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8×10 DIY catio · modified source plan

How I Built Our 8×10 Catio on a raised platform

I started with Ovidiu's published 8×10 plan. In our yard I built a separate raised platform, moved the door to the front, and brought the cats in through a tunnel under the deck. The enclosure took several weekends. Painting and interior work continued after the cats moved in.

By Published Updated

Watch the corner change
Usable 8-by-10-foot catio before paint, with a front-facing door, black wire walls, and a clear roof
July 4 · daylight

The enclosure was usable and furnished by this point. The pressure-treated frame still had to dry before I painted it.

The short version

I built this 8×10 catio on a raised platform, moved the door to the front, used DeerBusters welded wire, and connected it to the small window catio through a tunnel under the deck. The build took several weekends. I would plan on $1,500–$3,000 for a comparable platform and enclosure, before the tunnel, cedar tree, furniture, lighting, and landscaping.

The plan I modified

Ovidiu's stock and cut schedule comes from “8×10 Catio – Free DIY Plans” on MyOutdoorPlans, accessed July 30, 2026. I adapted those facts to explain my build; I have not copied the plan's drawings or instructions. My platform and changed openings require their own measurements.

Footprint
8×10 feetRaised platform beneath the enclosure.
My build time
Several weekendsThe usable enclosure came before paint and finish work.
Planning range
$1,500–$3,000Platform and enclosure; not my receipt total.
Current status
Usable; finish work ongoingPainting and small finish jobs continued after move-in.

Seven walkarounds

I kept walking the same corner with my phone as the work moved along.

The shrubs came out first. Then came mulch, perimeter boards, the joist grid, deck boards, standing walls, and rafters. I was recording the work as I went, not setting up a tripod, so the angle changes from one visit to the next.

  1. 01Clearing the corner
  2. 02Site preparation
  3. 03Laying out 8×10
  4. 04Platform frame
  5. 05Working surface
  6. 06Wall framing
  7. 07Roof line
  1. Shrubs and branches being removed from the catio site beside the deck lattice
    01

    Clearing the corner

    The shrubs had to come out first.

    Cut branches, exposed soil, and the deck lattice were still filling the frame. There was no platform to measure from yet.
  2. Cleared and mulched catio footprint with a rake still in the work area
    02

    Site preparation

    I cleared and mulched the footprint.

    The rake was still sitting in the bed. This was the unglamorous part: clear the roots, watch the grade, and make room to work.
  3. First pressure-treated perimeter boards laid out on the prepared catio footprint
    03

    Laying out 8×10

    The first boards fixed the footprint.

    Once the pressure-treated perimeter was on the ground, I could stop imagining the size and start checking the rectangle.
  4. Raised platform frame with a full joist grid
    04

    Platform frame

    The joist grid turned the outline into a floor.

    I checked level and square before closing it up. The supports and member sizes still have to be worked out for the site where you build.
  5. Deck boards installed over the platform before wall framing began
    05

    Working surface

    Deck boards gave me a place to build the walls.

    The finished platform became the workbench. I could lay each wall frame flat, square it, and stand it from the same surface.
  6. Standing wall frames on the finished catio platform
    06

    Wall framing

    The walls went up one at a time.

    Each frame was braced, plumbed, and tied to the next. I kept the front opening for the door I had moved from the source layout.
  7. Standing catio frame with rafters overhead and a ladder still inside
    07

    Roof line

    The rafters made the enclosure take shape.

    The ladder was still inside and the roof was not finished, but this was the first walkaround where the full height was easy to read.

Plan versus this yard

I kept the 8×10 footprint. I changed the platform, front door, wire, and tunnel opening.

The source plan gave me a useful cut list and roof layout. I built a separate platform, put the door on the yard-facing front, and made the tunnel opening fit the space under our deck. Those changes have to be measured where you build.

How I set the range: the source plan currently estimates $1,000–$2,500. I widened that to $1,500–$3,000 for a separate raised platform, DeerBusters wire, a clear roof, exterior hardware, and a basic finish at July 2026 prices. It does not include the tunnel, cedar tree, furniture, lighting, or landscaping, and it is not a total from my receipts.

Support

What the plan called for

A simple 2×4 base on a thoroughly leveled or paved area.

What I changed

A separate pressure-treated post-and-joist platform with blocking and deck boards.

What you need to measure

Support sizes, spans, depth, drainage, frost conditions, and local requirements for your site.

Openings

What the plan called for

A wall schedule with a door opening and an adjustable tunnel opening.

What I changed

I moved the door to the yard-facing front and routed the cat entry under the deck.

What you need to measure

Door swing, finished opening, tunnel arrival, cleaning access, and escape control before cutting wall parts.

Enclosure

What the plan called for

Generic hardware cloth or wire attached to the exterior frame.

What I changed

Black PVC-coated DeerBusters welded wire: a 3×100-foot roll, 14-gauge galvanized core, and a 2-inch grid.

What you need to measure

The spacing, strength, fasteners, overlaps, and edge treatment your cats and local wildlife require.

Interior

What the plan called for

Plywood shelf modules supported by small framed brackets.

What I changed

A cedar tree, turf, furniture, lights, plants, and the tunnel entrance.

What you need to measure

Reachable cleaning paths, repair access, fall distances, and how your cats use vertical space.

Buying and cutting baseline

Start with the source list. Measure my changes separately.

This inventory does not size or count the posts, beams, joists, blocking, decking, hangers, or structural fasteners in my raised platform. It also does not correct wall cuts after a door is moved.

Not included in that list

Added or remeasured for my build

  • Site-specific supports, beams, joists, blocking, decking, hangers, and structural fasteners for the raised platform
  • Black PVC-coated DeerBusters welded wire in a 3×100-foot roll
  • Panel-specific polycarbonate fasteners and closures
  • Site-specific tunnel framing, enclosure, drainage, and ventilation materials
  • Cedar tree parts, turf, lighting, plants, and furnishings

Exact source-plan cuts

Keep the schedule beside the source drawings.

These dimensions are factual reference points from the source plan. Verify its drawings and recalculate every part affected by your platform, door, tunnel, lumber, or local requirements.

Base
Two 2×4s at 93 in.; two 2×4s at 120 in.
Front wall
Two 2×2s at 117 in.; five at 85 in.; four at 27½ in.; one 2×4 at 27½ in.
Back wall
Two 2×2s at 117 in.; five at 85 in.; three at 27½ in.
Side wall
Two 2×2s at 96 in.; four at 85½ in.; four at 30 in.
Opposite wall
Two 2×2s at 96 in.; four at 95½ in.; five at 30 in.; one at 22 in.
Rafters
Seven 2×2s at 120⅝ in., with 5-degree cuts at both ends.
Roof
About 100 sq. ft. of polycarbonate.
Roof trim
Two 1×3s at 122¼ in.; two at 96 in.
Source door
Two 2×2s at 69 in.; two at 27½ in.; eight at 8¾ in.
Source shelves
Four 2×2s at 30 in.; eight at 14½ in.; four ¾-in. plywood shelves at 7¼ × 30 in.; one at 30⅜ × 31½ in.

Site and platform

Steps 01–03
01

Build step

Lock the footprint, front door, and tunnel

Before I cut the enclosure, I marked the 8×10 footprint, moved the door to the yard-facing front, and chose where the under-deck tunnel would enter.

  1. Mark the full footprint and leave working room around the door, roof edge, and enclosure.
  2. Check property setbacks, permits, buried utilities, drainage, frost conditions, wind and snow exposure, and local wildlife.
  3. Choose the tunnel opening and door swing before accepting any wall cut as final.
  4. Sketch the changed wall openings and label every cut that no longer matches the source plan.
02

Build step

Clear and prepare the site

I removed the overgrown shrubs, cleared the corner, leveled the working area, and put ground fabric and mulch beneath the future platform.

  1. Remove plants and roots that interfere with the footprint or future service access.
  2. Watch how water moves through the corner before covering the ground.
  3. Level the working area without creating a low spot against the enclosure or house.
  4. Install the ground and drainage layer that fits your soil and climate.
03

Build step

Build and square the raised platform

The source plan stops at a base frame. I built a separate pressure-treated platform with supports, rim framing, joists, blocking, and deck boards.

  1. Size the supports, beams, joists, connections, and spans for your soil, climate, loads, and local rules.
  2. Square the outside frame by comparing diagonals before filling in the joists.
  3. Install the joists and blocking, then recheck level and square before decking.
  4. Fasten the deck boards while preserving drainage and future access around the tunnel.
Where my build changed

I treated the floor as its own small deck. The photographs show the joist grid, blocking, hangers, ground fabric, and deck surface. Do not take platform member sizes or support details from these photos. That structural takeoff is site-specific.

Level resting across the raised platform joists while the supports are checked below
I checked level before the deck boards hid the joists and supports.

Parts and openings

Steps 04–06
04

Build step

Recalculate, cut, and label the enclosure parts

I used the source wall, roof, door, and shelf schedule as the starting list, then rechecked every part affected by the front door, platform, and tunnel.

  1. Keep the source drawings open beside the cut schedule above.
  2. Redraw the wall openings before cutting any short blocking or door pieces.
  3. Confirm the built platform dimensions rather than assuming the frame matches a paper measurement.
  4. Label parts by wall and opening so the changed pieces do not get mixed into the stock layout.
05

Build step

Frame the walls flat and raise them

I assembled the changed wall frames flat on the finished platform, checked them for square, and stood them up one at a time.

  1. Lay each labeled wall out on the platform and align the edges before fastening.
  2. Compare diagonals and correct the frame before it leaves the floor.
  3. Raise one wall at a time, brace it, plumb it, and tie adjoining walls together.
  4. Recheck the full rectangle before adding the roof or wire; small errors become harder to correct later.
Wall frame standing on the finished catio platform
The wall frames were assembled flat on the platform, then stood and braced one at a time.
06

Build step

Build, dry-fit, and hang the front door

I built our door to fit the finished opening and hung it on the front face that made sense from the yard.

  1. Measure the framed opening after the walls are plumb and square.
  2. Build and brace the door, then dry-fit it before wire closes the frame.
  3. Confirm swing clearance, hinge placement, latch reach, and a safe way to control the opening while entering.
  4. Cycle the door repeatedly and correct sag or binding before moving on.
Where my build changed

I put the built door in the relocated front opening instead of keeping the source opening in its original wall. The actual door lengths are not recorded here. Size your door from the finished opening and the clearance your hardware requires.

Hand opening the black handle and slide latch on the relocated front catio door
The finished opening set the door size. I checked the handle, latch, swing, and clearance before the wire went on.

Roof and enclosure

Steps 07–08
07

Build step

Set the rafters and clear roof

The lean-to roof kept the part of the source plan I wanted: clear polycarbonate over a simple run of sloped rafters.

  1. The source baseline uses seven 2×2 rafters at 120⅝ inches with 5-degree cuts at both ends.
  2. Place the source rafters at 16 inches on center only after verifying that layout against your changed frame and selected panels.
  3. Install polycarbonate with the panel manufacturer’s required supports, overlaps, fasteners, expansion space, and closures.
  4. Direct runoff away from the enclosure, house, tunnel, and places where people walk.
Where my build changed

I kept the clear roof idea because it lets daylight in while the enclosure sheds weather. Your panel profile and manufacturer—not this page—control fastening, overlap, support, expansion, and runoff details.

This clip shows me checking and fastening the outside edge of an already-positioned panel. It does not show every panel being laid.
08

Build step

Fasten the welded wire and close every edge

I used a black 3×100-foot DeerBusters roll instead of generic hardware cloth and fastened it tightly to the wood frame.

  1. Plan the roll direction and seams before cutting so the visible grid stays aligned.
  2. Keep the mesh under even tension while fastening it to the structural frame.
  3. Give extra attention to the door, corners, roof line, tunnel opening, and any overlap.
  4. Trim, fold, cap, or otherwise cover every cut edge, then inspect it by hand before the cats enter.
Where my build changed

Mine is black PVC-coated welded wire with a 14-gauge galvanized core and a 2-inch grid. Choose spacing and strength for your cats and local wildlife, then run your hand over every seam, fastener, opening, and cut edge.

Pneumatic stapler fastening black welded wire to the catio wall frame
The wall mesh was pulled into position and fastened to the wood frame. Roof work is shown separately above.
09

Build step · hidden connection

The small catio sits over the hole I cut in the deck.

The small white window catio sits over the deck opening. Below it, the enclosed tunnel runs under the deck and reaches this catio at a square opening in the cedar wall.

  1. Bring the tunnel into the opening reserved before the wall frame was cut.
  2. Close every transition so a cat cannot reach an unfinished edge or gap.
  3. Check for trapped water, sharp wire, blocked airflow, and repair areas you cannot reach.
  4. Test the full tunnel and both closure points before allowing unsupervised access.
Where my build changed

My tunnel is hidden under the deck and joins the large catio to the smaller white window catio. Measure the opening, slope, drainage, ventilation, framing, and service access where your tunnel lands. The opening shown here is not a cut size for another site.

The jigsaw opens the deck. At the end of the clip, the white window catio is sitting over that opening.
Reeses looking through the square tunnel opening in the cedar wall of the large catio
Inside the 8×10Reeses at the square opening in the cedar wall.
Cat-shaped wood trim being held around the square tunnel opening
The personal detailI made a cat-face surround for the opening.
View down through the deck opening into the enclosed cat tunnel below
Below the deckThe hidden section is enclosed and serviceable from above.

The photos show the opening at each end; the enclosed middle stays hidden under the deck.

10

Build step · the interior

A neighbor's cedar came down. It went back up inside the catio.

A neighbor’s cedar came down, so I brought rounds and branches home and built the climbing tree around them before adding turf, furniture, lights, and plants.

  1. Add shelves, trees, and furniture without blocking cleaning paths, the door, or the tunnel exit.
  2. Keep climbing surfaces stable and check the fall distance between levels.
  3. Leave access to wire seams, roof fasteners, lighting, and any area that may need repair.
  4. Secure every interior piece before the cats use it.
What I changed inside

I used the fallen cedar as the main climbing structure and kept the purple heartwood visible in the platform rounds. Check safe vertical spacing for your cats, the stability of every platform, and access for cleaning and repairs.

Here I'm adjusting the threaded hardware where the platform meets the sisal-wrapped trunk.
Fallen cedar log on the grass with a hatchet held above it
01The fallen cedar and the hatchet I brought out to start breaking it down.
Cedar rounds and branches loaded into the back of a car
02The pieces came home in the back of the car.
Hand holding a cedar round with purple heartwood visible
03I kept the purple heartwood visible and used the rounds as platforms.
Finished cedar cat tree with branch trunks, round platforms, and sisal inside the furnished catio
04The finished tree became the center of the furnished enclosure.
11

Build step · move-in and finish

Rocco claimed the shelf while I was still working on the room.

The enclosure became usable in raw pressure-treated lumber. After it dried, I returned with grey paint and lights; small finish jobs are still ongoing.

Rocco-Kabuki—Bubby Bear to us—is the grey one. Reeses is the other cat. They are both about seven, although we do not know their exact ages.

  1. Follow the lumber and coating manufacturer’s drying and preparation requirements.
  2. If practical, coat the accessible frame before installing wire; painting behind mesh is slow work.
  3. Check the latch, door gap, wire edges, roof runoff, tunnel, shelves, and every fastener.
  4. Repeat the inspection after weather, paint, or any change to the interior.
If I did it again, I would let the treated lumber dry and paint before installing the wire. Reaching every little space behind the mesh is the tax on doing it later.
The clip starts with Rocco on the shelf, then pulls back to the cedar tree, turf, chair, and the rest of the enclosure.

Before you copy my build

8×10 catio FAQ

What should I budget for an 8×10 catio like this?

As of July 2026, I would use $1,500–$3,000 as a planning range for a comparable raised platform, frame, DeerBusters mesh, polycarbonate roof, door, exterior hardware, and basic finish. Lighting, furniture, landscaping, the cedar tree, and the tunnel can push it higher. That is a planning range, not my receipt total, and local prices vary.

How long did this build actually take?

Mine took several weekends. The enclosure became usable before it was painted; I let the pressure-treated lumber dry, then returned to paint and add lighting. Small finish jobs are still ongoing.

Can I build directly from the cuts on this page?

Use them as an attributed baseline for the MyOutdoorPlans design, not as a final takeoff for this modified build. My raised platform is separate from the source base, and moving the door changes wall-opening geometry. Verify the source drawings, your site, your door, your tunnel, and local structural requirements before ordering or cutting.

What mesh did you use, and does that make it predator-proof?

I used black PVC-coated DeerBusters welded wire with a 14-gauge galvanized core and a 2-inch grid. The mesh is only one part of the enclosure: spacing, seams, fasteners, cut edges, the door, roof line, and tunnel transitions all need to match your cats and local wildlife.

How does the tunnel change the build?

The small white window catio sits over the opening I cut through the deck. The enclosed tunnel below reaches the large catio at a separate framed opening in the cedar wall. Your slope, drainage, ventilation, repair access, and both closure points have to be measured on site.

Use this as field notes

Keep the source drawings open, then measure the yard in front of you.

This page documents how I changed a published starting plan. It does not replace that plan, panel instructions, local code, or site-specific structural decisions.

Building your platform over concrete?

That support and drainage problem is different from the prepared-ground platform shown here.

Read the platform-deck guide

After dark

The lights came later.

The structure took several weekends. Painting and small finish jobs kept going after Rocco and Reeses had moved in, and I still come back to touch up paint, adjust the lights, and finish the small jobs.

Painted 8-by-10-foot catio glowing at night with lights inside the enclosure
July 8 · lights onThe painted enclosure at night, with the interior settled in and small finish jobs still continuing.