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I want to build a dog kennel/run that is 4' x 8'. I am planning on pouring a 4" concrete slab. However, part of my design is that I would like the slab to have raised edges all the way around it (except for an opening for drainage). Should I form and pour everything all at once or do it in steps? I'm not sure of the best way to accomplish this.

Here is a cross-section of what I'm trying to accomplish with the concrete slab. enter image description here

Programmer
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  • I sure hope the dog is tiny, if 4x8 feet is it's "run." – Ecnerwal May 02 '17 at 14:31
  • @Ecnerwal He's a tiny guy, about 15lbs. I guess it's more of a kennel though. – Programmer May 02 '17 at 14:32
  • From the looks of your diagram your curbing is only looking to only be about four inches wide. I would encourage you to widen this to about six inches so that there is much less possibility of the curbing chipping off. – Michael Karas May 02 '17 at 14:46
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    Concrete is always better if it is poured all together as this is the best way to knit it all together so that it stays in one piece. One alternative that is often done when building something on a floating slab where curbing is desired is to just make flat slab and then establish the curbing by laying blocks along the edges. – Michael Karas May 02 '17 at 14:52
  • Before you expend the resources to build this kennel consider how you plan to use it for this 15-lb dog. Will this dog spend the day there while the family is at work or in activities that do not include the dog? Other than that will the dog be inside with the people? Or will the dog spend nearly all its time in this kennel? If the latter, the dog will be miserable being separated from the people. And a dog will not like being confined in a small enclosure with its feces and urine. – Jim Stewart May 02 '17 at 16:10
  • @JimStewart This will be mainly used for an area to relieve himself while we are gone. It will have direct access to the house so he will not be stuck outside unless he wants to enjoy the nice weather on his own. The kennel will be half exposed and half enclosed. – Programmer May 02 '17 at 16:39
  • My wife and I are long term dog owners, but I'm neither an expert nor a novel thinker about how to provide for a dog. So when I say I have never heard of an arrangement like this, I am *not* meaning I don't think it will work. I really mean I have never heard of it, and I would have to think about how I think a dog would use it. If the dog is going to defecate in this kennel, then I would think the dog will not want to lounge there, I don't think. – Jim Stewart May 02 '17 at 17:38
  • We are retired. When my wife and I were both working we would leave the dog inside and try to get back before the (defecation trained) dog would go in the house. This was not always successful and I could never figure a solution. Your idea may be a real solution. When one is faced with a novel solution to an old problem one naturally asks why this solution hasn't been proposed and tried before. In this case maybe it was just too costly before now, but is now in line with the much larger amounts of money spent on dogs nowadays. – Jim Stewart May 02 '17 at 17:46
  • @JimStewart To be honest, we are optimistic that it will work as we are hoping. However, if it doesn't then he will just have a nice (although costly) easy-access area that he can lounge in. He currently rings a bell when he needs to be let out, but we can't leave him home all day because he has no way to go to the bathroom while we are gone. – Programmer May 02 '17 at 18:09
  • If it's for defecation, why not leave it dirt/grass floored? It'd save you cost and make the dog happier. Some dogs occasionally want access to grass either when they need to self-encourage vomiting, or for nutrients in fresh spring grass. It'd also reduce smell, as most odor will be absorbed by the ground. Further, the dog can scratch in the dirt to sharpen/clean claws, and also dirt beds on hot days to find cool ground to lay on. To prevent escape, simply make your fencing (chain link or even just chicken wire) go a foot below ground level. Or 18" if paranoid, but heck, even 9" is plenty. – Jamin Grey May 02 '17 at 18:52
  • Of course, irregardless of whether or not you pour concrete or leave it grass, you'll still have to clean it once every... six months (whenever it becomes noticable). Maybe a year, with that size dog. With dirt you just dig a small hole and shovel the old poop in there and then cover the hole. It's like twenty minutes work once or twice a year. – Jamin Grey May 02 '17 at 18:58
  • Defecation on concrete is hyper-visible, but on grass and dirt blends in until it accumulates too much. So dirt is visually neater. As a final bonus, it's nicer on a dog's joints to lay on dirt than concrete. They'll happily lay on either, but it can cause scabbing on elbows and exacerbate existing joint issues having only concrete, kitchen floors, and wood floors, available. My dog lies all over the place - concrete, linoleum, dirt, grass and her dog bed. She lies whereever, but gets scabby elbows from the linoleum and concrete. I'd guess smaller dogs have less of a problem with that. – Jamin Grey May 02 '17 at 19:09

1 Answers1

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If you don't care about leaks (or want drainage, so the dog is drier) forming the rim, pouring the rim, and then pouring the central slab is similar to whats typically done in a house basement. The joint between the rim and the slab will generally leak. If you pour a slab and then pour the raised edges on top, expect failure - if to scale, those are very thin sections of concrete and would be quite weak. You could key them with a form board into the slab face to improve the mechanical bond and thickness of the additional pour, but on this scale that's not much different from just pouring the rim first.

The usual reason for attempting to pour a structure like that all at once is to have it be waterproof - a monolithic pour will be much better at that - but's more complicated to do, as you either need to form the top of the depressed area, or (more commonly) form the rim so that the inside form is open, pour the rim (letting it ooze to the inside) and judge the slump and initial set such that you can get the top of the rim struck off without overfilling the central area, yet still be able to strike off the central area. In this case, that would seem to make things wetter for the dog, so I don't see it as an avantage.

For the easy approach, consider using 4" concrete bond blocks for the rim - no separate form to build, just lay the blocks, pour them full, and then pour the middle. Toss in couple sticks of rebar to make it robust for not much money.

Ecnerwal
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  • I should have specified that I intend on having an opening so that the water can drain off the slab. – Programmer May 02 '17 at 14:51
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    Paragraph two covers the usual approach fairly well. Do note that this is advanced masonry and not for the novice. Judgement from experience regarding timing, technique and workflow is crucial. I suggest making a friend of a local mason and providing good beer. – isherwood May 02 '17 at 14:54