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August 2023
August 2023
With a great new home comes great responsibility...to rebuild the cat patio!
Our original cat patio, which was custom-built to our old apartment's balcony, was deconstructed when we moved recently. So, it's time to build a new one on our new balcony.
This time, with lessons learnt from the original build, I decided to take a machinist-style approach to the project, meticulously laying out the structure and assembly steps at each stage, to make sure I would be able to build it while within the structure itself.
This undoubtedly saved me some headaches and janky work-arounds, while also allowing me to get an accurate cutlist for the whole project - I was able to plan and build everything with just a single trip to the hardware store (not very common for my projects).
So, after a day or so of planning, I got to building. My tools at this point are pretty limited - most of this project came together with a jigsaw, drill, and not much else. So I had to be clever to avoid frustrations.
Firstly, I grouped a lot of cuts. By clamping a few pieces together, I could cut several to size in a single jigsaw cut, which saved some time and hopefully spared our downstairs neighbors from some extra construction noise.
(Notice the otherwise chaotic nature of my contruction zone, AKA media room. I swear I'm working on setting up a better build space at the moment).
Another innovation was to build the structure as two identical side frames. This allowed me to group pieces, perform similar operations back-to-back, and layout the frames before erecting them.
Only once these frames were complete, did I drop them into place on the balcony and attach via cross-pieces.
Once the frame was built and attached to the balcony, it was time to wrap the mesh walls and build out the interior features (platforms, stairs, etc.). This involved some decision-making, as both steps are easier to complete before the other is in place. It's much easier to access attachment points for the interior feature before wrapping the mesh, but it's almost impossible to wrap the mesh after interior features are attached to the frame.
So, I decided to add some extra attachment attachment points to the frame, then wrap, and finally build out the interior features. To preserve accessibility to the outside of the structure (important for attaching the interior features with screws), I made two removeable panels for the top of each side frame, allowing me to reach out and access the exterior with a drill.
Closing The Gap
Closing The Gap
The final part of the build was also one of the trickiest.
Back in the planning stage, I spent a good amount of time considering how the cats were actually going to access the structure. In the original cat patio, I had used a flat sliding-door insert panel with an integrated cat flap at the bottom. However, I had to come up with a new design to integrate with the standard door on our new balcony.
The simplest option would be to just leave the door open. However, bugs and insulation concerns during the summer/winter makes this pretty unappealing. So, I decided to design a wedge-shaped addition to the door frame. This came with several advantages, allowing me to re-use the original cat flap insert, and simply build a roof and some supporting architecture, before weatherproofing the edges.
This came together fairly easily. I added a small wooden frame to the insert, secured it to the original frame, and used a variety of foam-ey products to seal the gaps. A latch between the door and wedge frame keeps the door closed.
Finally, I removed the screen from the screen door, and built a couple extra steps to help the cats get in and out.
Completed Build
Completed Build
And just like that, the project was done! I was able to use some lessons from the original catio project to get this built in a fraction of the time, and with a fraction of the headaches induced by the first built.
There will certainly be more small additions to the cat patio V2 - extra platforms, toys, etc. But for now, it's nice to say that this build went from planning to completion in just a single weekend!
Another nice upside - the litterbox now has a home outside :)
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