If you have ever taken a look at the cat scratchers / condos they sell in pet stores you already know how expensive they can be.  Why pay hundreds of dollars when you can easily make one yourself?  This guide includes some tips I've gleamed from my successful attempt at building a condo for my 2 cats.  Hopefully it will save you some time and make the project a little easier and more enjoyable.

Materials

The amount of each material will vary greatly on the size of condo you plan on making but all of these are definitely needed.  The prices indicate how much I spent to build the large 72'' x 46'' x 36'' condo I built.  All of these items can easily be obtained from Lowes or Home Depot, although most you should be able to find for free.

$20 -4 spools thin rope  *Tip- Buy the natural type 1/4-1/2''.  It's the same type they use on some of the cat scratchers in the store.  You can wrap all the pillars with so your cats can climb them can scratch on them.

$7 -1 sheet 4' x 8' chip board or plywood

$5 -box of 50 thin 2 inch wood screws

$2 -box of 100 small tack nails.  *Tip- Make sure you get short ones with large heads.  They need to hold the carpet well but not come through the other side of the wood!

$25 -8' x 15' Carpet  *Tip- ask someone in the carpet department if they have scraps they are willing to give away.  When I bought mine from Home Depot they gave me 50% off for scrap.

Free! -2x4s or scrap wood.  *Tip- I was able to get a pallet from the local grocery store.  Scrap wood is easy to find, so if you want to save some more just look around.

Tools

Simple hand tools will do the job nicely but power tools will save a lot of time.  You should be able to do the entire project with the tools you already have.  I needed a hand saw which cost $10 at Walmart.

Hand saw or circular saw or jigsaw

screw drivers or power drill

hammer

tape measure

pencil

...to be continued