Our dog sleeps in the garage under a cardboard box that I cut a side out of. He’s got a comfy bed, but no real dog house to speak of, and it can get a little cold in the garage. Ciriana’s been hounding at me, pun intended, to build him a small dog house out of the extra plywood we have. My biggest problem with plywood is that it is a pain in the neck to cut straight without a table saw. We have a circular saw, but the mother likes to go in random directions – anything but straight. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with my skills, regardless, wood is too expensive just to mess it up – so, I give Ciri the painfully cliche answer of, “yes, dear.”
There is another growing issue in our garage. Since there is no curb-side recycling solution that our county offers right now, we’ve accumulated enough cardboard boxes to ship our stuff across the world again. I do not want to throw away all the cardboard in the trash, I feel bad enough not recycling the rest of our paper waste. The only other option is to flatten the boxes and take them to a recycling center that the county sponsors. That’s a lot of boring monotonous work, so I came up with a solution to both problems: the “Green” Dog House of Recycled Cardboard!
Doghouse in Sketchup
I read a while back about an architect that created emergency housing from mostly cardboard. I also know that cardboard is a great insulator. Now, obviously the cardboard used to build a house isn’t your regular cardboard, it’s actually corrugated fiberboard sandwiched between plywood. But for a dog, I think we may be able to work something out with regular cardboard.
With it’s exceptional insulation properties, cardboard is the perfect answer, almost. The only problem is, by itself, cardboard is not structurally sound, or durable. For added strength, I will need to figure out a way to reinforce the whole, um, structure ( I structure with huge buildings, but I can’t think of anything else to call it 
).
My main idea starts with sandwiching a bunch of cardboard together with glue. Probably three to four sheets. I won’t glue them so the “grain” is parallel. I will glue them so they alternate; every sheet will be turned 90 degrees. The total amount of force it will take should be much higher this way when compared to all boards’ following the same direction.
I scanned through a few related patents on Google and some of them seem to follow the same theory, in one way or another. Also, for added rigidity, I could cut small strips of plywood and apply them in a specific way to the sheets. The question is, do I need that added strength for such a small dog? I don’t think so – and I don’t want to cut them.
The frame is another issue. Do I need a frame? Can I just cut cardboard to create the frame? I’ve seen more patents using cardboard to create beams of building material, so I will most likely do that. Not so much for strength but for durability.
Speaking of durability, this house is for a dog, and he will most likely chew on the house when he’s bored. In addition to the frame, I need to either, dog-proof the edges (Ciri’s advice was chili powder…), or make it modular so I can replace destroyed or damaged parts easily.
So, now that I’ve laid out my intentions, I need to create a virtual model, either on paper or on a computer. SketchUp to the rescue! Right now, I have copied my notes into a rough draft model with basic dimensions, but I need to have a better idea of the cardboard situation before I can make a final draft. Now, my next task is flattening the boxes. This works out, because, either way, the pile needs to be flattened.
Once I actually get to test my ideas for structure and durability, I’ll have a better idea of how thick the sheets will be. I’ll also find out if I can make the frame from cardboard. After all that preliminary work is done, I’ll return to SketchUp, make my modifications, and head back to the garage for the final build.
More resources:
Treehugger.com – Cardboard houses of the future
DIYNetwork – Dog House from cardboard
Mrmcgroovys’ Flickr Set on cardboard playhouse
Dog House Building
JuanO 4:29 pm on June 14, 2009 Permalink
Ordering Supplies and completing prep work
The past month has been a little busy with the holidays and family. My active project, the doghouse, was suspended until this past week. Now that the garage is mine again, I can get back to work.
I ordered a gallon of glue from Staples.com. Free shipping, yo! Anyway, it’s non-toxic – so Alfred should be fine inhaling any fume or odor this stuff gives off, if any.
I started to flatten out some boxes. Unfortunately, I have to trash some of it due to dog urine… and feces. I guess the dogs thought it was ok to poo during the night.
Anyway, I should still have enough supply for the project. As soon as I finish flattening out the cardboard, and the glue comes in, I’ll be able to start my testing for durability and strength.
This week has been the coldest of the season, and I lament not having the project done by now; Alfred should be enjoying his nice, warm, cozy house especialy now. He’s fine, but I bet a some walls would help keep him warm.
Ok, so more later ths week. Also, I am triangulating my design for this sight. I’ll stick with this template, but change it around so my projects list and display the way I want them.