Is there anything better than an adorable little playhouse? I think not! I’ve been looking forward to creating a little space for our kids in the backyard for some time now. We knew that we didn’t want a gigantic swing set that would take over the whole yard. A small structure for them to jump, swing, and climb on is all we really needed.
You can easily get lost in the millions of cute playhouse ideas when browsing the web. We decided to start with a free playset that I found on Craig’s List. It wasn’t in the best shape, but it gave us a good foundation to build on. A lot of the inspiration for our playhouse came from The Handmade Home and the Handmade Hideaway that they built.
THE BASE AND PLATFORM
This is the free playset from Craig’s list that we started with. We ended up just using the base, the platform, and the steps.
After we leveled out the base, we installed the platform. We extended the platform out an extra 2 feet, which is the current uncovered deck area. Once that was done we could re-install the steps. The overall size of our platform is 6 feet wide by 6 feet deep and the actual covered/house area is 6 feet wide by 4 feet deep.
THE WALLS
From there we started framing out the walls. It’s basically the same process as framing interior walls, except on a much smaller scale. The walls are 5 feet high and we framed out two windows, one on the right side and one on the left side. We opted to leave the backside wall solid with no windows so I could add a chalkboard and some storage.
THE ROOF
Next, we added the roof. This is probably the most complicated part of building the playhouse. We relied heavily on this post from The Handmade Home for building our roof. Here is a little sketch of how I planned out our rafters and roofing.
We have 3 sets of rafters total, one set on the back side, one set on the front side, and one set in the middle. After the ridge and rafters were attached and set in place, we used some scrap 2×4 boards to add the collar ties to brace the rafters. Lastly, we added a brace on the back wall to support the gable.
For our roofing materials, we decided to use galvanized steel. This is the tin roofing material and this ridge cap that we used. We did not add any other type of flashing. Instead, we trimmed everything out with wood to cover any sharp edges.
THE SIDING
After the roof was on, it was time for the siding. We decide to use these inexpensive fence pickets from Home Depot for our siding. Since they are 6’ in length, they fit perfectly on the back wall with no cutting required (except for the roof pitch area). For the right and left side walls, we just cut them to length as needed. We overlapped each fence picket slightly, by about 1,” as we stacked and nailed them into the studs. Before we installed them, I stained both sides of the pickets, which saved a ton of time and made it much easier than staining them after they were hung. This PPG Timeless Stain in American Chestnut is the stain I use on everything.
We finished by trimming out the entire playhouse to give it a seamless look. For the outside corners and the windows, we used 1×4 boards. We used a larger 1×6 board to trim out the front.
THE RAILING
At this point, we just needed to finish the railing. For the railing we are using 4×4 posts and these 24” Steel Rebar pins. Here is a front view of our railing with our overall dimensions.
Start with four 4×4 posts and cut each post 32” in length. On one side of each 4×4 post, drill a 3/4” diameter hole every 4 inches for the steel rebar pins. Each hole that we drilled is about 3” deep. We ended up with 6 holes on each 4×4 post with some extra space at the bottom. At the bottom of the 4×4 post, we added a notch so we can attach it to the front of the playhouse platform. Here is a side view of one of our posts.
It was easiest to attach one 4×4 post to the playhouse platform and then add the rebar pins before attaching the next post. For the top railing, we just added a 2×4 board across the top of the 4×4 posts. We finished it off by adding steel brackets to the backside bottom of the posts for extra security.
FINISHING TOUCHES
We added a few finishing touches to personalize our DIY playhouse. The shutters are just made out of 1×4 boards, painted black, and attached with hinges. We also added a pulley with a bucket and rope so the kids hoist and haul things into the playhouse. Lastly, I made a chalkboard for the back wall. It actually folds down and converts into a table. I’ll explain the chalkboard table in more depth in another blog post. You can scroll to the bottom of this post for the entire list of sources for the décor items.
We have plans to add on to our playhouse over time. I am sure as our kids grow older we will add a few things to keep it interesting for their age levels (thinking zip line, haha). It will constantly be a work in progress, but we will call it finished for now!
UPDATE: You can view some additions we’ve added to this blog post.
SOURCES
White Outdoor Curtains from Home Goods (Similar Option) | Solar Powered LED Outdoor String Lights | 3’x5’ Black and White Rug (Similar Option) | Natural Square Pouf Ottoman (Similar Option) | Galvanized Trough Planter (local, Cocalico Creek) | Galvanized Bucket | Climbing Rope and Swing | Chalkboard Table
*This post contains affiliate links*
48 Responses
Hi! I came across this post looking for design inspiration on a fort we started building for our kids. Your design, decor and colors are great! Would you mind sharing the info for the chalkboard table? Thanks so much!
Hi Erin! Yes, I’ve had several requests for more info on the chalkboard table. I’ll move it to the front of the list for the next blog post and make it a priority! Stay tuned
Hi there! THIS IS ADORABLE! Your sense of style is just so cute. What lucky kids :). Do you mind sharing which planters those are? Thank you so much.
Thank you so much! Unfortunately I do not have a link to the planters because I purchased them at a local store. If you search for “galvanized trough planter” you might have luck finding something similar.
Hello! I was wondering if you would share about how much it cost for you to build this. My husband and I were trying to figure out an estimate. I read the whole post and may have missed it. Thank you!
I am so sorry, I don’t have a good idea of how much it cost. We got the play set for free which is what we started with. From there it was lumbar, roofing, and stain costs. I would estimate about $200 for additional lumber/siding? And maybe about $100 for the roofing materials.
Hey. I wanted to know how high is the platform of the playhouse from the base. The height for the stairs and slide ?
It is 50″ from the ground to the top of the platform.
Looking to do something similar on a smaller scale for a raised dog house. What type of wood did you use?
That would be so cute! We used all pressure treated wood.
I’m wondering how you hung the curtains. If we hang ours on a rod there will be a gap above them.
I just added screws and spaced them equally apart on the inside of the playhouse. I hung each curtain grommet on a screw.
Hi Erin! I love your playhouse! I plan on making one in the next few months. Can you tell me, did you need concrete footers for this?
Hi Janet! Thank you so much! We did not use concrete footers since we started with an existing playset base. It is so heavy I don’t think it’s going anywhere. We’ve had some major winds and even a tree limb fall on the playhouse and it didn’t budge. If I was building from scratch, I might consider concrete footers, but it’s probably not necessary. Hope that helps!
We did concrete footers and it was SUCH a pain. took forever. digging 4 holes 3 feet deep, getting the cement mixed up, and hauled up the hill out back… agggh
I bet! I’m sure it’s necessary in some scenarios, but ours has held up well without footers.
Great project I was wondering what type of wood was used? Also did you use bolts or screws? Thank you.
Thank you! We used all pressure-treated wood for this project. We used lag bolts on anything structural, like the base, but mostly everything else is done with exterior screws.
Muy interesante las muestras para realizar casitas para juegos recreativos para niños..
Thank you!
Its wonderful
Aw thank you so much!
Hi Erin, It’s so wonderful !!
I wanted to have the exact one for my kid . Is there any way we can buy it as we have no knowledge of building.It would be greatful if you let me know where can I get one
Thank you
Aw thank you so much! I am so sorry, unfortunately I do not know where you could purchase something similar.
Hey, my daughter and I love your playhouse. It will be her birthday present. I was curious about the structure bas supports, are they 4×4 or 6×6. Thanks so much for sharing your project. Shes going to love it.
Aw that is so exciting! They are just 4×4 posts.
Hi! We are in the process of building this for our boys, thanks so much for sharing it and your cute ideas! I was wondering if you used a stain on the wood to protect it from weathering and if so do you know what color/kind. Thanks again!!
So fun! I’m sure your boys will love it! I used PPG Timeless Stain in American Chestnut from Home Depot, but unfortunately they no longer carry it.
Hi! Beautiful play set! The kids must really enjoy it. I was curious about the wood and staining. I saw that you used PT wood and stained it afterward. Did you have to wait for the wood to dry out or took a chance and stained right after? Thanks!
Thank you! It depends on the wood. We’ve gotten PT wood that feels super heavy and wet and we’ve also gotten PT wood that feels much lighter/dryer. To be on the safe side, I would let PT wood dry out for a bit before staining. Usually doesn’t take long.
I have a ramp up to our playhouse… but would prefer a ladder. How did you get that ladder built?
These steps came with the original free playset we got. I think hardware stores sell pre-made stair stringers that you might be able to use and keep it simple.
This is absolutely adorable!
Thank you so much Lisa!
Hi, we love this design so much and are hoping to build this for our son soon. I’m curious, do y’all have a materials list created for the project? Thank you so much!
Thank you Laura! Unfortunately, this was before my blogging days and I did not document it perfectly. I have most of the supplies listed in the post, but not a specific cut list or anything. So sorry about that. I hope you do try to build one!
My son-in-law is building this for our home for our 7 Grandkids!
Can we purchase your plans?
Aw so exciting! I don’t really have plans, this was more of a build as we go project.
Love this! What color stain did you use?
Thank you! It is linked above under “siding” but unfortunately it is no longer available.
Hello, I was looking to build this for my daughter, I was just wondering what the height is from the bottom of the ground to the top of the wooden floor. The height of the sand box area if you will.
Thank you
Hi Jonathan! It is 50″ from the ground to the top of the platform. The sandbox is 7″ high
Hello was just wondering the height area of the sandbox was
Hello! The sandbox is 7″ high