Making Your Custom Home Pet Friendly

One of the many reasons a lot of people are moving out of their condos and apartments and into homes with yards these days is to give their pets a better life. Our pets love us unconditionally and have provided us with endless hours of entertainment while in isolation, which is why it comes as no surprise that pet friendly customizations are one of this year’s most popular custom home building trends. We’ve highlighted a few of our favourites to give you an idea of what pet friendly features you can include in your custom home.

Pet Rooms
One of our favourite ways to make a custom home pet friendly is a room specifically designed to meet your pets’ needs. No one wants to leave their pets in a crate all day, but our pets are curious, and many of them aren’t ready to have free roam of the house during the day while you’re out, or at night while you’re sleeping. These spaces can be anything from a full-sized room to a small nook under the stairs, but they can make your pets feel more comfortable and save your home from damage as well. Plus, these rooms won’t just improve your pet’s lives, they can improve your home comfort level as well. They can help you keep your pets’ food, toys, and bedding organized and tidy, so you aren’t always tripping over them around the house.

Custom Washing Station
A custom washing station for your four-legged friend is a pet friendly feature you can include in your custom home that will keep your pets and your home squeaky clean. Anyone who has ever had to wrestle a soaking wet dog or cat in and out of the tub will understand the very real benefits of having a custom pet washing station. We recommend installing them at your garage door entrance if you have one, or as close to your back door as possible so that when your pets come into the house covered in mud, or worse, they won’t track it throughout your home. You can design your cleaning station to be flush with the floor so that your pets can easily walk in, or you can have it raised up with a step, so they can get up easily, and you won’t have to hurt your back bending over to lift them.

Feeding Stations
Every pet owner has experienced the frustration of stepping on rogue kibble or accidentally knocking over a water dish, so why not include pet friendly feeding stations in your custom home. Ultimately, you can include whatever custom design works for you, but there are a few popular options. You can build a feeding station into your kitchen island that has cutouts for your pets’ various bowls, allowing them to access it at any time. You can also choose to install the feeding station in a sliding drawer so that once your pet finishes eating, you can keep their bowls out of sight. Custom feeding stations are a great way to keep your home clean and organized, but having a raised platform for your pets’ bowls is also better for their digestion and comfort.

Hidden Litter Box
This pet friendly custom home feature is geared towards cat owners, but everyone can understand the benefit of having a hidden litter box. You want your cats to be able to easily access their litter box, but that doesn’t mean you want it to be out in the open for obvious reasons. By creating a hidden space for your cat’s litter box in a crawl space or within your bathroom or laundry room cabinetry, you can solve both of those problems. As long as you create a cat-sized door so they can access it, and some form of opening to allow you to remove it for cleaning, you can put their litter box virtually anywhere.

Flooring
We always encourage prospective homeowners with pets to take some extra time to consider their flooring choices. Your pets’ nails, especially dogs, can do some serious damage to your floors over time depending on which type you choose. Softer hardwoods are easily scratched and stained, so we suggest going with the hardest wood you can find or a faux-wood laminate. Bamboo flooring is a great option for homeowners with pets because it’s extremely durable and stain-resistant. Tiles are also an excellent choice, but they aren’t a practical choice for your entire home, so use natural stone and ceramic tiles where appropriate. Carpet is the least pet friendly flooring choice for your custom home because although it can’t be scratched, it can be easily torn up, stained and soiled.

Custom Doors
We love our pets, but that doesn’t mean they should have unrestricted access to our entire homes. Most pet owners use baby gates to restrict their pets’ access to certain areas in their homes, but they can be cumbersome and unsightly. When you’re designing your custom home, consider installing half-height pocket doors that can serve as baby gates. These half doors will allow you to protect your pets and your home, without having to sacrifice your interior design style.

No matter what features you’ve been dreaming of including in your custom home,
Omega Homes can make them a reality!

Custom Home Building Process
At Omega, it’s important to us that our clients know what to expect when we start the process of building their custom home. We’re there for you every step of the way, from finding the perfect lot to picking out the final intricate details that will turn your custom build into your dream home. Once your home is complete, we will be available to you for any warranty concerns and all necessary aftercare.

Before we start any build, we take the time to sit down with clients and discuss exactly what they want. Involving our clients in the design process ensures that they get a home unique to their taste that they will love for years to come. We openly discuss budgets with every client and break down the costs associated with building a custom home so that our clients are never left in the dark.

About Omega
We don’t just build you a house, we build you a home. We assemble the top architects, designers, and trades personnel to work in conjunction with our experienced and licensed staff in order to make your dream home a reality. As a Tarion Custom Home Design-Builder, we feel it is our responsibility to be adaptable to each client’s individual needs. There’s no job we can’t handle, and we will do whatever it takes to meet your requests with high-quality results. Our architects and designers are always looking for new and exciting challenges, so the only limit is your imagination.

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