When I found a brand new pallet thrown away by a neighbor, I knew I would want to do something with it! I had my husband go grab it and store it in our garage. Meanwhile, I started to think about what I wanted to make with it. A lot of ideas ran through my mind but the one that stuck was a raised outdoor dog bed or dog lounge that could have a canopy on it for shade for the dogs. I had tried metal raised dog beds we bought from Amazon, but they lasted about a year. I wanted something big enough that three dogs and even a human could relax in!

So I decided to go to work on a DIY outdoor dog lounge. You can customize this to look how you want so it fits your yard aesthetic. So far my dogs, especially Hudson, have loved this giant diy outdoor raised dog bed! I outline the steps below.

Supplies: 

• 1 pallet
• 10, 1/2 inch PVC pipes, schedule 40 (available at most hardware stores)
• 1/2 inch steel pipe strap
• 1/2 inch 3 way PVC fitting
• 1 wood board sized larger than your pallet, 1 inch thick (mine was 50×52 inches)
• Hand saw
• Outdoor paint (color of your choice)
• Spray paint for PVC
• Primer
• Paint brush
• Drill & screws
• Hammer & nails
• Fabric fit to your dimensions or one packet of Ikea 98 inch curtains

The total cost for this project was about $100.

Instructions:

1. You are basically using the pallet as a base so the dog lounger is raised. Measure your pallet so you have the exact dimensions on hand.  I will use my dimensions for this tutorial but be sure to take measurements as the pallet size could differ.

2. I went to our local hardware store to get the 50×52 sized smooth wood board. Place the board on top of the pallet so it is even on each side. The wood board should be 3 inches bigger than the pallet on every side. Hammer in a large nail at each of the corners of the board so you attached the board and pallet together. You have to make sure where you place the nail so it goes through to the pallet since a pallet has slots in it. Once in place, prime and paint your board with two coats. Move to the next steps while your board is drying.

3. While your paint is drying. Move on to sawing the PVC pipe. You will measure your PVC pipe so it sits 3 inches in on the board. You are creating a frame for the canopy. These were my measurements that I cut the poles to: 4, 45 inch poles for the depth of the board; 4, 41 inch poles for the front and back poles. You need 4 for the top and bottom. Then 4, 40 inch tall poles.

4. Spray paint the pieces of PVC including the 3-way connectors.

5. Once the spray paint is dry, you will build your frame by connecting the PVC together using the PVC 3-way connectors.

6. Once your paint is fully dry on the board, place the frame on top and set it in place.

7. Grab your drill and 1/2 pipe straps and place them over the PVC on the board and drill in on either side of the PVC at each corner so the frame is set in place.

8. Now to create the canopy and fabric walls! The benefit to using curtains for this project is that I easily place the PVC through the curtain opening like you would a curtain rod. These curtains are lightweight and the 98 inch curtains from Ikea, so any like that will do. I had one pair – so two curtain panels total. I placed the lounger against our garage so I didn’t need a back curtain. I cut one curtain in half and used the top part for the front opening of the doggie lounger. I placed it through the PVC and cut a slit down the middle to create the opening. I then tied ribbon on either side so it stays open nicely. I used the bottom half of that curtain as one of the ‘walls’. I simply stuck the edges of the fabric into the PVC connector and gave the opposite side of the pole a whack with the hammer so the curtain stays in the connector and the curtain would stay up. I want to be able to remove these curtains in the event of inclement weather so I made sure they were removable.

On that same side I made that wall (the right side looking at the photo), I put the other curtain opening through the PVC and then flipped the curtain to the opposite side so it covered the top of the lounger and created the left wall. If you buy 2 pairs of the Ikea curtains you can even do this better than I did I am sure, but I had two to work with! If your dog is afraid of blowing curtains, you can tuck them under the pallet so they stay in place. I hope this makes sense!

Honestly, the curtains as the paneling were the hardest thing to figure out in this project but once I did they work awesome! 😉

The last thing you do is put pillows, a dog bed, rug, anything you and your dogs find comfy in the lounger and watch them enjoy it! I definitely lay in there with them! Let me know if you make one, tag me on social media or leave a comment!

Xox,
Alicia