These amazing customized playhouses are each designed and built by separate teams consisting of contractors, home builders, architects, interior designers, landscape architects and designers, and various companies that supply everything from lumber to glass and plumbing to paint.
Now in its 17th year, Project Playhouse first opened its doors in 1992 in Orange County, California, and is the largest event of its kind in the United States. The playhouses are on display to the public at shopping centers, museums and stadiums in major cities, then sold at live auctions. Proceeds benefit each city's local chapter of HomeAid, a national nonprofit organization that builds dignified housing for homeless families and individuals.
The Americana Del Mar is one of eight Project Playhouse designs on exhibit at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, CA, until Oct. 11, 2008. The house on the left, the Americana Del Mar, is a Corona del Mar-style California cottage and will be available for auction on Oct. 11. To its right is Wahoo's Xtreme Sports Shack, another beach house that will be given to the lucky winner of a raffle that is being held throughout the exhibit.