Everything to know about ordering a custom kennel from Kennel and Crate
Ordering the perfect kennel is easy. Yes, there are a lot of details needed to make sure we get it just right – for your dog and your décor. Follow along to work out the details to order the custom, luxury kennel of your dreams.
All the bells and whistles! Double extra large kennel with barn doors, open front, drawers, chew guards and a rustic weathered finish.
Configuration
Do you need a single, double, triple or quad kennel? Our doubles come with an interior divider door so you can create two cozy dens or one big space. The dividers in our triple and quad kennels may be fixed into place instead of operating as doors, depending on your kennel dimensions.
Size
Getting the proper size kennel is extremely important. If you are unsure of the size kennel your dog needs, we’ve got some helpful hints. To find the ideal interior crate length, measure your dog from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. Add a few inches to allow for comfort. For the interior height, measure your dog’s height while they are sitting. Start at the floor and measure to the top of their head including their ears. Add a few inches to make sure you dog can sit comfortably inside the kennel. The depth of the kennel should allow for movement. A crate should be fairly cozy but not too tight. Your pup should have space to stand up, circle around, and lie down without obstruction. Now that you have that interior measurement, to get the exterior measurement, add 6” to the length, 6” to the depth, and 3” to the top. If you choose the barn doors, add 2” to the exterior depth. Mark this out with painter’s tape in your desired location to make sure it works in your space.
Please measure the doorways in your home to ensure the kennel will fit. Our kennels are delivered fully assembled so they must be able to fit through your door. Worried about the kennel depth? If the kennel is going up against a wall, we can do a flat back to save 2.25” of depth. The barn doors can be easily removed with a power screwdriver and a friend with steady hands, so you can take them off to get the kennel through your doorways and then reattach them after the kennel is in place.
Door Style & Placement
We offer 2 door styles: barn doors on rollers with spring bolt locks and hinged doors with barrel bolts. If the interior kennel height is 30” or over, the door will have a cross-piece for structural integrity. .
Our doors are designed to be out of the way when opened and all doors can be fully open at the same time without knocking into each other. The barn doors lock into their open position and the hinged doors lay flat against the kennel.
We try to keep the doors in proportion to the kennel but can do oversized doors on our single kennels. For our smaller single kennels, you can choose the door opening to be on the left or right as you face the kennel. For our larger single kennels, you can center the door or if you prefer an oversized door, choose its placement to be on the left or right as you face the kennel.
Our barn door rails are made of steel that we machine in our own shop. We weld the metal trim for our tops and our rustic drawer pulls out of the same metal. Note that our rails run along the top and bottom of the kennel and each door has 4 wheels. The barn doors lock with a spring bolt. Our hinged doors feature simple black t-hinges and barrel bolts. If you have an escape artist, we think the barn doors are more secure.
Front Style
For our single, triple and quad kennels, most all of the front and ends are open bars due to ensuring proper ventilation. If you would like more cozy space for your dogs, we can bring the wood on the bottom up higher or do some wood panels.
For our double kennels, we feature tongue in groove Alder panels between the doors. An optional upgrade to open bars is available.
Back Style
The backs of our kennels are fully trimmed, stained and/or painted just like the rest of the kennel body. However, if depth is an issue, we can do a flat back. It’s exactly what it says – flat. We only recommend this if the kennel is going up against a wall. The advantage of the flat back is that is adds 2.25” of interior depth to the kennel (or allows you to narrow the kennel by 2.25” and still give your dog the same interior depth. There is no charge for this change.
Chew Guards and Bars
Nothing is chew proof, but we do offer chew guards as a deterrent. We wrap the interior edges of the kennel with metal trim. We recommend these for known chewers, dogs with anxiety issues or if you are ever going to put a puppy in the kennel.
We use cold-rolled steel for our bars. This is smooth metal so there is nothing to catch a snout or a paw. Upon request, we can use a heavier gauge steel bar and/or set the bars closer together.
Storage Options
We can add storage horizontally or vertically. We do drawers, media cubbies, adjustable shelves, fixed shelves, floating shelves, bookcases, desks – the design options are endless. Our most common storage options are drawers and media cubbies across the top of the kennel. Our drawers feature quality soft close mechanisms and we do grommeted cord holes for our media cubbies. We make our own rustic drawer pulls or simple black drawer hardware, but we are happy to use different styles – just let us know what you are looking for. You can provide specific products or just give us a style to incorporate.
Tops & Interiors
Our standard kennel tops are made of tongue-in-groove Alder, structurally supported from underneath, with steel trim wrapping around the entire top. We stain the tops and interiors to match each other and to complement or match the exterior finish. The occasional mess will wipe right up with your favorite pet safe disinfectant. If there is a chronic issue, please install a crate liner to protect your kennel.
With a custom crate, you get the perfect size and style for your home, and your dog will be safe and snug inside. Kennel and Crate integrates your dog’s cozy spot into a console, media center, desk, bookcase, kitchen island, end table, nightstand – the options are endless.
We also offer Portrait Frame, Farmhouse, and metal (steel, copper) art top upgrades.
Paints and Stains
We use low and no VOC products on our kennels. Any stain color you want is included in the base kennel price. All stains are hand rubbed and our paints are applied by a real brush in a real hand. We can do literally any color. Choose from our standard colors or send us your specific paint brand and color name/number. If you choose a specific paint color, we will do sample boards with your paint alongside complementary stains for you to choose from for the top and interior.
We include a touch up kit with your exact finish products. We can do any stained finish or if you prefer a painted finish, we can do smooth, distressed, or weathered finishes. If you have a finish in mind, please send us pics in good lighting so we can mimic it. We are happy to explore any finish options.
Painted finishes are an upgrade to the standard stained finish and really intricate finishes such as ombre or crackle will have an additional charge.
Kennel Style
Our basic kennel style is suited to our very popular stained and rustic paint finishes, but we can do o
ther styles. For a more contemporary and look, we can skip the tongue-in-groove and minimize the decorative trim and apply a smooth coat of paint in any color. We’ve sandblasted metal to mimic a brushed nickel finish and powder-coated metal in specific colors. If you have a different style in mind, just send us a pic and we’ll see what we can do.
Feet
Our kennels have feet! We have wood pads on the bottoms of the kennels. If you look closely in the pics, you can see them. When you position the kennel on carpet, the basically disappear. If you have the kennel on a hard floor surface, simply apply the included compressed felt pads to the wooden feet to protect your floors and allow you to easily move the kennel to clean behind it. Pedestal feet (2” to 6”) and industrial locking casters are available options.
Special Touches
We really do build to order, so let us know what special touches you need. We’ve added specific moldings and design elements to make the kennel match existing furniture. We’ve sandblasted all the metal (except the black wheels) to mimic a bushed nickel finish and powder-coated metal in specific colors to create a unique look to blend into the customer’s décor. We can incorporate the kennel into a piece that functions for your home. In addition to the media centers and desks, we’ve done kitchen islands, pub tables (we call them pup tables!), benches, end-tables, nightstands, dressers, bookcases, aquarium stands – if you can think it up, we can probably build it. Just let us know what you have in mind. We build up to 9’ 10” long and as deep and tall as your doorways will allow.
That said… we can build a kennel that can be assembled on-site. The labor involved in doing this and keeping it up to our high standards adds tremendously to the cost. If you really need something that won’t fit through your door and have about 1.5x the budget, please call us.
Shipping
If you live close to Stillwater, Oklahoma you can come pick up your kennel with no shipping cost. Kennel and Crate will personally deliver your kennel if you live within 150 miles or so for a small delivery fee. Otherwise...
We almost always ship with a furniture delivery service. The fully assembled kennel is brought into your home, to your room of choice on the first floor, unwrapped and all wrapping debris removed. If this service is not available in your area or in the needed time frame, we will crate the kennel and ship it via freight service (dropped at your curbside). Shipping within the Continental US only. If you have any impediments to delivery, please let us know.
We have flat rate shipping charges for kennels up to 84” long. Anything over that length is subject to shipper’s surcharges.
Standard Features
The base price for all kennels includes hinged door(s) with black hinges and barrel bolts, stained finish in your choice of color, choice of trimmed or flat back and open ends.
Double kennels also include an interior divider door and a panel front.
Triple kennels also include 2 interior dividers and open front.
Quad kennels also include 3 interior dividers and open front.
We build primarily out of Alder, steel, cold-rolled, flat steel, and use no/low VOC products. Each kennel comes with a touch up kit with your exact paint and stain as well as compressed felt pads to protect your hard floors.
Companion Pieces
We also build amazing companion pieces such as dog beds, food storage bins, dog toy chests, elevated feeders, cat litter box enclosures (but I’m not a fan of this one), whelping boxes, and doggy stairs. We also build matching furniture WITHOUT kennels such as nightstands, end-tables, and bookcases to complete your décor. If you need something to match, please let us know what you need (including the dimensions) and we’ll price it out for you. Each item really is made by hand, so if “matching” is really important to you, please order the companion pieces at the same time you order your kennel.
Multiple Item Orders
If you order multiple items at once, we do offer a discount on each piece and will do the best we can on shipping charges. If you are thinking about ordering multiple kennels, and you really care about them matching, please order them at the same time. Our kennels are really made by hand so we can’t guarantee an exact match if they aren’t built, stained and painted at the same time.
Ordering, Payments and Discounts
Standard single and double kennels can be ordered online. Call/text 405-624-0062 to order your custom single or double kennel, or any triple or quad kennel. We will go over all the details with you and will email a fully detailed written estimate. Take your time to review it. Call us to make any changes, corrections, or adjustments. When the estimate is correct, accept it and it will be converted to an invoice. Our primary payment method is PayPal but we can also take a credit/debit card over the phone, CashApp, Venmo and Zelle. If you need other payment options or arrangements, please ask. PayPal offers a payment plan. Once the payment is received, we will get started on your kennel. Active Military and Veterans receive 10% off the base kennel price. Please ask for the discount when you order. Kennels are usually completed within 12 weeks, plus shipping time. Shipping times vary.
Things to look for when comparing custom kennels and their builders
Read the reviews. Sort the reviews to look at the lower scores and look at older reviews.
Wood type is important. If the kennel is primarily from Pine, other soft woods, plywood or particle board, run away. Ask how much the kennel weighs.
Doors should lie flat against the kennel when open, and not jut out into your living area.
Any metal on the kennel should be smooth. If the bars in the doors and windows is textured, snouts can get cut and teeth and paws can get snagged.
Barn doors should be fully secured at the top AND bottom. If you don’t see rails or other full length stops, the doors are not secure.
The kennel should be delivered fully assembled to ensure structural integrity.
Look at what options are offered. If they only offer limited options, their expertise is likely limited.
Follow them on social media.
Expect a fully detailed written estimate with interior and exterior dimensions listed.
Quality takes time, so ask questions about the construction if you are promised a kennel quickly.
Quality is expensive. If the kennel price listed is a bargain, ask questions about the construction.
contact kennel & crate to order
Please use the form on the Connect page, call 405-624-0062, email office@kennelandcrate.com or message us on social media @kennelandcrate to order your custom kennel or to ask any kennel questions. We’re happy to help and we’d love to build a kennel for you.