MultiHub Forum

I’m trying to build a custom, semi-permanent outdoor shelter for my two large-breed dogs in my suburban backyard, which has a significant slope and very dense clay soil that drains poorly. My budget is tight, around $300, and I need to complete this over the next two weekends using primarily reclaimed wood and corrugated metal I’ve sourced, but I’m struggling with how to design a stable, level foundation without pouring concrete, as my HOA forbids permanent structures. The shelter needs to be about 6x4 feet with a raised, insulated floor to keep them dry during our rainy Pacific Northwest winters, but every sketch I make seems either too flimsy for the 80-pound dogs or too complex for my basic carpentry skills and the uneven ground.

Here's a practical, non-permanent plan: construct a freestanding deck-style base on a compacted gravel bed to drain on the slope, using adjustable screw-jack footers under a 6x4 frame of treated 2x6s. Add a 6x4 floor frame with 2x6 joists, 1 in rigid foam insulation, and a plywood top, then clad with reclaimed boards and a corrugated metal roof. Levelable, affordable, dog-proof.