What is a playhouse? The literal meaning would be a house in which someone can play. Let’s get to the actual definition, yeah undoubtedly, it is a place where you can play, but it can be used as a study house for teenagers, and we guess house office for adults if it is an outdoor playhouse.
At first, we will be discussing how to build an outdoor playhouse. It can be built in three to four ways. Using wood, table, and cardboard box. In this article, you will read about the benefits of an outdoor playhouse in detail and how to build it using different materials.
So without further ado, let’s start with the official definition of Outdoor Playhouse – “A playhouse is a small house made for children to play in.”
Table of Contents
How to Build a Playhouse?
Even before gathering materials and tools, check with your colony in-charge if they are okay with an outdoor playhouse or if there are any norms regarding it. There are chances of your zone having norms on the size of the playhouse.
It’s better to check and confirm in advance, rather than having a stay order! Right?
source: outdoorlivingtoday.com
Estimated Costing of Constructing a Playhouse:
The cost of constructing a playhouse depends on the size and materials used. For the wooden playhouse, the average cost comes between $3200 to $5000. If you add a mock kitchen, deck, loft, and other facilities, there will be an addition in cost too.
If you go for the prefabricated wooden playhouse, it may cost you around $1000 to $5000 and that doesn’t include the delivery and assembly charges. Even if you go for a customized one, it will cost at most $10,000.
You can buy the prefabricated one online on amazon and if you want to go for customization, you will have to get the supplies and tools mentioned below.
Required Supplies:
- 2×8, 2×4 boards
- 4×8 sheet of Wood sidings or wood panels (if you are going for them)
- Shingles
- Screws
- Galvanized Nails
- Roofing Felt
- Sand and Flat Paving Stones (for leveling)
- Safety Glasses
- Hearing Protection
- Caulk
- Railings
- Paint
- Few decoratives such as tables, small cupboards, a chandelier, etc.
Tools:
- Framing Square
- Drill
- Jigsaw
- Reciprocating Saw
- Sander
- Hammer
- A level
- Shims
Once you are ready with the permission, materials & tools move towards the construction and follow the subsequent steps.
Step 1: Create a Base and Deck
source: hgtv.com
The basic step is to create a leveled base. If you have a backyard that is smooth and already leveled, your half work is done, but if it isn’t, first, you will need to decide on the size of the cabin you want and do the leveling using sand and flat paving stones.
Now let’s form the 6×8 deck using wood boards. Create a frame using joists and butt-joint it using nails. Make sure the nailing is done properly and holds the frame perfectly. Install the post if you want a front porch in the house.
Now before you start the flooring process, here a tip for you – “Use roofing felt or tar paper on the frame to avoid the squeaking sound while walking on them. It will also add water-proofing to the ground.”
Now, if you have a porch, a floorboard will need to be trimmed so that it can fit there you jigsaw to trim the board. Once it is fitted, you can go ahead for the flooring by fixing the floorboards with nails and hammers.
Step 2: Build the Wall Frames
source: flickr.com
The next step is to create wall frames. You will need to design four wall frames. And while framing, keep in mind, where you want windows and a door in the front one — for instance, a single-window on both sidewalls, a door and two windows on the front one.
For the back wall frame, create a rectangle using four boards. Keep in mind the height you need for the house. Normally it can be 5.5′ or 6′. For exact measure, consider the height of your kid and add 1′ or 1.5′. If your child’s height is 3.5′ then go for either 4.5′ or 5′ height.
Now add joists to it for the firmness. Create the same for the front wall and just add cross-board six inches below the topmost board for the entrance (you can select the slot according to your choice).
Moving towards the sidewall frames, cut the 2×4 boards of the same height and width of 3’9″ and frame them. Now cut the 3’4″ sized boards for the top and bottom of the sides. Attach them with galvanized screws forming two rectangular sides.
And for Windows, measure the distance between the two rectangular sides and cut four wood pieces of the measurement (two for each side). Now attach them between the studs with screws leaving the distance of 9″ from top and bottom both.
So you have wall frames ready with you. Congrats, half of your work is done.
Step 3: Assemble the Frames
source: pinterest.com
What next? Assemble the frames on the floor using galvanized screws. Make sure they are straight and firm on the base and with each other.
Start with the back fall frame, nail it to the floor, then next is sidewalls. First, fix them on the floor then its edges to the rear wall screwing them tightly with each other. Keep the attachment on the front wall for the last.
Once you are done with the back and both the sidewalls, now it’s time to set the front frame, remember you will have an extra porch space so don’t panic when you see an extra area on the base.
You have an exact half and open playhouse ready! Construction work is almost done just one step towards fabrication and you are good to go. You may find it flimsy, but wait, it will get sorted as soon as sheeting is done.
Step 4: Construct the Roof Frame
source: youtube.com
As soon as the wall frames are attached to the floor, start working on the roof frame construction.
This can be better done on the floor, so put on temporary jigs on the floor and tack down the wood strips and place them in the right position. Make sure the wood strip has a slant cut on one side.
When you place the two wood strips adjacently, it should form a V frame. Secure it using a triangle-shaped sheet also known as a gusset. This way, it will stay in the form. Get four roof trusses constructed.
After that, place them and secure it with a screw from the bottom of the eave. Then place the wood strips in the middle of the trusses for support.
Step 5: Fix the Wood Panels or Sidings
source: homedepot.com
Let’s give covering to the walls. For this, you can use wood panels as well as sidings. Wood panels will take up time while in wood sidings, you will have to do notches and nail it to the frame. It is a one-time job.
Using wood panels will take up a good amount of energy and time of yours. You will have to screw a single panel at a time and will have to do notches and trimming differently and with exact measurement.
Another trick to do notches or trimming is after sticking the wood sidings. Start with sidewalls, adhere the siding to the frames now drill the hole at the corners where you want a cut, then from outside mark them with a pen or pencil. (Do this on both sides.)
The next step is to trim it smooth and nicely using a reciprocating saw. Now do the sheeting on the front wall and on the back wall. You will have to mow the door and window spots on the front wall (follow the same procedure that you did while sheeting the sidewalls).
And for the back wall, you will have to cut the sheet in advance, including the roof part too. Then screw it to the frame. Now place the wall siding to the roof as well. Secure it will screw and hammer.
Tada! Sheeting is done.
Step 6: Place the Shingles
source: loveandrenovations.com
It’s time to install roofing. After placing the sheet, fix the aluminum drip edge to avoid rainwater running in the little one’s house. Don’t forget to staple the roofing felt for weatherproofing. The next step is placing the shingles.
Start positioning shingles from the bottom and move towards the top. Check the certainty and uniformity of the layers of shingles once the placement of shingles is done. Your outdoor playhouse is worthy of standing straight in front of any rain, snow or wind coming in the way.
Step 7: Final Touches
source: homedepot.com
Pheww! Last step!
But before that, install windows and doors (of wood or PVC, whichever you like) with caulk. Then secure it with nails on the sides. You can give a finishing look to it by adding the trim to it. At last place the railings on the porch. (You will get them readily available on any hardware store.)
Stay active. This one is the last and most creative step. You will have to give final touches to the house to make it look beautiful and elegant. Take your kiddo to Walmart or any supermarket and get the things he/she wants in the house. Chairs, sofa, bed, or any decorative.
And don’t forget – PAINT! You need to color the house. Why? To make your child super excited for the playtime. No one would love to stay in a house that looks boring, right?
And make kiddo attentive towards nature by placing a few plants on the porch and making him learn about how to take care of it.
Few Words on Building Playhouse:
– Don’t let your child do the work alone.
– Take the help of a person having knowledge about construction work.
– Put on eye protection glasses and hearing protection (necessary for kids too).
– While painting, try not to involve kid to the work, the chemical of paint may harm him (if he eats it even mistakenly).
– Take rest in-betweens it may take up to 2 or 3 days to complete, that’s okay!
This was a guide on how to make an outdoor playhouse using wood, you can make an indoor playhouse using cardboard and table too. Table playhouse will need fabric work while cardboard playhouse you will have to work with scissors, cutters, craft papers and glue.
They aren’t as functional as a wooden playhouse. Below are the few benefits of the outdoor playhouse that you might want to check out.
source: amishbackyardstructures.com
What are the Benefits of having an Outdoor Playhouse?
There are numerous benefits of having a playhouse for your kid like its health, mind and overall growth. Kids are curious by nature. They will follow what they learn at this age. You may have noticed the kids have high adapting power.
He will learn whatever he sees around. If you react angrily on a certain topic, your kid will catch it, and react the same as you did. So as a parent, you will have to be very careful about what you are speaking and how.
But with all this, there is one thing that you can bet on, whatever you teach your child he will remember it and it will help him when he grows up. Let’s see how a playhouse will benefit your child.
1. It will keep them healthy
How can having an outdoor playhouse keep them healthy? There is no direct connection but there is an indirect one.
If they have their personal place to play, undoubtedly they will be delighted to play in it. And this will prevent them from sitting in front of the TV the whole day. We might not need to tell you that light from TV is harmful to the kid’s eyes.
They will be performing physical activity and a good amount of exercise which helps keep them active and there will be no issue of obesity and weight gain. And as they will be playing most of the time, their body and mind will need good night’s sleep to recuperate.
So having a playhouse will result in a healthy lifestyle of kicking the problems of obesity, weight gain, lack of sleep, and eyesight issues.
2. It will teach them the lesson of coordination.
We all know the importance of coordination, be it in a school, college, or a corporate company. Coordination can make work easier and faster to complete. We will tell you how one of our colleague’s children learned about coordination.
Our colleague always wanted to make his child learn about coordination, as he was stubborn. Suddenly one day, what he saw made him realize, “a child can learn things by experiencing it themselves.”
The kiddo and his mates were trying to set up a florist shop outside his playhouse. They all gathered & sat in a circle and decided who would do what. There was a point where few of his friends disagreed and instead of fighting, they discussed and planned the midway out.
There he noticed two things in his child, first cooperation power and leading capability. So now you know how it can teach your baby about coordination without much effort.
source: thespruce.com
3. Polishes social interaction skills and teaches them to be responsible.
It is obvious that children won’t play alone, they will definitely need friends and mates to play. With this, no doubt, their social interaction skills are going to get polished. You will have to keep an eye on them, to check whether they are with the right company (as in companion) or not.
Rude behavior of kids may push them towards negative pathways or emotional destructiveness. And this will surely harm the thoughts of your kid. While his interactive social skills are getting refined, he will also learn about the responsibilities.
And for that, you will have to give them some duties to be taken care of! For instance, you can inform him to be organized and clean up the mess after playing. This way, he will know the importance of being organized.
Other than these three, having to manage their own little home will stimulate creativity in them. It will also allow them to learn more about the world and how to handle the situations. They will encourage them to be outdoor players.
Outdoor Playhouse for Growing Kids is a Must!
So now you know everything about the playhouse, from its making to its benefits. So without any delay, get your kids their own small house and let them make the rules (you should help too!) to follow.
If you don’t want to do the construction work, it’s okay, don’t worry. You will get the prefabricated outdoor playhouse from Amazon or any other online store. What are you still waiting for?
For more ideas on interior designs, visit Interiorcraze.
