Backyard Playhouse

February 5, 2010
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53 comments

We’ve been spending time outside in our playhouse lately, and I realized I’ve never posted pictures of it on this blog.  Some of you might have seen it in my Daddy Story on Bloesem Kids.  Last fall I decided to utilize the strip of cement behind our garage and fit a playhouse to that space.  I tried to keep the design as simple as possible and used all non toxic paint and varnish.  I’d never built anything this large before, but it was pretty fun and economical.

I painted one of the walls with chalkboard paint. Which has turned out to be one of the best features so far. The kids love drawing in there.

Above is one of my high tech blueprints.

53 Responses
  7. Joel Henriques

    Thanks everyone. And yes, the windows are plexiglass. I handmade some wood brackets/bevels so that they are just "floating" in the frame. That way I didn't have to try and drill through plexi, which can easily cause cracking. And it's very easy to replace a window if necessary.

    Also, the whole thing is modular, so it can be unassembled and moved, or added on to.

  8. Tina

    Love it Joel!! Our girls love their chalkboard wall in their cubby too, so much that we actually painted a chalkboard panel in our kitchen so they can draw whilst I cook. Love your design and that it has a light – wow! Have a lovely day – Tina

  9. Joel Henriques

    Ooh, chalkboard in the kitchen. That's a good idea! And yeah, since I wasn't going to get much light while in between the garage and the fence, I tried to make the end windows as large as possible. Worked pretty well. It gets a surprising amount of natural light. Then the little ikea hanging light helps too.

  10. Kylie

    That is so fabulous :) My dad made my sister and I a free-standing Cubby house (actually it was on wheels!) and we loved it so much. Chalkboard is really an inspired idea. K

  11. Adrienne Brown-David

    That's really awesome (and we love chalkboard paint here too)! I love that i stumbled upon your blog. It's so full of insipation.

  15. NoeKs blogt...

    Wow, that house is beautiful! Wish we had a big garden, a house like that would definitely be great in it!!

  16. The Design Boards

    I just found your blog, I love all the projects you do for your children. You are a true inspiration!

  22. Lillabilly

    This is lovely! The decorator in me says that you must frame your high tech blue print and hang it, with a couple of other funky prints and maybe a photo or two of your kids, on that awesome orange wall.

  24. Joel Henriques

    Yes, I do need to hang some stuff on the walls in there. Good idea Lillabilly!

    And I used mostly 2X2's and plywood, and then metal roofing. I also found really good non-toxic varnish and paint. That's pretty much it.

  25. Jenny Hillman

    Joel,
    This is a fantastic playhouse! Enlarge it a little, and it's a studio! We have been wanting to build something for our kids, too, and have them help with the process, so I am sure they will love this as inspiration. :)
    I would love to know more details about the construction; do you suppose you'll have an updated post with a few steps of the building outlined? I am actually most interested in learning about how you hung the light in there, and how it's wired (plugged in to an area directly outside? what about rainy weather? etc.).
    Once again, beautiful!
    Jenny

  29. AmberLee

    what a treat to find your blog. and what a great space of a playhouse. can't wait to share with my husband. i think he'll be inspired instead of exhausted.

  31. JOE WILDE

    HEY JOEL, JUST FOUND YOUR BLOG AND WAS REALLY INSPIRED TO SEE A FELLOW PAPA BEAR GETTING BUSY WITH HIS FINGERS AND HIS HEART. I HAVE JUST STARTED A SMALL BUSINESS SELLING RECYCLED WOODEN CHILDRENS TRIKES AND BIKES AND OTHER BIBS AND BOBS…IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK ON WHAT'S BEING CREATED – CHECK OUT tinysherwood.blogspot.com AND HEY, HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND WITH THE KIDDO'S. CHEERS, JOE

  33. Diacritique

    Hello

    I'd like to paint one of the walls of my kids'room with chalkboard paint but so far, I didn't find any non toxic chalkboard paint. May I ask what you used for your wall?
    Thank you in advance. It's a great job! (and your blog is really incredible! Thank you for sharing!)

  34. Joel Henriques

    I can't remember which brand I used, but I do know that Plaid FolkArt Chalkboard Paint is non-toxic. I used something similar to that.

  35. Anonymous

    Hi Joel,
    Wondering how you ran electricity in there for the hanging lamp. Very lovely and inspiring design and execution too!…
    Liz

  36. Joel Henriques

    I installed an outdoor socket on the side of the garage, right next to the playhouse, then ran a small outdoor rated extension cord up the garage wall and right under the roof of the playhouse. then added a switch to it. the cord is all tucked away, so it's nice and neat. We also plug in a little heater sometimes in the winter.

  37. Anonymous

    I so totally love this! I'm attempting to become more handy with wood/nails/hammer and you've given me something to aspire to build! Thanks for posting this!!
    Shannon

  38. heela

    OMG! I accidentally came across this blog after being up late studying (yes on a friday night people…this is what happens when you have kids. You just find the time whenever you can)…anywho, now I CANNOT stop reading! I am super-crazy-jealous of this playhouse. I am going to make my husband build me one!! ha…j/k. I meant I will make him build one for my daughter.

    I really like the ikea light + the orange walls. Such a fun and bright interior, I probably wouldn't change ANYTHING about it, you did an awesome job!

  40. Lauren

    Hi Joel,

    Have you thought about making a tutorial to show people how you did this exactly and selling it on etsy or some other crafty venue? If you do, I would love to buy it :)

    Thanks!

  41. Joel Henriques

    Lauren – Thanks. I had some basic "blueprints" that I made in photoshop, but ended up changing things a bit as I went. If I ever had the time to make a step by step tutorial, I'll post it online so people can have it. It probably wouldn't be precise enough to sell. If you have any basic questions though, I'd be happy to answer them.

  48. kay

    hello!

    love the playhouse idea, what are the dimensions of the playhouse?
    are the kiddos still enjoying it?

    Thanks!

    1. Joel

      Thanks. Yes, the kids still play in it! And it’s built on a 4×8 sheet of plywood (for the floor). I think it’s a little over 6 feet tall.

  49. Carlota

    Hello Joel,

    I loved your project! I wanted to email you to find out if you didn’t mind if I shared your cute playhouse in a post in my blog, but I could’t find your email address.

    If you want to take a look at it it’s here:

    http://marrojo19.com/casitas-de-ninos-parte-i/

    Just let me know if you are ok with me posting this, or if you want me to make any changes.

    Thank you!

    Carlota