What little girl or boy doesn’t want a playhouse? From cute little cottages to rustic outposts, a playhouse provides endless hours of fun and a place of belonging for your children. Pick a spot in the backyard and get out the hammer and nails. From low-cost to over-the-top, there could be a playhouse in your child’s future. And I’ve got the ideas to get you started.
If You Can Build a Box, You Can Build a Playhouse
When you really take a good look at some of the most adorable playhouses, you’ll see that the majority of them start with a basic plywood box. For the most part, you can build a frame with two by fours, cover it with plywood, cut out windows and doors and finish with a roof.
Whether you put them on a wood floor platform or an easy base of level patio blocks, your kids will be delighted to have a place of their very own.
Easy, Rustic Playhouse with Stockade Fence
I’ve been researching the Web for a playhouse design to build for my granddaughter. I came across this plan for a rustic outpost playhouse that is absolute genius. It couldn’t get any easier or cheaper.
Check out the Frontier Playhouse Built from Stockade Fencing by John Lewis. He gives you a step-by-step plan for building a playhouse that takes advantage of the structure of simple fencing. The design requires a minimal amount of construction, so I’m trying to figure out how to leverage this one for my project. Bravo, John, this is a real winner.
Over-the-Top
When it comes to building playhouses, they aren’t any different than the grown up versions. You can go from simple to complex and anything in between. It all depends on how much effort and money you want to put into it.
It’s so funny, when I was a kid, I would have been happy with the cardboard box they delivered my mom and dad’s washing machine in – but, I guess times have changed.
My suggestion is to start simple. You can always add on items later. It doesn’t take much to bolt on a window box or shutters or a number of other embellishments.
If you want some terrific photos for inspiration, visit the Children’s Playhouses ideabook on Houzz. You’ll be amazed at some of the designs that are posted. The gingerbread houses, miniature tutor-style abodes and two-story forts will amaze you. As long as they get you thinking on what you’d like to build for your little tike, I’ve done my job for the day.
Enjoy more home decor ideas from Terry Mulligan:
Create a fountain from a simple piece of pottery
How to use carts for kitchen islands
Guide to fabulous fire pits for your backyard