When puppy Wally’s parents moved into their new home 6 months ago there were a lot of home renovations to undertake. But as soon as they adopted Wally, they knew there was one special renovation they were going to do especially for him.
Wally was adopted from a rescue. He’s a 6-month-old Labrador/Boxer mix – a “boxador” if you will.
His dad, Simeon, wanted to make a special room for him under the stairs. The first step was to make an entrance way so Wally could easily get in and out.
One of the challenges Simeon faced was the big open hole in the floor for access to a crawlspace.
Another was that this 2×4 blocking the new entrance needed to go.
That was easily managed with a reciprocating saw. With that out, the bottom 2×4 also had to go.
Next was framing out the left side and running a 2×4 the entire length of the wall for proper support. This isn’t a load bearing wall, but Simeon thought the 2×4 would help the stairs creak less.
Here’s a shot of the inside. Not a bad amount of space for a dog.
Simeon found some cheap wood floor laminate to line the walls, which turned out to be the cheapest and the easiest solution.
Prior to cutting the whole in the wall, the only way to access this ‘room’ was a panel behind the kitchen pantry. The crawlspace entrance would need to be addressed, but later on.
Simeon temporarily put a piece of sheetrock over the hole and put down some padding overtop.
Wally’s bed fits inside perfectly!
Simeon used some thin pine to box out the doorway
Simeon went with the old school clamshell molding since it matched what’s in the house already.
Next was to apply the finishing touches by caulking and painting it.
Puppy tested and approved! Wally was very cautious at first, but he loves it now.
The final step was to come up with a permanent solution to cover the crawlspace. Simeon studded out a rim for a piece of plywood to lay flush with the rest of the floor.
Rubberized matting was placed overtop to cover it and the entire floor area. Project complete! Simeon says the project cost him roughly $70 in total!
We have to include this extra photo of Wally because he’s just so darn cute!
Photos published on Reshareworthy.com with permission from Simeon.
Wally is one lucky puppy. Not only has he found a wonderful forever family, he’s already being pampered with getting his own room! We’re sure he’ll love it.
Share Simeon’s fun do-it-yourself project with your dog-loving friends!
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