Doggie
Homes
Barkitecture for Your
Best Friend
by DIY Network
Softcover
205 x 255mm
128pp
Published by Lark Books, a division of Sterling Books, NY, USA
R.R.P.$24.90
ISBN 1-57990-853-5
Home Sweet Home
Pagoda Palace
Cozy Log Cabin
Doggie Schoolhouse
Heritage Home
Made in the Shade
Room with a View
Replica Home
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 131
If you read only the coffee table style books and magazines devoted to woodworking, you might be excused for thinking that woodworkers never do anything that doesn't qualify as a legitimate work of art. But this is a myth. Woodworkers have homes, too - homes for which cupboards have to be made, where shelves have to be fitted and loose floorboards have to be fixed. Woodworkers also have families and they often find themselves making a special box for an aunt's birthday or a new toy for a child or grandchild.
The woodworker's distinction in performing these tasks is rarely in employing a style more suitable to a Manhattan studio than a suburban home. It is in ensuring that the item produced functions as it should and that it is well-made.
This is essentially the view of the authors of this book. Their approach to dog kennels is to make them functional and durable while at the same time providing an imaginative addition to the home.
The book begins with what they call Barkitecture Basics - a quick overview of the problems that have to be addressed when building a dog house, from the choice of design and construction materials to the selection of a suitable site.
The next 50 pages are devoted to construction details for 10 widely differing dog houses - ranging from a simple framed shelter to a miniature house and a castle. Interspersed among the building instructions are tips on topics such as dog nutrition and dental hygiene and the training of a dog.
Part 3 of the book explores the needs that dogs may have beyond actual housing. The first description is of a small gated compound, complete with a lounger - a specially designed piece of doggy furniture.
The second is a dog's window seat, next is a crate for the dog that must be transported, then a Canine Corral made with a wood and mesh fence. The final items in this section are a Water Trough and a Canine Supply Cabinet.
Some of the projects that appear in this book are framed with solid timber but plywood is commonly used for panelling. The construction methods are generally simple and straight forward. Readers of The Australian Woodworker should easily cope with the work involved and probably won't need the final 10 pages of the book which provide basic information on tools and their use.
Overall, this is an interesting but easy to read book which will appeal to dog lovers who want to provide above average accommodation for their pooch.
Photos: Colour
Units of Measurement: Imperial
Contents
Introduction
Chapter
1 - Barkitecture Basics
Design Decisions
Building Materials
Accessories
Choosing a Site
Maintenance
Ask Dr. Karen
Chapter
2 - Doghouses
Home Sweet Home
Pagoda Palace
Cozy Log Cabin
Doggie
Schoolhouse
Heritage Home
Made in the Shade
Room with a View
Replica
Home
Happy Campers
Ruffing It
Chapter
3 - Beyond Houses
Gated Community
Barklounger
Comfy Crate
Canine
Corral
Water Trough
Canine Supply Cabinet
Appendix:
Basic Tools and Techniques
Index
Happy Campers
Ruffing It
Gated Community
Barklounger
Comfy Crate
Canine Corral
Water Trough
Canine Supply Cabinet