How to Build a DIY Animal Shelter for Barnyard Animals

Need to build your own DIY animal shelter for your dog or even barnyard animals, we'll show you how in this project covering this awesome animal shelter built by our customer, Linda.

This shelter features a sloped design and it can be easily recreated even if you don't have much building experience. The design can even be modified or configured for your exact dimensions.

Using Kee Klamp fittings and pipe, you can built a frame for the shelter with no cutting needed. In this project, we'll cover the details of Linda's DIY animal shelter, the fittings you'll need to built one just like it, and how to use each fitting.

So let's right get to it:

Linda's Animal Shelter Project Details

First up, let's cover the details of Linda's animal shelter. The shelter itself is 6 ft. deep by 10 ft. wide. It's 5 ft. high in the back and approximately 7.5 ft. at the front.

For the frame of the shelter, Linda used Kee Klamp fittings and Schedule 40 galvanized pipe. To anchor the structure, four t-posts were used at each corner with the pipe sliding over each of the posts.

From there, 2x4s were used to complete the frame to allow Linda to attach the shelter siding and roof. The 2x4s at the top of the roof are attached to the pipe frame using the P50 fitting. This fitting attaches to the pipe frame but also has a tab with a hole in that extends from the fitting. The wood 2x4s could then be bolted to each of the P50 fittings.

Regular u-bolts were used to attach the wood 2x4s at the side of the frame.

Moving on, the shelter was fitted with a 9 ft. wide roll of Tyvek around the top and sides of the shelter frame. This barrier helps to keep rain out.

For the roof and side paneling, 8 ft. galvanized steel ribbed roof paneling was used. These panels fit over the roof nicely but for the siding, they had to be cut to size using a circular saw with a metal cutting blade.

Overall, Linda has been really happy with the shelter and says it's working out great for her animals:

"So far it's working great at giving our ram lambs a shady place. We made it tall enough to walk into just for the sake of simplicity for us, but it's way taller than the rams need. :D. The good news is that if we ever put our llama in that field it's tall enough for her, too.  I'm also thinking of putting boards across the side support to create a shelf to hold grooming tools, extra bowls/dishes, etc. "

Fittings Needed to Build this Animal Shelter:

Below, are all of the fitting used in this project that you'll need in order to build your own:

 

How to Use Each Fitting to Build Your Own Animal Shelter:

Now, let's talk about how to use each fitting so you can build your own animal shelter just like the one Linda built.

At the back corner for each side of the shelter, the Eave fitting is used to connect the vertical post, the horizontal support, and the pipe used for the roof slant:

At the front of the frame, the Ridge fitting is used to connect the vertical post, the horizontal support, and the other end of pipe for the roof slant:

The Single Socket Tee fitting is used on both sides of the frame to add an extra support. This support is connected to the Eave fitting at the back of the frame.

Lastly, the P50 fitting is used at the top of the frame to attach the roof 2x4s:

That's all there is to it! Using Kee Klamp fittings really makes the process so much simpler since the fittings are adjustable and can be locked down or loosened by adjusting the set screw for that fitting.

If you're thinking of building your own animal shelter, make sure to browse our full selection of Kee Klamp fittings to find the right ones for your project, and if you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out to our team for assistance.