Designer Dog Houses

Most of the other dog houses showcased in the Dog House Sampler are mass produced to one degree or another.

If you're looking for a custom dog house that doesn't come off an assembly line, there are some out there although it may take a little extra poking around to find one to your liking. Hopefully, the info here will make your quest a bit easier.

Just be prepared to pay considerably more for a truly custom-built house -- up to several thousand dollars in some cases.

Some of the designer dog houses featured here are one-of-a-kind hand crafted creations. These tend to be the most expensive homes ($2000 - $5000+). Others are not entirely unique but are crafted in limited quantities and therefore different from the majority of other dog houses in your neighborhood. Expect to pay $600 to $2000 for houses in this latter category.

Luxury Dog Houses from La Petite Maison

La Petite Maison is a company that specializes in custom-built dog homes for owners that really want to pamper their pets. They will custom-build a dog home to your specifications, perhaps something to match your home, or something completely new.

Their attention to architectural detail is amazing, resulting in a pet home with many of the amenities and decorative touches of a human home. This includes air conditioning, heat, crown molding, chair rails, wallpaper, windows with shutters, balconies, and even landscaping. Pets never had it so good!

These are truly the top-end of designer dog houses - with a price tag to match. (I recall seeing somewhere that prices start at $5500).

Owner-Built Luxury Dog House

The house shown here is included in the gallery of Mike Strong's How to Build a Dog House site. It was submitted by a reader named Tony who created this house for his golden retriever Rudy.

What strikes me about this house isn't so much that it is fancy but that it is basically a down-sized version of an actual human home. It has an asphalt roof with fascias and soffits, metal gutters and downspouts, a window AC unit, a nearly full-size door and window, and a spacious porch with a linoleum floor. I want one of these!

Luxury Dog Houses from Lilliput Play Houses

The fancy "Storybook" dog house shown here is from a company that focuses on distinctive children's play homes and unique doghouses. The house is constructed from rot and insect resistant Western Red Cedar and has a removable roof for easy cleaning.

The high pitched roof and doorway with matching arched windows give the Storybook a rather unique look. The white "brick" siding also adds to the effect.

In contrast to the Storybook dog house, the Junkyard dog house on the right is a minimalist design that has an appeal of its own. It's probably a more practical design in that it would provide better heat retention during cold weather. And your pet could lounge on top of the roof if she so desired.

These dog houses cost about $800 to $1000 depending on size and style chosen.

The Hampton Dog House from Earl Station

The folks at Earl Station provide insulated dog homes that are built to standards similar to residential home construction standards -- without looking like the discolored cedar fence in the backyard. The result is the rather attractive house shown here.

The Hampton Dog House uses top-grade materials: redwood for the siding and the roof, Johns-Mansville® insulation batting in the floor, walls and roof panels, and Behr Premium Porch and Deck paint. Decorative touches include a faux chimney, copper-roofed cupola, and a mailbox on the front.

These houses are in the $1000-$2000 range which is sort of the middle ground between the mass-produced dog houses and the high-end designer houses.

Deluxe Log Cabin Dog House from Paw Homes

If you're looking for a real log cabin dog house, check out these creations from Paw Homes. Their houses are built from white cedar logs that are attached at the ends using the classic double notch construction method. Logs are also used for the floor and roof. The net result is a decidedly rustic looking log cabin.

Note that these houses are only partially insulated - beyond the natural insulation provided by the logs - so they may not be the best choice for a really cold climate. But, if you're looking for an authentic log cabin dog house, this is the one.

Prices range from around $1000 for a small house to $1850 for an extra large one.

Casual Bungalow Deluxe Dog House

I stumbled across this cool looking custom dog house while perusing the web. Unfortunately, the site provides no info about how the house is constructed - just a phone number and a price ($600).

The protruding crooked stove pipe, the mis-matched wooden shingles, and the rough cut wood siding all contribute to the laid-back casual dude, backwoods, don't worry be happy look. I like it.

Barn Dog House from Premo Products

Premo Products is a Baldwinsville, New York company that specializes in wooden outdoor structures including dog houses.  They offer at least four different houses - including the barn-like model shown here, plus they can also custom build houses to your specs.