Approximately 68 percent of U.S. households own a pet, according to the American Pet Products Association. In fact, most households have a higher number of pets than children. So it isn’t surprising that more and more people are choosing to build and remodel homes with pet-friendly home features.
Some of you may be thinking “I love my Fido/Fluffy, but that’s a little over the top.” But is it? Never mind the fact that the American Veterinary Medical Society says the majority of us consider our pets to be part of the family, designing a home with your pets in mind is probably the best bet for human residents as well. With these pet-friendly home features, you’ll keep messes contained, animals entertained, and your pet’s space out from underfoot.
1. Built-In Pet Beds
From decorpad.com
Give your pet a place to rest, while still being close to you. Homeowners are increasingly designing cabinetry with spaces built-in for pets to lie down. Your chum can stay close while you cook or work, and you won’t be tripping over them. Win-win!
2.Choose Pet-Friendly Flooring
There are so many options for pet friendly flooring to suit your aesthetics. A popular option is luxury vinyl plank. Though we might initially think cheap sheet vinyl when we imagine vinyl flooring, these planks are high-quality, and can mimic both tile and wood so you can get the look you want. They’re also extremely durable and scratch-resistant, which is a huge benefit for a floor that has to stand up to pets. They also have the added benefit of being thick and therefore, more comfortable to walk on. It also doesn’t stain easily, so if your dog has an accident or your kitty has a hairball, all you need to do is wipe it down in a reasonable amount of time.
Another excellent option is tile. It’s also highly durable, attractive, and great for resale value (it’s cold, but we’ll get to that shortly). If you are dead-set on all-wood floors, consider engineered wood flooring, which is a little “less fussy than solid hardwood” according to this Flooring Incorporated blog.
From Realtor.com
If you’re a pet owner, you probably know that carpet is a flooring type to be avoided, at least in the rooms where your animals are going to be allowed to be. And if you do want carpet in your home, choose polyester to reduce the amount of stain and odor that will be retained.
Since we’re Midwesterners, we understand that the impulse toward carpet comes a lot from the fact that the floor can be cold in winter. This is a consideration for us, and also for aging pets whose joint aches and pains might truly benefit from a warmer floor. If this is the case, consider a heated floor! Heated floors are not only great for keeping you and your pets feet warm in the frigid winter months–they are also good for your budget, since they reduce your monthly energy bill.
3. Built-In Dog Gates
As much as you might love your dog, you might actually not want them in the dining room when you host a dinner–or maybe the upstairs is human-access only.
From Houseplansandmore.com
A built-in pet gate might be exactly what you are looking for–though traditional plastic baby gates will normally do the job, if you build your gate into your home’s design you can match the gate seamlessly to the rest of your house. Half-doors are also excellent solutions for keeping pets out without sacrificing a feeling of openness.
Kitchen design blog
4. A Catio
Another great pet-friendly home feature is a cat patio (or “catio”) are the best news since windowsills for indoor cats. While cats do thrive indoors, they love to bask in the sun and enjoy the smells of the outdoors. So if you if you have a feline friend, you might want to consider a catio.
From Catssafeathome.org
Catios can be as simple as adding a fenced-area to a deck, or very elaborate, with built-in climbing and lounging structures and cubbies to hide in, if you want to spoil your cats with all the bells and whistles. And, if you plan ahead, your catio can fit seamlessly into the rest of your home design.
5. Built-In Pet Doors
Pet doors are certainly not a new idea, but they’ve been given an upgrade in recent years. Rather than a serviceable plastic flap that might be letting all your heat or air-conditioning escape, you can opt for a built in pet door with pizzazz that adds energy efficiency.
From Petsafe.net
From: Allprorev.com
6. Cat Walks
Cat walks are quirky, but in addition to being a lot of fun for your felines, they actually add a decorative element to the room (much like your cats themselves). If cat walks are built as part of your home, you can have an integrated design between the cat walk and other home elements. This provides a “wow” factor for your guests, and your cats will think they’ve won the lottery, since they love to climb and feel safer and less anxious when they can get to greater heights!
From Zenbycat.com
7. Dog-focused mudrooms and laundry spaces
Here’s another feature that’s so practical, you’ll wonder why more homes don’t have them. When Rover comes in, you need a spot to towel off the paws–but sometimes you need more. Enter the dog-washing center; wash down your doggo right when they come in from the outdoors in a space made just for them.
From www.petsbest.com
Don’t worry about cleaning out pet hair or grime before using your own shower, and don’t make your back ache trying to lean over the tub washing the pup. And when they’re done with their bath, they can dry off in the mudroom in their own cozy bed area–no shaking their fur all over the house.
As for the towel? Just chuck it in the washing machine.
8. Built-In Eating Areas
From vetstreet.com
Creating a space in your kitchen devoted to food bowls keeps the dog or cat eatery out from under your feet, and reduces the appearance of clutter. Dogs especially like a feeling of seclusion when they eat and these cubby spaces are perfect for that. More and more kitchen designers are fielding requests for these kinds of features that keep your furry friends in mind.
We hope these pet-friendly home features have inspired the animal-lover in you. At the end of the day, it’s always impressive to walk through a home where you feel the form follows the function. When we design our homes to comport with our lives, the design becomes elegant–why not design with pets in mind?
Hamilton Homes is happy to show you how to build a home perfect for ALL its inhabitants! Contact us today to get started!
