I found a really simple design online and set myself to work. The house has a very simple frame of 2x2's with a 4x4 base topped with a plywood floor. It was amazing how much work the whole thing required! I had all the tools I needed for the job, thanks to a nearby Harbor Freight tool store and my father-in-law, who donated the tools he bought to work on the house they bought rented out here in Tucson. There was a lot of sawdust in the garage by the time I was done with the woodworking. After hammering many nails and making lots of measurements, along with a simple paint job using painter's tape here and there, here is the finished product!
We got the shingles from the Habitat for Humanity store here in town for less than half the price you would pay at Home Depot, so we were really pleased about that and how it added a great touch to the house. Lindsey got some wood chips to provide a cushy floor for Sadie to lie on, but as you can see it made a bit of a mess until I put the piece of 2x2 at the bottom of the door.
Being the typical engineer that I am, I probably built the thing a lot more robust than it needed to be, but yet that just ensures it will last a long time through several dogs' lifetimes and I shouldn't have to make another one.
