Outdoor Shelters
Glass and the sun greatly assisted this insulated shelter - that actually held some of the daytime heat and frosted the window at night.
The oblong casing(left), was built with 1" plywood and has a 1" thick semi-smoked, coffee table, glass top, as the front - seen in the picture.
During the winter months, the front and back entries get covered with dbl sided rubber matting that's cut just a little oversized with a slit down the middle to make for easy entry. It's heavy enough to block wind and snow while easily passed through, falling back into place.
On the inside, semi cut logs were placed to levitate the main sleeping area.
A heavy waxed cardboard box was used and straw was stuffed in between the exterior wood case and the cardboard sleeping area.
Two holes were cut in the cardboard box, opposite ends of the exterior entries - again to avoid cold air drafts through the inside.
Inside the box was stuffed with straw as bedding and a thick wool hunting jacket to hold their body heat.
Here you see one of the main occupants, our star stray, waiting for his love.
Notice the lean-to glass as a double layer to further hinder cool winds while permitting the sunlight to penetrate and give heat.
The changes to the shelter had kinda spooked this old boy, but he was glad to bask in the sun, while his shelter blocked the wind for him anyway.
These exterior lean-to glass additions, are lined with straw and make for a great place to lay and bask in the sun on a winter day.
 Winter Use
This angled view shows how the
snow holds to the roof during -20 and -30 weather. The
outer glass lean-to, has built up some snow, yet the upper part is clear,
allowing the sun from the southwest side to shine through to the
secondary glass inside! Even though the roof is insulated, the snow build up helps hold heat as well.
Sunlight plays a major role
in keeping an insulated area warm, so try and make your shelter face
the south or southwest side to capture the natural
heating.
- 2. Inside a Garage or
Shed: You can permit the use of a built in and blocked off area,
in your shed or garage. I say blocked off, so that nothing within
your main areas are per chance meddled in or maybe even sprayed (by
un-neutered animals).
Males who feel threatened have a natural
instinct to mark their territory, so that no others try to take over
their "shelter and warmth". Keeping this in mind, a few easy
preparations are required to close off a designated area of about 2'
high and 3' wide to accomodate for winter sheltering.
To do this,
an entry must be made through your structure, You want to create a
doggie door type entrance or something more in an "L" shape to
prevent and block off cold winds. A wooden box works great,
insulated with first a thick cardboard, then an inner lining of
thick packing styrofoam will do the trick.(both are disposable and
easily acquired at a recycling bin)
IF you can get your hands on
some Straw-not Hay, you're styling and you can honestly say that you
have made every effort to accomodate shelter for local
strays. | |
