Build story
The Maple Street catio
- Location
- Denver, CO
- Size
- 120 sqft
- Cats
- 2
- Completed
- August 2025
title: "The Maple Street catio" location: "Denver, CO" sizeSqft: 120 catCount: 2 completedDate: "2025-08-14" cover: "/images/examples/maple-street-hero.jpg" photos:
- "/images/examples/maple-street-detail-1.jpg"
- "/images/examples/maple-street-detail-2.jpg" excerpt: "A freestanding catio wrapping a Denver bungalow's side yard, built to match the porch it nestles against." featured: true
The brief
The Maple Street house is a classic Denver bungalow with a tight side yard running between the driveway and a hedge. The owners had two cats who desperately wanted outside access, a partner with a strict "no chain-link" rule, and a cedar-sided porch they wanted the catio to belong to, not stand next to.
What we designed
A freestanding structure, 14 feet long and 8 feet wide, with a peaked roof echoing the porch's roofline. Cedar framing stained to match, hidden mesh seams, and a single cat door tunneling through the dining-room window. The cats can access the catio from inside without the humans having to open anything.
Details worth noting
- A climbing column with three platforms at different heights. The older cat uses the lowest, the kitten bounces between all three.
- Drainage integrated into the existing downspout so no water pools under the structure.
- Two cat-safe plants (catnip and cat grass) in built-in planters, changeable seasonally.
The build
Four days on-site. We framed it in one, skinned and roofed on day two, installed the mesh and cat door on day three, and finished the stain and landscaping on day four. The owners were home for the final walkthrough.
A month later
Both cats now spend most sunny afternoons on the high perch. The kitten figured out the cat door in under twenty minutes. The older one took closer to a week. No issues with weather, no gaps in the mesh. We checked back in at 30 days and again at 90.
