IF YOUR MAKING 4 HOUSES, GET 5 BARRELS. YOU CAN MAKE THE 5TH BARREL IN TO A COVER FOR THE DOOR, BY BOLTING ON WITH SMALL BOLTS AND CAULKING THE TOPS OF THE BOLTS AFTER. JUST CUT BARREL 5 IN HALF, AND EACH HALF, IN HALF AGAIN. THEN YOU HAVE AN ALL WEATHER HOUSE
I USE 4X4 WOOD FOR MINE MAKE THEM MORE STABLE IN HIGH WIND AREAS. (ALBERTA, OR PRAIRIE SETTINGS) AND SOME DOGS WILL CHEW, AND THE WOOD BEING THE SOFTEST SPOT GETS THE WORST OF IT.
I build them by getting a plastic trash can from menards or wherever that is a little smaller than the barrel drill small holes in it stuff into barrel and then use the spray foam squirted in the holes to insulate. then i make a front out of wood. Probably a little small for some breeds but my 50lb running walkers seem to fit. I also like the white barrels because they dont soak up the sun in winter so I am able to completly bank and cover with snow and it doesnt melt away stays really warm inside. The only draw back i see is it takes more spray foam than I thought it would. Thinking about trying to frame it up on inside somehow and then foam it giving a little more room to dogs and use a little less foam. If somebody has a idea on what would work better than a trash can i would love to here it. I dont want to use wood cause in past the dogs always chewed on the wood inside there houses and the plastic they leave alone
Here in north TX it hardly ever gets colder than 10 degrees but I use plastic drums with lots of hay and my dogs stay very warm in the coldest weather.
I use them, but I don't have a ton of hounds. It's nice to clean out, I fill it with straw. I have a plywood roof on mine and was thinking of plywood up the sides and using rigid insulation(the blue hard foam).
Anybody tried wrapping with the insulation? The stuff works great for houses....
