Outdoor playhouses...
Discussion
I have a 3 year old daughter and I've found myself looking up outdoor playhouses.......anyone got this sort of thing at home? Do kids actually use them a lot? At what age do they grow out of them?
Of course I've got carried away and found myself looking at rather expensive big stuff, like this: https://fatmoose.co.uk/climbing-frame-with-wendy-h...
I think perhaps I just like the idea of building it haha
Of course I've got carried away and found myself looking at rather expensive big stuff, like this: https://fatmoose.co.uk/climbing-frame-with-wendy-h...
I think perhaps I just like the idea of building it haha
My experience with that sort of thing is less is more
We got a plastic little tykes outdoor play house, not used as much as we thought (in summer you must put sun lotion in first etc)
However, in the winter we moved it into the lounge, it was used an awful lot more!
We do have a big lounge so it was easy to do so.
We got a plastic little tykes outdoor play house, not used as much as we thought (in summer you must put sun lotion in first etc)
However, in the winter we moved it into the lounge, it was used an awful lot more!
We do have a big lounge so it was easy to do so.
Got this one for my kids in the summer:
https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Outdoor-P...
Play on it most of the times when they're outside, is a bit of a spiders playground mostly. Took me and my dad a day to build.
https://www.costco.co.uk/Toys-Baby-Child/Outdoor-P...
Play on it most of the times when they're outside, is a bit of a spiders playground mostly. Took me and my dad a day to build.
Spare tyre said:
Also, how close is your local park. We have one a 3 and 5 minute stroll away
I much prefer going there as a treat
Yeah not too far, but I must say I hate standing there on a cold Sunday morning with a mild hangover, perhaps why I'm considering a playground in my own garden hahaI much prefer going there as a treat
But I do think it would take up a lot of room to not be used much!
Beware some of the plastic ones: the door frames in particular are pretty flimsy and don’t stand up to either typical kids playing or the winter weather. You also need to dismantle them and put them inside in high winds. Other than that, my two love theirs, albeit the door frame & hinges are covered in Araldite and gaffer tape.
Had a little tikes one who lasted well for both my kids and I sold it on again when they grew out of it and got some money back at the end. Granted maybe not what the OP is looking for but it lasted around 10 years in our garden left out in all weathers with nothing more than an annual blast with a pressure washer.
My kids loved it and got a lot of use out of it.
My kids loved it and got a lot of use out of it.
I do think I'm just selling myself the idea of building it because that'll be a weekend of fun!
https://fatmoose.co.uk/climbing-frame-pacificpearl...
https://fatmoose.co.uk/climbing-frame-pacificpearl...
UTH said:
I have a 3 year old daughter and I've found myself looking up outdoor playhouses.......anyone got this sort of thing at home? Do kids actually use them a lot? At what age do they grow out of them?
Of course I've got carried away and found myself looking at rather expensive big stuff, like this: https://fatmoose.co.uk/climbing-frame-with-wendy-h...
I think perhaps I just like the idea of building it haha
We have something like that, it has a house, various swings (including one that can take up to 80kg), it has a step on thing that rocks too and a punchbag etc.. It was rather expensive, plus I had to pay someone to build it... Of course I've got carried away and found myself looking at rather expensive big stuff, like this: https://fatmoose.co.uk/climbing-frame-with-wendy-h...
I think perhaps I just like the idea of building it haha
Thankfully they have used it 2-3 times.
See also the 1.5k bouncy castle !!
I made this one when the kids were little: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CsxKFr38jAYUAxzf1
Size was determined by the concrete pad from the previous owners' hot tub. It's held up very well, but then it's massively overbuilt compared to a typical shed. My fancy windows haven't held up that well though, and the thing is covered in various kinds of poster paint where they've wanted to "improve" it.
They don't use it much now so it's become more of a store for various outdoor toys. There's just under 6' clearance at the top of the pitched roof but the door is too low for them to walk through, that probably happened at about 7 or 8 years old. Planning next year to double the size of the slab and build a new (adult-sized) summerhouse that we can all use when the weather is nice.
Size was determined by the concrete pad from the previous owners' hot tub. It's held up very well, but then it's massively overbuilt compared to a typical shed. My fancy windows haven't held up that well though, and the thing is covered in various kinds of poster paint where they've wanted to "improve" it.
They don't use it much now so it's become more of a store for various outdoor toys. There's just under 6' clearance at the top of the pitched roof but the door is too low for them to walk through, that probably happened at about 7 or 8 years old. Planning next year to double the size of the slab and build a new (adult-sized) summerhouse that we can all use when the weather is nice.
I built one - but had some mission creep.
Level 1 was a 'house' with seats, door, window. Level 2 you climbed up steps into, had a jumping off platform and a spy hole, level 3 was accessed by the climbing wall up the front or the ladder to the rear, with slide one way and rope swing the other, Level 4 was BOSS level when the kids learned to climb on the roof.....It was about 8' high and lasted mine and the neighbours kids for at least 5 years before they grew out of it.
They do need progression - so many of the wee plasticcy houses barely get used before they are off on a bike / running / climbing / going to pub with mates....
It was much cheaper to design my own and build out of CLS / planed wood and decking planks, painted, and I bought the slide, climbing holds etc myself. It took myself and a mate a day to build it with a chop saw and hand drills. IIRC, the roof covering, fixings and (good) paint cost way more than all the wood, climbing holds and slide combined. It was also built out of heavier gauge timber than most of the commercial stuff was.
Level 1 was a 'house' with seats, door, window. Level 2 you climbed up steps into, had a jumping off platform and a spy hole, level 3 was accessed by the climbing wall up the front or the ladder to the rear, with slide one way and rope swing the other, Level 4 was BOSS level when the kids learned to climb on the roof.....It was about 8' high and lasted mine and the neighbours kids for at least 5 years before they grew out of it.
They do need progression - so many of the wee plasticcy houses barely get used before they are off on a bike / running / climbing / going to pub with mates....
It was much cheaper to design my own and build out of CLS / planed wood and decking planks, painted, and I bought the slide, climbing holds etc myself. It took myself and a mate a day to build it with a chop saw and hand drills. IIRC, the roof covering, fixings and (good) paint cost way more than all the wood, climbing holds and slide combined. It was also built out of heavier gauge timber than most of the commercial stuff was.
alangla said:
Beware some of the plastic ones: the door frames in particular are pretty flimsy and don t stand up to either typical kids playing or the winter weather. You also need to dismantle them and put them inside in high winds. Other than that, my two love theirs, albeit the door frame & hinges are covered in Araldite and gaffer tape.
We were worried about ours, but for a few seasons it didn’t go anywhereI did however drill a hole, squirt a tiny bit of bleach in and then half fill some of the walls with water to stop it moving about so much as they got a bit bigger
The bleach was to prevent stuff growing
Anything plastic and outdoors toy related you can generally buy it, use it and sell it for more or less the same
We’ve even had free stuff for years then given it away
I picked up 2 from gumtree when mine were little and made them into 1. Look very carefully at the size of the timber.
The first one we had was from a local, commercial company and it is very solid and has lasted very well. The second was very much a domestic item and in comparison it's made from matchsticks. The timber is markedly smaller in diameter.
The first one we had was from a local, commercial company and it is very solid and has lasted very well. The second was very much a domestic item and in comparison it's made from matchsticks. The timber is markedly smaller in diameter.
Paid £800 for ours 16 years ago in January for my daughter when she was born.
It's been in two houses, I paint it with 'ducks back' every 3 or 4 years and replaced the felt last summer, it's great.
It's been
a. playhouse for a girl
b. playhouse for a boy
c. den for girls parties etc
d. den for boys
e. summer video gaming room
and now
f. shed to keep the garden stuff and lawn mower in
Buy a timber one and look after it, they're great if you keep on top of maintenance!
hahaha and here it was in 2011 with said daughter lol
It's been in two houses, I paint it with 'ducks back' every 3 or 4 years and replaced the felt last summer, it's great.
It's been
a. playhouse for a girl
b. playhouse for a boy
c. den for girls parties etc
d. den for boys
e. summer video gaming room
and now
f. shed to keep the garden stuff and lawn mower in
Buy a timber one and look after it, they're great if you keep on top of maintenance!
hahaha and here it was in 2011 with said daughter lol
Edited by dundarach on Friday 10th October 14:29
dundarach said:
a. playhouse for a girl
b. playhouse for a boy
c. den for girls parties etc
d. den for boys
e. summer video gaming room
and now
f. shed to keep the garden stuff and lawn mower in
Ah, so you have not got to the 'teens hangout' and space to 'get up to things your mum worries about' stage yet... b. playhouse for a boy
c. den for girls parties etc
d. den for boys
e. summer video gaming room
and now
f. shed to keep the garden stuff and lawn mower in
Had a wooden Wendy house in the garden for years, just got rid of it this summer. Daughter now 21;)
We built it and painted it together when she was about 5 or 6. She absolutely loved playing in it til she went to secondary school (and even a bit after although she wouldn't appreciate me saying that).
Definitely a good thing to do.
We built it and painted it together when she was about 5 or 6. She absolutely loved playing in it til she went to secondary school (and even a bit after although she wouldn't appreciate me saying that).
Definitely a good thing to do.
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