Sustainability Goes to the Dogs
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Trick out Fido's digs with a green roof that you can plant yourself.
Posted by ReadyMade
Written by Sonia Zjawinski Photography by Scott Little
When Los Angeles-based landscape architect Stephanie Rubin decided to experiment with green roofs, she wanted to start on a small scale. But, she explains, “It’s really not sustainable to create a display that has no practical application.” She came up with a model that could serve as both an example of her work and a resting spot for her pup. That led to the launch of Sustainable Pet Design, a collection of bird- and doghouses made with eco-friendly woods and materials and topped off with lush green roofs. Since it wouldn’t be sustainable to toss out your old doghouse for one of Rubin’s models, here’s how to give your pup’s pad a green makeover.
Skill Level
Hard
Active Time
One day
Cost
$$$
- Safecoat Safe Seal*
- 1×8-inch rough Western Red Cedar (enough to fit a box to the perimeter of roof)
- Polyseamseal All-Purpose Adhesive Caulk
- Three copper drainpipes measuring 1⁄2 inch wide by 3 inches long
- Safecoat DynoSeal
- Safecoat Roof Guard
- Nontoxic wood filler
- Zero VOC exterior paint (like Yolo Colorhouse or AFM Safecoat)
- Safecoat Acrylacq
- Split bamboo pieces, cut to fit the inside of your roof (like sardines in a can)
- Landscape fabric, cut to fit the roof plus 2 inches on all sides
- Nontoxic glue
- Organic soil (60% pumice, 10% horticultural sand, 30% compost)
- Native plants or herbs (check plantnative.com for what’s good to grow near you)
- *All of the AFM Safecoat products are zero VOC, which will help keep your pup healthy. Check afmsafecoat.com to find a retailer near you.
Materials
- Paintbrush
- Tape measure
- Saw
- 13⁄4 -inch screws
- Caulk gun
- Clamps
- 1⁄2 -inch-wide drill bit
Tools
Coat your existing doghouse with Safe Seal to eliminate the possible off-gassing of toxic fumes (such as arsenic and formaldehyde) from structures made of pressure-treated wood.
Build a small wall around the existing roof. You want 3 to 4 inches of planting depth, so surrounding the roof with 1x8-inch cedar boards should do the trick.
Measure the four sides of your roof and cut the 1x8-inch boards to fit.
Screw each board to its matching edge of the roof with the 1¾-inch screws.
Seal seams with caulk, clamp to hold in place, let dry, and repeat twice more.
Drill at least two ½-inch-wide holes 2 inches from each edge of the board. You want the holes to be no more than ¼ inch from the roof floor.
Insert copper pipes into each hole. You want no more than ⅛ inch of pipe visible on the inside of the 1x8-inch board.
Caulk around the edges of the pipe; let dry.
Paint the roof bottom and interior sides with DynoSeal; let dry.
Paint the roof bottom with Roof Guard. Paint the sides as well, but only up to an inch from the top.
Fill all screw holes with wood filler.
Apply exterior paint to outside surfaces; let dry. Apply Safecoat Acrylacq and allow to dry.
Cut bamboo pieces to size so they fit lying down within the roof. Lay them side-by-side across the entire roof (it doesn’t matter in what direction).
Place the cut landscape fabric within the roof, gluing sides only to the 1x8-inch board.
Add soil until it reaches ¼ inch from the top. Water soil, pop in your plants (try to find native plants that don’t need more than 3 to 4 inches of soil depth), and water again.
It takes a few days for air pockets in the soil to settle; you may need to toss in additional soil.
