When you’re thinking about designing a pet-friendly house, there are a number of factors to take into consideration. Do you want to make it as difficult as possible for your pets to visit? Is it more important to have a code that strictly enforces the rule or one that is flexible enough to accommodate your family’s changing needs? It’s not always easy to know what kind of restrictions you’ll want in place and how they will affect your life. Thankfully, working with Best custom home builders has many simple ways that you can make your home a healthier place for your pets and still get some peace of mind while they aren’t visiting. Let’s take a look at five great ways that you can design a pet-friendly house:
1. Built-in Wash Station Saves Time and Money
When you have a large dog or a cat that loves to use the bathroom outside, you’re going to spend a lot of time cleaning up after them. There are a few simple things that you can do to make your house a healthier place for your pets and save yourself a lot of time and effort. One of the best things that you can do to keep your house cleaner is to put a dedicated water and waste station in the bathroom. This way, your pet won’t be able to use the entire bathroom during their visit. Rather, they will be able to use the nearest water scooper — which most pet owners keep in their kitchens. You will also want to make sure to keep a clean toilet and bowl for your pet. This will not only keep them from getting sick, but it will also keep you from having to lift a pet-pee-covered toilet seat every time you want to use the bathroom.
- Consider a Pet-friendly Entrance
When you’re thinking about designing a pet-friendly house, you need to take into consideration where your pets will be staying. A few things to keep in mind are whether or not you want an open-ended invitation to roam, where you’d rather put a bathroom break and whether or not you’d prefer to put a pet in a crate while you’re at work. When you’re designing a pet-friendly house, it’s important to keep in mind that your pets will have access to a large variety of environments. If you want them to feel welcome whenever they visit, you need to make sure that they can do so unhindered. A dog’s primary environment is most likely going to be the house, but they also need to be able to go outside when it’s nice out. Cats will more likely than dogs to take up residence outside, but both can feel comfortable in a wide variety of environments thanks to their sensitive noses.
3. Create dedicated storage for your Pet
One of the best ways to keep your pet’s space clean and your house free of clutter is to use their small crates as storage space. This may seem like a small thing, but it can save you from a lot of frustration. For example, say you have a cat that loves to play with your remote control. You can’t put it in the bedroom where your child is likely to find it and knock it over. Rather, you could store the remote control in the crate and put it back in when your cat is ready to play. Another thing most reliable custom home builders will keep in mind is that the crate should be large enough to comfortably fit the essentials. A small dog might be able to sleep in a backpack, but a large cat or dog could easily suffocate in there. You should also make sure that the space is airy and structured so your pet has plenty of room to move and stretch its legs.
- Keep an extra door and window on hand for unexpected visitors
If you have a very active household, it’s likely that you’ll have to handle guests a lot. It’s not always easy to plan ahead for this, and always having a door and window open for visitors can get a bit old after a while. It’s best to make sure that you have a couple of handy contingency plans in place in case of an emergency. For example, you could put a dog door on the back door so that you can open it up when you have guests. Or, you could keep an extra pet door on hand in case your big dog ever gets a little modified from the open air. Similarly, it’s important to keep an eye on your kids’ guests. If they ever show up unannounced, you could always open the door for them and coordinate with them on when they should come by.
5. Design a pet-friendly living space
One of the best ways to make your home a healthier environment for your pet is to design your living space to encourage happy, healthy behaviours. This could mean keeping your kitchen at a healthy temperature even when you’re not cooking. Or, it could be as simple as putting down some kind of tempting (and clean) pet toys for your pets to find while you’re at work. Keep in mind that your living space should be as neutral as possible. You don’t want to draw your pets’ attention to any textures or colours that they might find threatening. Keep the walls and décor as neutrally neutral as possible while still being able to recognize your pet’s favourite toys and smells.
Conclusion
A pet-friendly house is a great place for your pet to spend time. Not only is it much less likely for them to be in a shelter when they’re finished living, but it’s also likely to be a healthier environment for you and them. It’s not always easy to know what kind of restrictions you’ll want in place and how they will affect your life. Thankfully, custom home builders work to make your home a healthier place for your pets and still get some peace of mind while they aren’t visiting.
