Transform cardboard boxes into a spooktacular haunted house for your furry friends to enjoy this Halloween season. Fill it with their favorite treats and toys for a fun-filled trick-or-treating experience. Costumes, while optional, make for some PET-rifyingly cute photos!
Things You'll Need:
- Large cardboard box
- Medium cardboard box
- Scrap cardboard
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Painter's tape
- Box cutter
- Non-toxic craft paint
- Paintbrush
- Black construction paper
- Narrow box for chimney
- Black permanent marker
- Hot glue gun
Tip: Be sure to use boxes that are large enough to fit your pets.
Step 1
Lift the top flaps on both boxes.
Step 2
Measure and mark a point that's 2.5 inches from the side of the top flap.
Draw a diagonal line from the point to the bottom corner of the flap, and then cut along the line.
Repeat on all sides of the top flaps. This will create the Mansard-style roof shape.
Step 3
Tape the top flaps together on each box.
Step 4
Tape a square piece of scrap cardboard on top of each box to form the flat part of the roof.
Step 5
Draw and cut out some windows. Vary the shapes to give the house more character. For example, I cut a porthole window in the roof of the taller box, pointed windows along the tops of both boxes, and an arched bay window in the front of the taller box. I also cut larger arched windows on the sides of both boxes.
Step 6
Draw and cut out a door large enough for your pets to fit through it. I cut out a large rectangular door and then made a slit down the center to make it a double-door.
Step 7
Cut a pass-through hole on the sides where both boxes meet. Make sure you size the hole according to your pet's size so they can walk between the boxes.
Step 8
Paint the house with non-toxic craft paint. I used a bright purple for the house and a slime-green color for the door and shutters.
Step 9
Cut out roof shingles from black construction paper measuring 2 inches high by 3 inches wide. Tape them to the roof in staggered overlapping rows, and crinkle the corners to give the roof a weathered look.
Note: You could glue the roof shingles down instead of taping them, but I found that painter's tape gave me the flexibility to move shingles around as needed without tearing them.
Step 10
Make a chimney using a narrow box. I cut an empty coffee-sleeve box in half, but you could use those smaller box sleeves that crackers or cookies are sold in, or you could even use an empty paper towel roll for a rounded chimney instead. Paint it black to match the roof and glue/tape it in place.
Step 11
Use scrap cardboard to make shutters. I cut out shutters the same size as the windows and painted them. Once the paint dried, I used a black permanent marker to draw on some crooked lines and taped them next to the windows.
Step 12
Add some spooky touches to the house to give it some flair. I cut out bats from black construction paper and hot-glued them to the chimney and front of the house. Small pumpkins outside the door lend a festive feel, as does a "Trick-or-Treat" sign hanging on the door.
Lastly, I used scrap cardboard to cut out a spooky tree, create fence segments, and make small tombstones for that extra haunted curb appeal.
Are you ready for another DIY project? Make your kitty feel like royalty by scrolling through the tutorial on how to make an epic cat castle. Get even more projects by following Cuteness on Facebook or subscribing to our newsletter.