The following project is a terrific one to do with your kids. If they are 4 or 14, they will be able to help. I built a playhouse with my son when he was about 4 years old and he uses it more today (he is 9) than he did when it was built. There are parts that your kids (and spouses) can help with and some that they cannot. When my son was 4, he would help screw in screws for the framing and help with some of the nailing. Once the structure was in place, he helped to paint the playhouse with his mom. It was a terrific family project that we stretched out over a couple of months.
We placed this in an area of our yard that floods with about 5 inches of water a couple of times a year so we decided to build the house on stilts and then built a cool bridge going out to it. The touches that make your playhouse different from anyone else’s are really what will stand out in the end.
On to what you are here for, Free Playhouse Plans. These plans come from the site ana-white.com. If you haven’t visited, you really must. It is a terrific site full of DIY’ers who share their projects and plans.
You will find the free plans by clicking on the image. I would suggest you read the comments and then read the “brag” posts about others who built their own and consider the modifications that they included.
In my case, one of the best suggestions offered to me had to do with the width of the door. A neighbor cam by as we were framing it up and I said that I would probably use this as a storage shed when my son was no longer using it. He asked if I could fit my lawnmower through the door. I couldn’t, but 10 minutes later I could. That change was a great one that I am happy about to this day. You can never have too much storage.
One other suggestion that I would make has to do with buttoning up the structure to the elements, vermin, and insects. We built ours as if it were a seasonal home. In the plan from Ana White, they have a deck-like floor. This will be a favorite of mosquitoes and spiders. I would suggest using a plywood material for the floor. There are 2 benefits to this:
- The bugs can’t get through
- A sheet or two of plywood will be much less expensive than deck boards.
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