How to Build a Gable Roof for Your Dog House
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3-6 hours
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Intermediate
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- 100-500
If your pet dog stays outside for any length of time, a dog house is a good way to keep them warm and sheltered from the elements. Building a dog house is easy enough if you have the right tools. Constructing a gable roof on top of the dog house is an option. It will make a functional dog house attractive. It may even match the roof on your home. With a gable roof, the dog house can be waterproofed and decorated however you choose. Since it’s so small by comparison, the job will be much easier in that you can literally stand above your work and view its progress.
Step 1 - Take Measurements
With the dog house built, begin by taking the proper measurements with the tape measure. Assuming the dog house is rectangular and fully constructed except for a roof, measure the halfway point on both short ends and mark it.
Step 2 - Ridge Board Stud
The first two pieces of lumber to affix is the ridge board studs. The ridge board is a piece of one by six that will run at the apex of the roof. The two studs will be attached vertically at the halfway point on the short ends.
Determine how high the ridge board studs will be based on the width of the house. You know the center point of the short end, and you know the slope of the roof should be 45 degrees. Take a 2 x 4 and draw a line at 45 degrees across the broad side. Hold the ridge board stud in place with one hand and the 2 x 4 with the drawn line with the other.
Put what will be the rafter roughly in place, eyeballing it so the line you drew is flush with the vertical stud. This will indicate how tall the stud should be to support the ridge board.
Step 3 - Ridge Board
Once the two ridge board studs are secured to the frame of the dog house, cut the 1 x 6 to the length of the house, adding three inches on each end, and nail it to the ridge board studs on end. On the top end of the studs, cut out a small square slot of wood equal to the thickness of the ridge board, using a jigsaw. Place the ridge board in each slot and secure it with wood screws.
Step 4 - Rafters
The rafters should work out to be 45 degrees. The length of the dog house will determine how many rafters you need. If the dog house is four feet long, four rafters: one at each end and two, 16 inches in from each side should suffice.
With the skill saw, cut down the 2 x 4 lumber to eight equal lengths. Cut the ends off at identical angles with the miter saw. Remember, this angle reflects how it will rest against the ridge board.
Where the rafters cross the frame of the sidewalls of the house, two cuts must be made in the rafter to make a 1/2 square. This is where the rafters will rest against the wall frame. Since the ridge board extends over the edge of the studs, hold the angled end of one rafter up against the overhanging ridge board and press the rafter against the wall frame.
Trace two lines on the rafter while against the frame. This will tell you where to make the cuts so each rafter fits into place.
Step 5 - Secure the Rafters
After the measuring is done, cut the rafters to an equal size on the eave end. Use wood screws to secure the rafters to the ridge board and the wall frames. There should be four rafters on either side.
Step 6 - Plywood
Measure out the dimensions for the plywood sheet that will go on either side. Let it overhang the rafters one inch on either end.
Step 7 - Tar Paper and Shingles
Roll out tar paper over the roof to cover the plywood entirely and secure it with a few roofing nails. Shingle the roof from the bottom up. At the apex, lay the shingles in the appropriate manner.
Step 8 - Cover the Gable Ends
At each end there will be an opening. Use 1 x 6 lumber to enclose these ends. Measure the correct lengths and make the necessary angled cuts. Use wood screws to secure the siding to the rafters and the ridge board studs. Paint it to finish the job.
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![Connor Doe]()
Connor is a contributing writer for DoItYourself.com. He's an experienced home improvement researcher and project builder with a huge range of interests, and especially enjoys learning about woodworking, sustainable energy, and deep fat frying.![Dawn Hammon]()
Dawn Hammon has thrived in freelance writing and editor roles for nearly a decade. She has lived, worked, and attended school in Oregon for many years. Dawn currently spends her days convincing her children she is still smarter than them while creating new experiences with her husband of 24 years.  Her multiple interests have led her to frequently undergo home improvement projects. She enjoys sharing the hard-earned knowledge that comes with it with the audience of DoItYourself.com. Dawn and her sister make up a power-tool loving duo that teaches classes to local women with the goal of empowering them to tackle their fears and become comfortable with power tools. Tapping into her enthusiasm for saving money and devotion to sustainable practices, Dawn has recently launched a passion project aimed at connecting eco-friendly products and socially-responsible companies with consumers interested in making conscientious purchases, better informing themselves about products on the market, and taking a stand in favor of helping to save the planet. When she is not providing stellar online content for local, national, and international businesses or trolling the internet for organic cotton clothing, you might find her backpacking nearby hills and valleys, traveling to remote parts of the globe, or expanding her vocabulary in a competitive game of Scrabble. Dawn holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, which these days she mostly uses to provide therapy for her kids and spouse. Most recently, I worked for a small local professional organizing and estate sale company for four years where I learned a ton about organizing and/or disposing of just about anything. She was raised in a tool-oriented, hands-on, DIY family. Her dad worked in the floor covering business and owned local floor covering businesses, so of course selling floor covering was one of her first jobs. Her brother was a contractor for about 30 years and site supervisor for Habitat for Humanity. I worked with him often, building decks, painting houses, framing in buildings, etc. With her sister, she holds power tool classes to empower women who are scared or have never used them. Not quite homesteaders, she did grow up with a farm, tractors, motorcycles, expansive gardens, hay fields, barns, and lots of repairs to do. Plus she and her family preserved foods, raised cattle and pigs, chopped and hauled firewood, and performed regular maintenance on two households, outbuildings, fencing, etc. As an adult, she has owned two houses. The first one she personally ripped out a galley kitchen and opened it up to the living area, plus updated every door, floor covering, and piece of trim in the place. In her current home, she's tackled everything from installing real hardwood flooring to revamping the landscape.
