Now that the exterior new construction of our Big Doins project has been completed, it’s time to start bringing the kennels back together … well, almost.  There is one more step to complete first but it’s not construction so much as destruction.

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We are not done.  I still need to build the inside kennels: there will be a 4 foot by 8 foot indoor kennel section for each outside run.  Then I won’t need dog houses outside, they can escape weather by retreating through the doggie doors to their inside section which will be heated in winter and cooled in summer as well as being  secure against wind and storm.

The remainder of the building will be dedicated to storage for unused crates, transport boxes, blankets bowls, collars, harnesses, dog food, and what-have-you.  But that part of the job will have to wait a bit.

Between our savings and contributions, money for the concrete pad was on hand before that part began.  No debt.  My plan was to assemble the kennels on the pad and wait on the roof until the money for that was available, but the offer of having an experienced carpenter guide me through that process was too good to pass up, so I paid for materials with a credit card.  I need to pay that off before I forge ahead with the final step of remodeling building interior including inside kennels.  Said building is also full of lumber.

Selling said lumber will help pay off the credit card bill.

Then I can move on to re-wiring the interior electrical, and lighting, removing the roll-up garage door, moving the pedestrian door, filling in the openings in the front wall and siding them, building the three indoor kennels with cinder block, building and installing chain link panels with doors for inside access, installing insulation and a ceiling inside, priming and painting the bare block walls and the ceiling, and adding heaters and fans above each kennel space.  But that’s going to have to wait a little while.  Hopefully I’ll get all this done before winter: I’d like to offer our guests shelter from the cold without me having to leash-walk them around to the shop door for crating inside there at night and on especially cold days.

Do you want to help?

I’ve been doing my best to keep the costs as low as possible by doing as much of the work as possible myself – and enlisting volunteers, mostly John Kaprocki so far (who has been exceedingly helpful through providing labor and sharing his knowledge and tools).

If you’d like to help us speed this project along, your donation would be greatly appreciated.  You may make a donation on-line with the PayPal button below or you may mail a check to: