Top 10 Outrageous Luxury Doghouses

Some people would do anything for their dogs. But while that often means making pets feel like family, these elaborate doghouses take the phrase literally. Whether designed like an antique replica of American architecture or sporting a sound system more expensive than a second mortgage, the following doghouses just may be more luxurious than your house.

• 1. Columns for Canines

  

  The signature feature of this Greek Revival doghouse—its 10 columns, replete with square-edged “capitals” (at the top and bottom of each piece)—were cut, glued and nailed together by hand from pieces of lumber used for building stairs. Smaller details, like the pediment above the doorway and the porch roof painted to give a copper appearance, give its resident Emma a faithful reproduction of her owners’ 19th-century house. See more about how Emma the dog's house was built

• 2. Canine-in-Chief

  

  Sustainable Pet Design was so inspired by the coverage of Bo, the Obamas’ dog, that they modeled this doghouse in a Greek Revival style to complement the White House accommodations of its owners. In an effort to promote eco-friendly pet construction, the builders topped Summa Canum (the house’s title, meaning “Top Dog” in Latin) with a green roof, and used Tennessee cedar trees linked to President Andrew Jackson’s estate at the Hermitage (after having been felled by a tornado).

• 3. A Queen Anne for Duke

  

  For Duke, a 90-pound Newfoundland, a small doghouse was out of the question. The Queen Anne-style’s turret roof practically scraped the ceiling of the workshop in which it was built, and measures 6 feet square, 5 feet tall, and weighs in at 250 pounds. The turret was no easy task, either, and was coopered together with 24 individual staves of mahogany in varying angles from base to peak. A porch ceiling painted sky blue, and elaborately carved porch balusters stay faithful to its Victorian era roots. See more about how Duke the dog's house was built

• 4. Canine Cave

  

  True to their name, Canine Fine Art Caves offers a creative alternative to taking “doghouse” literally. The cave, made out of reinforced papier mache and salvaged wood from Vancouver Island for the entranceway, the structure comes stamped with a paw print from Scottie, the companie’s canine president. With a four-layer wall construction that retains heat and muffles sound, the price for a more natural look starts at about $2,500 for a smaller size. Think a cave-house for dogs is crazy? Here's a cave-house for people!

• 5. Cedar-Covered Craftsman

  

  Mark Jolliffe, the carpenter responsible for the previous American classic doghouses, built this doghouse with his brother Dale. Though a personal project, Jolliffe didn’t take the easy way out—cedar shingles for the siding, sanding an arch into the entranceway, and a porch trimmed in white-painted pine await Gumpy, an 8-year-old Shetland sheepdog. But the materials themselves weren’t the only important contribution: Jolliffe spent his time hand-painting the porch, windows and trim with a smaller artist’s brush, and gluing more than 275 cedar shakes to the roof. See more about how this house was built

• 6. A Hilton for a Hilton

  

  Hotel heiress Paris Hilton teamed up with interior designer Faye Resnick to cast this doghouse in the image of her own California mansion. With two stories (one for a living room, and another upstairs with a closet and bedroom), the doggie digs come fully furnished. Featuring a balcony, miniature Phillipe Starck furniture, a black crystal chandelier, black ceiling fans and a heating and air conditioning unit, Paris won’t have to worry about her pooch settling for any less than the reality star’s best. Prefer your pet inside with you? Here's How to Make Your Home Pet-Friendly and Safe

• 7. Rex-Mex

  

  Reality TV host Rachel Hunter has expensive tastes—or maybe she hopes her dog has the same! Optionally large enough to accommodate both dogs and children who want with them inside of the doghouse, this south-of-the-border inspired offering will run you between $25,000 and $50,000. You wouldn’t be overpaying designers Beyond the Crate, though: It can be built with terra cotta floors, running water, lighting, air conditioning and heat by request.

• 8. Puppy Palace

  

  With a $417,000 price tag, this doghouse, planned to house two Great Danes in Gloucestershire, England, is packed with every available luxury. Architect Andy Ramus allocated $250,000 of that expense to a sound system, and fitted the structure with a 52-inch plasma TV, sheepskin-lined, temperature-controlled beds, and separate bedrooms for each of the two dogs. Their owner, who chose to remain anonymous, also included dog-vision webcams to monitor the dogs, an 18-inch spa bath with a saline treatment to keep their coats shiny, and automatic dispensers for chilled, filtered water and dry food. Speaking of dog-vision, a retina scanner ensures that the only two dogs entering the house are the owner’s own Great Danes. See more about this hi-tech house

• 9. Brick by Brick

  

  Though Tanner’s brick Georgian doghouse might seem cut from the same cloth as its owner’s, looks can be deceiving. The brick exterior was actually made out of individual plywood “bricks,” hand-cut and painted with textured terra-cotta paint. The “mortar” between each one is actually exterior caulk, usually used to repair sidewalks and used here for a grittier appearance. With chimneys, molding, closet-rod columns and adhesive-asphalt roofing, the doghouse aims for the same proportions of its human-sized inspiration; the windows on the sides were carefully measured to be half the scale of the front windows, faithful to the original house’s design. See more about how Tanner the dog's house was built

• 10. Fit for Royalty

  

  Inspired by tents used by Genghis Kahn and his Mongolian officers, this doghouse measures 22 inches wide by 25 inches deep by 30 inches high, and it is topped with a gold finial and ostrich plumes, designating royalty or high rank. It can be custom designed with a range of fabrics and finishes for only (!!) $4,895 by Beyond the Crate. But, here are some way more affordable (and practical!) pet projects for your home