Children love the thrill of having their own ‘den’ to invite the neighbourhood kids round to play in. It can be good for them to ‘play house’ and have a bit of independence – at the same time they are safe at home under an adults watchful eye.
Building a playhouse for your children can be rewarding, just keep in mind the safety aspects and it really can be child’s play!
Getting started
First choose somewhere in your garden to site the playhouse which is within sight range of the main house so you can keep an eye on your children while they play. Sheds and playhouses should be built on a solid, level concrete base so this needs to be prepared first. Next, collect your tools together, hammer, screw driver, drill, screws, nails and door furniture and a set of stepladders.
Lay the playhouse floor in position, making sure it is square to the base. If you have room, lay the wall panels down flat, surrounding the base in the position where they will go.
Follow the instructions provided with your playhouse, attaching adjacent side panels only to each other – not the floor panel at this stage.
Next attach the door itself, making sure there are no surrounding gaps or sharp edges which may trap or injure little fingers. It is a good idea to attach a hook at the side of the door so you can secure the door open without risk of a gust of wind slamming it shut. Some playhouses have a split stable door which can be nice for those not-so-sunny days.
The Roof
Once all the wall panels are in place and you have checked they are squared up you can attach the roof to the side panels, once this is done you can then attach all side panels to the wooden floor base. To protect the playhouse from the elements, you will need to attach roofing felt to the roof panels. Felt is generally supplied in strips, to ensure the roof is weather proof you will need to overlap each strip by an inch or so.
Finishing Touches
There are plenty of finishing touches that you can choose to look into when constructing the playhouse for example window boxes, railing and window shutters. The finish of the playhouse is also up to your own choice, many playhouses arrive with the wood already treated to protect against the weather but you could also consider one of the colourful wood stains which you can get for fence panels and outdoor wooden furniture.
Let your imagination go and you may find yourself choosing the kids playhouse for your own sanctuary!
Article written by Jennifer Holden representing www.abbeylawn.com who create and sell all manner of garden sheds from playhouses to steel garages.