Dog-Friendly Custom Home Features

The homebuilding industry aims to build houses that meet every need of our customers and their families. This past year has placed home offices, outdoor living and virtual learning spaces on the forefront of every industry trend list due to shifting priorities and spending additional time at home. And while these are obviously important features of homes being built from now on, there’s a family member you might have forgotten to consider when designing your home: your dog. 

You may think that adding dog-friendly features to your home is excessive, but everyone knows how quickly a pooch can become a true member of your family. And if you’re a family that plans on having dogs for the foreseeable future, why not have fun with the design process and include some unique ideas? Weston Dean Custom Homes loves working with our San Antonio area customers to create the house of their dreams—and no special request is too far-fetched. See what you can add to make your furry friends feel more at home in your new space. 

Keep your dog (and home) clean with a grooming station  

Dogs can always find a way to dirty themselves up, even after a visit to the groomer. Avoid the chaos of leading a muddy dog through your home by building a grooming station into a designated area. Depending on the layout of your home, ideal rooms for a grooming space include a mudroom, garage, all-seasons patio or a main-floor bathroom. These stations can be designed to fit the needs of all types of dogs, but we suggest including stairs or a ramp that gets your dog up on your level—that way, you don’t have to bend over to do the bathing or risk injury to yourself or your pooch by lifting them into a tub. Adjustable harnesses keep your pet from running away mid-bath, and you can even get a dog-safe blow dryer installed. By incorporating built-in storage around the grooming station, you can keep the area tidy and organized.  

Design your home with a built-in kennel 

Kennels are often a necessity, no matter the age of your dog. Unfortunately, they’re not the most attractive things to take up space in your home. By thinking ahead, you can include built-in kennels under counters or other hard surfaces. Many homeowners elect to install these hidden crates in the kitchen, mudroom or laundry room, but building a custom home means they can go in whatever room you see fit for this purpose. 

Install sweep inlets to forget about shedding 

As much as we love welcoming dogs into our family, there is one downside that almost every pet owner can agree on: pet hair. Depending on the breed, you may find yourself vacuuming multiple times a week to keep up with their shedding, and more during the fall and spring seasons. Sweep inlets, or baseboard vacuums, are super helpful in keeping any home clean—but especially a home with shedding dogs. Simply sweep whatever is covering your floors to the inlet and it will be sucked out and disposed of into a collection system. Weston Dean will work with you to fight the best solution for your home’s layout. 

Work with a builder who understands

Every homeowner has a specific set of needs they want to be met when it comes to building a house. Buyers choose custom because they want the freedom to include exactly what they’re looking for in the design—and the Weston Dean team recognizes this. 

Whether you choose one of our floor plans to be customized or work with us to create a plan from scratch, we’re happy to include any dog-friendly features that will make you and your pooch more excited to live in a Weston Dean Custom Home. Contact us today to learn more about the process and get started.