Roofing Material Question...

[S.R.Patch]

Without being anchored to the ground by post or rod, you have created a glider. Loosen the brackets where the roof attaches to the kennel so the whole works is not carried off when the stout wind decides to lift and sail it over. This way the kennel don't go with it and the hounds don't escape...
My young hounds like to chew on the tarps and they make an awful racket when the winds blows, they put added strain on the kennel, you'll see how well your clamps hold. I got an old tarp off a tractor/trailer that has held up well, it's heavy duty and the chewing hasn't been a problem.
Finding what works is a matter of trial and evolution...

[ddetar00]

Patch... Thank you sir for the direction.

Would you say then that to anchor the kennels would eliminate, to some extent, the need to loosen the roof brackets?
I am afraid that if I loosen them to eliminate the possibility... then that only increases the possibility of it flying off...

As for the tarp... Missi and I discussed the chewing possibilities of the younguns.... but has not been a problem for me... yet...
but yes pups love to chew and in most cases would be of concern. Hopefully they will remain non interested. Missi has a grommit
machine (for her bags and stuff she makes) so I put grommits every 9 " on the tarp and it is zip tied all around, top, bottom,
middle braces as well. We have had some windy days where the left end rattles a little bit but not enough to allow for damage
from the movement.

I have walked the top of the kennel to do some water direction off the back and it held my weight okay, so I feel better about
a snow load... seeing as we generally do not get a lot and it generally does not hang around long.

The pea gravel works well... not as good a conctrete... but from an expense standpoint definately the way to go. The straw from
there boxes is a chore to get cleaned back out of it... I raked it up as best I could (gravel was mixed in as well) and lit it on fire,
let it burn out... ashes just dissapeared into the gravel bed when I leveled it back out again...

[S.R.Patch]

If you look at the pictures people have put on of their kennels being carried off by winds, it wreaks the whole works.
Since the back can be anchored down to your privacy fence, the front is the only worry. A couple of 6' steel line post from the farm supply store driven into the ground about 3' should make a good tie-down anchor point. Hose clamp the front kennel panel to these on each side and that should hold things grounded...

[ddetar00]

Here is the Kennels "Winterized".... Pups have left it alone , no chewing. We had a little winter precip yesterday (not much at all really)
but I dropped the fron cover half way down just to see the difference it made... what rain we had did not blow into the kennels with it down
like that.



This is the Kennel Houses I built for each... I used the 1/4" insulation under the hardboard siding (sides and top). It is abut 22 degrees out
there right now, just went to check on everybody for the night and they came out of the boxes toasty. I have the three pups in a kennel and the
three big males in another. Helps them keep warm !!!!



We have had several long hard rains and the straw / cedar in the houses have stayed dry as a bone... no skin irritations from wet bedding.
They have turned out real well for my first run at it .

[S.R.Patch]

DOWN THE SAILS...ANCHOR TO THE MAST...THAR SHE BLOWS!!!!...
Whew...what a day...Brrrrr

[ddetar00]

Oh Yes.... Calling for single digits tonight!!! Wind Chills in the minus numbers.
I will lower the sail (lol) and batten down the hatches tonight to keep the cold wind off of the houses.
Amazing how much mor warmer it feels when the wind is not a factor...

[andrew_kirby]

good luck i wish mine was that well thought out dont know if you guys have seen the storm thats hitting us up here but i live on top of a valley in the snow belt of northeast ohio and went out to check on the dogs and all the tarps were shredded and all over the place and the above ground i have my two pups in was almost tipped over so i cut the tarps down and put them in the shed and then had to put the pups in with my two females there box is in a ground kennel and is insulated sided and roofed and took 6 guys and a tractor to get there so if the wind want to move it let it try im gonna have to rethink the tarp thing although this wind is nothing like ive seen before i have a wind speed monitor and its blowing straight on the kennel at about 55mph so im glad the tarps ripped first instead of the whole kennel going flying

[ddetar00]

we were at 30 and 35 mph winds yesterday... I took ad angled bungie straps accross the far end to hold the tarp against the
kennel so the wind could not blow it and cause damage, or that is my thinking.

I did drop the front down last night, it was 9 degrees this morning when I went out to roll it up before leaving for work.
It was fairly comfotable feeling inside the kennels, I would imagine the ground temps have not dropped enough yet so having
the tarp down created a thermal trap and the heat from the ground actually acted as a heater for them.

Well... that sounds logical anyway.....

[ddetar00]

well ...an update.... I took 1.5" styrofoam unsulation and cut to fit the openings at the top between the kennel top and the under roof.

we were at -12 and 25 - 30 mph winds... a -30 wind chill!!!!
I have a mr heater tent heater that attaches directy to a 20lb propane tank. When I put the hound up for the evening, I closed the front
of the kennel tarp and attache it with bungie cords at each ens pulling it taught. The heater ... set between low and medium heated
the kennels nicely... I went out at 4:30 in the morning before I left for work to check them and I will say that if I had a cot out there I
would have been comfortable to sleep.

Just thought I would share....