the doghouse will keep him. He has never went in it yet and everytime I look he is laying on the ground no matter what the temperature. I would get a cardboard box and see if the beagles will use it before I built a good dog house. Considering what the doghouse I bought cost I am not a happy camper that the dog is not useing it. I am in the process now of putting feed into the dog house for him, to try and coax him into it.

Best of luck, we had a doberman/shepherd mix who passed this spring at 13, stubborn dog. He used his igloo to lift his leg on - he hit the opening most times but never went inside himself. SWMBO kept him in the house (he peed there, too).

 

[KHNewman]

gemini - beagles are denning dogs so they love their doghouses. Breeds like dobermans don't tend to den as readily, my labs wouldn't go in a doghouse if I built a castle for them.

I don't believe he is overthinking it, I would say keeping my dogs alive or a neighbors dogs alive deserves some thought especially if you don't have experience or someone to ask. The poor dogs need to stay alive and comfortable in some rough Ohio winter weather and they deserve a properly built shelter. It is not a one size fits all answer.

Thanks for posting the pics, the design looks like what we used to build. Removeable roof is definitely important and I left that out of my original post.

Definitely post pics of the finished doghouse.

 

[sixdogs]

Kevin--I see you are from Long Island. Anwhere near Montauk?
It's a long story.

 

[KHNewman]

No I'm in Huntington on the north shore about 1/2 way out on the Nassau / Suffolk line...we are about 2-3 hours from Montauk depending on traffic.

 

[MarkV]

The dog house looks great to me. I also would not vent. There will be enough natural air flow to take care of any problems. The only thing I would change is add insulation to the entry chamber. It isn’t much and would help keep the sleeping chamber warmer.

Pretty nice in my book to do that much work for the neighbors dogs.

MarkV

 

[2manyrocks]

I have had the same issue with the igloo type doghouse of some of my dogs absolutely refusing to go in it. They have no problems going in the barn shaped plastic dog house, but a couple of them refuse to set foot in the igloo.

Suggest you put some skids on the wooden doghouse--will make it easier to move in the future. Looks like it is going to be heavy.