Introduction: Cat House / Coop / Enclosure

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About: system administrator / computer nerd / and sometimes i build stuff

My girlfriend got me to build this cat house / coop / enclosure for her cats. Without much knowledge of building, I familiarized myself with some Youtube videos (particularly shed building). So, if you're like me, and had like 8th grade wood shop, but aren't afraid to give it a try, then I would say this Youtube video is like a pre-requisite before building something like a shed / house.

Building a Shed, there's like 10 parts but good info.

The design or list of demands as indicated by my girlfriend :) were 1) cat house (weather-proof), 2) cat coop / enclosure so they can be outside, 3) pet door and a few windows on the house, and 4) which is still in the works, solar kit to operate a fan inside the house for those hot days.

Step 1: Foundation and Framing

I started by leveling off an area based on the size of 2 wood pallets. I put down some concrete pavers to keep the foundation off the ground and free of moisture. Connected the 2 wood pallets with some OSB and started framing the walls.

Once the framed walls were up, I continued with OSB all around.

I think the most difficult for me was doing the rafters. I had never made a "birds mouth cut" before, or even knew what the hell that was before this project lol. My first attempt failed, but once I got the cuts right, I was able to duplicate it for the remaining rafters.

Step 2: Exterior Siding

I did a little research and decided to go with this TruWood from HomeDepot. It comes pre-primed and looks quite nice. The price was decent and the reviews were good so we went with it. I guess I won't truly know until we get our first rainfall but so far it looks slick and durable.

We used 1x3 boards for most of the trim all around. The trim was painted with some exterior white paint and doesn't look to shabby against the siding.

Step 3: Final House With Enclosure / Coop Attached

The enclosure was framed up with some 2x3's and attached to the house. We enclosed it all with chicken coop wire. We'll probably add some panels or something across the top to provide shade in the summer months.

Overall dimensions are:
House - 40in wide, 75in long, 72in tall on the low end
Enclosure - 40in wide, 8ft long, 6ft tall

The final house design has a pet door and window on the enclosure side, a front window and door on the main side, and a small window covered with coop wire on the back side. As of this writing, we'll be finishing up the roof, as it's not complete in these pictures. We're going with asphalt shingles (I think).

As I mentioned, we will also be adding a solar kit in the near future to power a fan and some lights.

Overall fun build...I think my girlfriend is happy with it and that's probably all that matters, right guys? :)