The Cost of Building a Backyard Catio
The Cost of Building a Backyard Catio

The Cost of Building a Backyard Catio

Almost everything came from Home Depot except for:   the polycarbonate roofing panels which came from Lowe’s.  The cat door [#affiliate] [for the dining room window] & the top-entry litter box [#affiliate] which came from Amazon.  And about 1/3 of the wood which I bought at our local mom & pop hardware store [their pricing was almost identical to Home Depot’s, which surprised me].

WOOD:  $289

27 1x4x8 pine boards [shelf slats] – $134
2 2x4x8 pine boards [roof support] – $6
11 2x2x6 pine boards [connector] – $84
4 2x4x12 spruce boards [frame] – $38
5 1x3x6 pine boards [door] – $27
luan slats – already owned

HARDWARE [SCREWS, HINGES, BRACKETS, ETC]:  $263

3 boxes stainless steel staples [frame/connector] – $33
6 boxes rigid-tie screws [frame/door/connector] – $54
50 strong-tie angled 2″ brackets [connector] – $29
16 strong-tie flat tie-plates [frame/door] – $10
1 box galvanized nails [frame/connector] – $5
8 strong-tie 6″ flat L-brackets [door] – $34
3 hook & eye locks [door] – already owned
16 rigid-tie connectors [frame] – $70
3 galvanized hinges [door] – $23
1 galvanized handle [door] – $5

TOOLS:  $44

DeWalt staple gun [frame/connector] – $30
10″ tin snips [roof] – $10
6′ measuring tape – $4

OTHER [CHICKEN WIRE, STAIN, ROOFING, ETC]:  $393

1 gallon Thompson’s WaterSeal stain [frame/door/connector] – $27
2 2×12 high-end corrugated polycarbonate panels [roof] – $65
2 2×50 rolls of chicken wire [frame/connector] – $45
chubbykat cat door [dining room window] – $113
stain brush & paint tray – already owned
top-entry litter box – $40
5 seat cushions – $100
wood-filler – $3

TOTAL COST:  $989
HOWEVER, THE EXPERIENCE GAINED, THE SATISFACTION OF A JOB WELL DONE, THE PRIDE I FEEL AT ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING SO BIG, AND THE SHEER JOY OF THE CATS AS THEY WANDER AROUND THEIR NEW HOME IS PRICELESS 🙂

I could have cut costs by opting for plywood shelves vs. shelf slats, and opting for the low-end polycarbonate roofing panels.  That would have saved me probably $150-$200.  I also could have saved $75-$100 by being smarter about other wood choices.  But I think it would be hard to re-create this enclosure for less than $800!  Which really shocked me and hubby.

When I started planning this project I figured it would cost about $400, $500 max.  But some of the unavoidable items like the cat door for the dining room window cost $100, the cushions [which I got on super-sale] cost $100, and the wood, chicken wire, stainless steel staples [which won’t rust] and galvanized metal brackets [which also won’t rust] all added up to multiple hundreds!!!  Oy.

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4 Comments

  1. Anne

    This was a mega project. I’m not quite sure what you envisioned when it was still in the thinking stages, but you ended up with a custom indoor-outdoor cat enclosure that no amount of money could have bought.

    In a word – Priceless!

    1. Nine Dark Moons

      Ya, I didn’t really have a strong vision when I started, but it surely turned out WAY more impressive than I expected or ever imagined! I love it and the kitties love it [they’re mad today b/c it rained so much the enclosure is all wet, despite the plastic roof].

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