DIY Playhouse Plans - Build it Yourself and Save Money

The last time I did a quick look for playhouse kits, I was shocked to find out how much I could pay for an item like this, not to mention the added shipping costs for all the lumber. It didn't take me long to figure out that the money spent on delivery charges alone would pay for much of the lumber if I build the playhouse myself. Now the challenge is finding playhouse plans that I'm capable of building.

This is where it gets a little tricky. If you've looked around, you've seen some pretty elaborate playhouse designs for sale. Most of these plans seem to be made by experienced carpenters, who approach the project as simply a scaled-down version of the real houses they are familiar building. Nothing wrong with having a playhouse built with this kind of strength and integrity, but whether the average DIY builder can take on a project like this is another story. If you know how to build a house, or know someone who does, these kinds of playhouse plans will work fine. If not, take some care to find a project design that is in your range of skills.

The good news is that playhouses do not really need the same structural details that you'll find in a real house. Here are a few places in the basic design where you can cut a few corners, and still have a perfectly fine playhouse for the kids.

Floor - Some of the more elaborate playhouse plans call for 2x6 lumber in all floor joist members. This is fine for houses and outdoor sheds, but a small playhouse can work fine using less expensive 2x4s. Go ahead keep with the typical spacing of floor joists (16" on center) and I'd also stay with laying ѕ" plywood on top.

Walls - Some plans get a little carried away with the construction of walls, following the same techniques used in building a real house. That means lots of intricate cripple studs, window headers, and door frames. Most of these features can be simplified. For example, it's not really necessary to keep wall studs 16" on center. A plywood wall needs only a few boards to hold it up, one at each side and one or two the middle. And a simple window can easily be cut from the center of the plywood, and framed out with wood trim.

Roof - It's always a good idea to keep a playhouse water tight, and so the roof is where you should pay the most attention. Most plans call for typical roof construction, and that means plywood sheathing, tar paper, and asphalt shingles. With such a small roof to work with, this is money well spent, regardless of how simple of a design you settle on. The way to save time and money here is to skip the typical gable-roof style and build a simple one-piece roof with a slope. This will do a fine job of keeping rain and snow diverted and save you the trouble of cutting lots of rafter angles.

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