You're still building a playhouse on your own -- except the pieces are already cut and finished. Playhouse kits usually offer more options and extras, just like miniature model homes. It's a great introduction to DIY outdoor structures. Read the instructions and assemble. Piece of cake, right? You still need to be mindful of a few basics, like:
- Make sure all pieces are included.
- If something seems unclear, consult the manufacturer's website.
- Gather all tools and supplies.
- Enlist help (like those kids who'll be using the playhouse).
- Lightly sand rough edges of wood pieces.
- Don't rush through the project: Haste makes waste.
Cape Cod by Little Cottage Co.
Photo Courtesy of PriceGrabber
This playhouse includes all of the charming architectural features of a Cape Cod-style house, like dormers, a high, soaring ceiling, and a Dutch door. Cute flower boxes add personal touches and can help introduce your child to gardening. The large 14”x21” working windows with safety glass, grids, and screens allow natural light into the playhouse.
Features:
Features:
- All parts are precut and ready to assemble
- Two working 14”x21” windows with safety glass, grids and screens
- Two Cape Cod dormers
- Three Cape Cod dormers
- Child's dutch door
- Adult dutch door on side (61"x34")
- Shutters and flower boxes
- Optional wood flooring, deck and painted rail, loft and chimney
Daniels Wood Land Original Outdoor Wood Tree Playhouse
Photo courtesy of Hayneedle
OK. So, if they ask you to have a forklift ready for when the playhouse arrives, it isn't exactly a sweat-equity, get down and get dirty DIY project.
But Daniels Wood Land playhouses are really cool, featuring highly imaginative designs. And they aren't inexpensive.
The Original, pictured, is one of the more modest models. Among its attributes:
- An old, hollowed-out log to climb up
- A trap door
- Six crooked windows
- Shingled roof
- Log porch
- Log door
- Clubhouse floor measures 4' x 5'
Gorilla Playsets Breckenridge Playhouse
Photo courtesy of PriceGrabber
Named after the Colorado ski resort town, Gorilla Playsets' Breckenridge is a cabin-style playhouse that looks like the perfect vacation house for your kids. Roomy by playhouse standards, the Breckenridge includes a weather-resistant roof with dormer windows, sliding windows, Dutch doors, a front porch and a flower box for decoration. Constructed of cedar, the playhouse is sealed to resist rot, decay and insect damage. All lumber is pre-cut, pre-sanded and pre-stained. In a nutshell, the Breckenridge comes equipped with everything except the petunias and pansies for the flower box.
Handy Home Hampton Chalet Playhouse
Photo Courtesy of PriceGrabber
Handy Home Products' Hampton Chalet kit has future plans: it becomes a 470-cubic-foot storage shed when the kids no longer want to "play house." Includes a floor kit and pre-cut pieces; no sawing involved. You also don't need special tools or experienced carpentry skills. It features:
- Sturdy 2"x 4" construction with double top plates.
- All nails, screws, hardware and simple, illustrated instructions are included.
- Factory-primed SmartSide(TM) Siding, an engineered wood product that's treated to resist fungal decay and wood-destroying insects.
- 5’-high sidewalls.
- Two doors (one on each gable side).
- Two working aluminum windows with screens, shutters and flower boxes.
HomePlace Treehouse Loft
Photo courtesy of PriceGrabber
A fun twist on the traditional playhouse and treehouse, HomePlace Structures' Treehouse Loft includes swings and a slide. It's like a playset or swingset and a playhouse or tree house in one unit -- an especially great idea if you are short on backyard space.
- Treehouse loft is made of wood
- Elegant structure combines style with function
- Includes one rubber sling swing and one trapeze
- Southern yellow pine construction (treated with wood preserve)
- 6' x 8' Sandbox with 4 wood panel seats (sand not included)
- 6' x 5' x 6' Play cabin with 3' front porch
- Dutch door and windows included
- 10' wave slide
Little Cottage Co. Gingerbread Playhouse Kit
Photo Courtesy of PriceGrabber
Gingerbread refers to architecturally showy and highly ornamental decoration on the facade of a house. The style is appealing to chldren, which is why the Little Cottage Company's kit is a good one for gingerbread fans. All parts are precut and ready to assemble. Features include:
- Flower boxes with gingerbread trim.
- Interior height of 82”.
- Two working 14”x21” windows with safety glass, grids, and screens.
- A third window is heart-shaped and located above the entryway.
- Duratemp siding pre-fastened onto wall panels.
- Gingerbread trim prefastened to panels.
- Child's Dutch door (40"h x 20"w)
- Adult Dutch door on side (61"h x 34" w)
- Optional deck and painted rail.
- Optional loft and chimney.
Victorian Playhouse Kit by Little Cottage
Photo courtesy of PriceGrabber
This Victorian mini-mansion boasts many amenities with plenty of space to decorate and furnish. And for many young "homeowners," decorating, redecorating and moving around furniture is half the fun of playing house.
All parts are precut and ready to assemble. Features:
- Hardwood flooring.
- Two working 12” x 18” windows with safety glass, grids, and screens.
- Shutters and flower boxes.
- One painted heart-shaped plexiglass window.
- Child-sized Dutch door (35"h x 16"w)
- Adult Dutch door on side (47"h x 24"w)
- Optional deck and painted rail.
- Optional loft and chimney.
Pennfield Cottage Playhouse
Photo Courtesy of PriceGrabber
This detailed playhouse by the Little Cottage Co. looks like one of those idyllic houses you'd see in a movie, only on a smaller scale. The standard kit includes a front porch with balustrade, railing and dormer windows. Panelized walls sections (not just precut) saves time in assembly. All other parts are precut and ready to assemble. Other features:
- Interior is approximately 8' at highest point.
- Wood wall framing
- Wood trusses.
- Two working 14"x21" windows with safety-glass grids and screens.
- Shutters and flower boxes.
- Child-sized Dutch door.
- Adult Dutch door on side.
- Hardware needed to assemble (screws, latches, handles, nails).
- Outside corner trim (white aluminum).
- Primed siding and trim.
- Floor kit included.
Victorian Playhouse with Deck by HomePlace
Photo Courtesy of PriceGrabber
Victorians are popular. HomePlace's Victorian is an elegantly designed and well-engineered kit that will go from playhouse to garden shed with ease. This modular kit includes preassembled floor, wall, and roof sections.
Prior to placing an order, HomePlace advises to check with your local building, zoning, and neighborhood association to obtain any applicable permits. More information:
- Includes a deck with vinyl railing
- Can be assembled using a few basic carpentry tools.
- Paint and add shingles to suit your (or her) taste. It's recommended that you purchase approximately three bundles of shingles and two gallons of paint, none of which is included in the kit.
