Patio? Deck? Gravel? base for 15x20 Dog Kennel/Equipment Storage

[Bicoastal]

I have a 15x20 area between a shed and a fence on which to build dog kennels. What is the most economical and DIY-able way to create a dry, level 15 x 20' surface?

On the property are several kennel panels, telephone poles, railroad ties, railroad tracks, half a pallet of cinder blocks, 1/3 pallet of bricks, rebar, and misc lumber. The area slopes front to back and left to right so grading needs to be addressed. Forsynthia needs to be ripped out. Because of the tool shed and fence, I have to work by hand without heavy equipment.

What are some ideas for 1) utilizing some of the stuff I have and 2) building the surface myself? A floating deck using mismatched lumber? A paver patio? Just frame it and dump gravel?

For me, I want a secure place to park the dogs on nice days. Nice days are coming in VA! In the future, I want the pad to be marketable as equipment storage adjacent to the tool shed.

 

[canesisters]

Hard to really know without seeing it - but with the supplies you have on hand, I'd probably:

Use the RR ties to create a raised, level frame
Fill with gravel and top with 'crush& run' or sand for the comfort of the dogs

Or, if you don't have access to sand or crush&run make a resting area out of the bricks or cinder blocks so they can get off of the gravel.

 

[Ridgetop]

Paving the dog run is best since you will want to wash down the area. Since you have pavers and bricks, use them instead of pouring concrete. Level the area using the timbers you have and set the avers and bricks in sand. Lots of how-tos on U-Tube. Using the pavers and bricks, you can easily wash off and disinfect the area when necessary. Setting them in sand will allow water (and urine) to sink into the soil beneath. If you use gravel, top it with decomposed granite or hard pack sand since when you pick up soft stools the gravel will stick to it. We had a gravel dog run and this was a problem since the shovels of poo with gravel were heavy. Don't use wood for the dog run flooring since urine and poo will soak into the wood and cause it to stink badly and eventually rot out. You can't really clean wood or disinfect it either.

 

[Baymule]

Yes, use the bricks and pavers. Cut down the shrubs, dig as much of stump as possible, as deep as you can and saw it off. A sawzall would be the right tool for that. Level the ground and put sand down. I would mortar the bricks to keep weeds from coming up between the bricks.

 

[Finnie]

Consider keeping/making a slight slope away from the shed building. You will want rain to run off and not form pools. Especially since you will probably be hosing it down sometimes to rinse away dog urine and waste. And you certainly don’t want any of the runoff to flow towards the shed and soak the wood.