Determine how long and how wide you want the dog house to be. While some people will construct a dog house that just fits their dog, others will want to build a supersized jumbo dog house. Think about how big you want your dog house.

Measure your dog to see the minimum size your dog house needs to be. Always make it larger than your dog.

Add at least half a foot (15 cm) above your dog’s height.

Plan to make your entrance half a foot (15 cm) wider than your dog.

For simplicity, try to round the measurements of your house to the nearest half foot. This will help not only in sketching, but also in measuring and buying materials.

Before you can start constructing the dog house, you need to spend a little time sketching it so you’ll have a plan to work with. Sketching your doghouse will enable you to start the construction process with confidence that what you're building will turn out as a well-crafted product.

When sketching your dog house, use one inch to represent a foot. Use half an inch (1.25 cm) to represent half of a foot (15 cm). Since you rounded to the nearest half foot in an earlier step, this should be relatively easy.

Draw the base (perimeter) of your dog house with all four sides having a measured value.

Draw each face of the dog house with all four sides having a measured value. Include a measured value for the entrance.

Sketch the roof outline for each face, and from the top looking down. Include a measured value for all sides.

Make sure each piece of your frame is labeled and has a measured value.

Make sure each piece of plywood siding that will go over the frame has a measured value.

You also need to pick a spot in your yard to place the doghouse once it’s built. Picking a safe and convenient spot is extremely important as your dog will likely be spending a good bit of time there. When picking a spot, consider:

Proximity to the house. You might want it to be close in case you need to feed or check on your dog.

The contours of the ground. Make sure to pick a spot that is high and flat. You don’t want water pooling around the dog house.

An area with shade. If you’re dog will be out during the summer, you probably need to make sure the dog house is in a shaded area. Otherwise, the sun will beat down on its roof all day and heat up your poor pup.

After you’ve chosen a place to put your dog house, you need to prepare the ground. You’ll need to even any uneven areas and remove any grass or organic material. This is important, as the floor of your dog house is going to be the ground on which it sits.

Use a shovel to dig up any grass or plants from the spot.

Get some soil from nearby or from the store to fill in any holes that might be left.

Use the backside of a rack to flatten and even out the soil.