Blog
How to do a Kennel Build
Now more than ever customers are looking at ways of doing a dog kennel build. People have realized that working from home is a great way of life and they are looking at ways to create a living without the need to leave their home.
Recently we have had an influx of enquiries to help them to achieve their dreams of working from home, combining this with working with animals. Some are looking to run a boarding kennel facility and others are looking at doing doggy daycare. Other customers want to start a dog breeding business so are looking at breeder kennels , and some are looking to set up a dog training centre.
Whilst their objectives are the same, they have all realized how rewarding and profitable working from home with dogs can be. As they work through their ideas many are looking to explore the possibilities of converting an old outbuilding into a fully functioning dog business for multiple dogs.
This can be a challenge as an old , tired building will need to transition into a fully functioning operation and this will need to meet certain standards. It does depend on the type of building you have and the condition but there are a lot of things to consider.
- Once you know what you want to do, you need to check whether planning is necessary and make yourself familiar with the new licensing guidelines as a license will be necessary. There are a number of resources where this information is available but your local council will be able to help you. If this is a commercial kennel that you plan to start, then planning will be necessary.
- If it is a new application for a dog kennel build, then we would advise asking your local council to do a pre-planning visit which is chargeable. This will allow you to build up a relationship with them and they will give you good feedback on the viability of the project and they will let you know if there are any concerns.
- You’re not on your own, and whilst this can be complex there are companies that can help you. We offer FREE advice on how to convert a dog kennel building and all aspects of kennel refurbishment.
- The new guidelines determine certain sizes for the sleeping areas and runs and this is determined by the size and weight of your dogs. Normally if yours is the type of business where you might get all breeds then it best to focus on the sizes for dogs over 20kg. Once you have this information it is possible to calculate how may kennels that you can fit into the building and also what sort of revenue you can generate.
- When you know what your potential income you can need to explore the costs of converting the building. It is also worthwhile checking what a new kennel build would be too. Quite often it works out less to than the costs of renovating existing buildings.
- There are many aspects of refurbishing a building to consider but perhaps the most challenging is the floor. To meet the guidelines this needs to be of the right composition so non porous, and the drainage system needs to be installed in the right areas with the falls of the concrete into these drainage channels.
- There many things to consider like the materials used, these will need to be the right choices so that they last, are chew-proof and scratch resistant. Managing dogs who can be destructive at times, will really test your kennel to the limits, so you need to think about this before planning your kennel.
Easy Animal have the knowledge and experience to know what works and what doesn’t, from many years in dealing with boarding kennels over the years. So frequently customers have used inappropriate materials that have failed and then had to reinvest. Our staff can help you to avoid these costly mistakes.
If you have an idea or would like to discuss your kennel refurbishment, then why not get in touch with our friendly team on sales@easyanimal.co.uk or call us on 01785 559 555.
