If you’re an animal lover like us, there are many different things you can include for them when you are building a custom home that can make not only yours, but your pet’s life easier. Keep reading below for five of our favorite pet friendly features to include in your home when you are building or remodeling.

1. Dog Wash

Say goodbye to muddy paw prints all over the house when you include a dog wash in your home!

Placing a dog wash station in a location that’s next to an entrance to your home — like a mudroom, garage, or laundry room — will allow you to clean your pup immediately after their time outside. No more carrying them through the house to get to a sink or bathtub!

Having a built-in dog wash allows you to have a dedicated space to store your dog’s shampoos and grooming products, keeping you organized and clutter-free. Plus, raising a dog-washing station to a comfortable height will save your knees and back from discomfort. You’ll also save money and time by not having to visit professional groomers as often. Sounds like a win-win (maybe even a win-win-win?) situation, right?

2. Feeding Station

How many times have you tripped over your pets food or water dish? At least for us, it’s more times than we’d like to admit. Now imagine a designated area for your pet with built-in feeding stations. It can be fun to design a space for them inside of an open cabinet to keep them tucked out of the way.  We love the example above where the dishes can be pulled out from the side of the island.

You’ll also want to consider dedicating a space to store all of their food and treats. Bonus points if its near their bowls so you don’t have to carry them back and forth to the closet to fill up at meal time!

Pro tip: Depending on the size of your pet(s), consider a higher installation so they are more comfortable when eating.

3. Built-In Gate

We’ve all been there — trying to contain our pets in a specific area with different household objects. Baby gates, chairs, boxes…they just aren’t effective or visually appealing. Installing custom gates throughout your home is the perfect way to ditch the unattractive baby gates and still keep your pet sectioned off to specific areas when needed. When designing, consider pocket gates that can be fully pushed into the wall and out of the way when not being used. You’ll never go back to baby gates again!

4. Built-In Kennel

A stylish dog kennel?! Count us in. There are many innovative approaches to built-in dog crates, and we absolutely love them. These solutions also maximize the available square footage of your home by being tucked away versus out in the open. We love the idea of installing the built-in kennel somewhere quiet in your home so that it can still be your dog’s safe space when needed. We love the way it’s paired with a built-in feeding station here too!

5. Built-In Dog Door

A built-in dog door is all about convenience. Even if your pet is independent, they can’t exactly let themselves out. But these doors allow pets to have the independence to go outside whenever they need to, which is ideal for a busy lifestyle. Many built-in dog doors also have the option to close and lock, so your pet can have free rein to come and go during the day, but you’ll be nice and secure at night or when you aren’t home.

We love pet friendly home features, and we’re always open to including them in designs when clients see fit. Often times, store bought pet features can be clunky and unattractive, so we enjoy being able to put our own spin on the designs. As a pet lover, would you include any of these features in your home?

Looking for more home-related tips, tricks, and resources?  Join our email list for the latest and greatest Alma Homes updates, and follow us on Instagram for more inspiring home and design content.

Love our website? Use code ALMAHOMESSENTME for 10% off any Tonic Site Shop website template.