Under Stairs Dog Cove

Every dog needs a quiet space of their own. What better way to use dead space under the stairs? Turn it into your best friend’s very own under stairs dog cove!

Guilty pleasure admission time: I love to watch HGTV’s Property Brothers. Last year, while in the process of building a new home, I caught a rerun of the episode “Overcoming Analysis Paralysis” (Season 11, Episode 4), and an idea was born!

The moment I saw this under stairs dog cove, I knew the girls had to have one! I immediately texted my builder to see if this was something that could be added. With all the patience he could muster, he reminded me this was not a custom home. 😂 Sure, design elements could be chosen. But, a dog cove wasn’t one of them.

Frankly, I think this was a missed money-making opportunity for them, but what do I know?

Under stairs Dog cove dream becomes reality

Lucky for me, my builder was also a dog lover. A seed had been planted. Though he could not create the dog cove as part of the build process, he made sure the structural elements under the stairs were placed in a way for it to be added easily after closing. And then he hooked me up with all the craftsmen I would need to make the dream, a reality!

I know lots of people who crate train their dogs. Adding a gate to the dog cove would be an excellent way to incorporate your dog’s “crate space” into your living space. The girls, however, have free reign to go in and out of the cove as they please.

Life in the under stairs dog cove

But do they use it? Yes! My office is located just across from the cove, and the girls are in and out of the cove all day. Also, since I have added a camera to the dog cove, I see that it’s in high rotation whenever I leave the house as well. This dog cove addition may have been my best idea yet!