Table of Contents
- 1Introduction - Materials list
- 2 The Plans - Cutting detail 1
- 3The Plans - Cutting detail 2
- 4Cutting Ideas from Full Sheets
- 5Making the Floor
- 6Making the Walls and Roof
- 7Standing and Fixing the Walls
- 8Attaching the Roof
- 9Making the Door and Windows
- 10Dismantling and adding the panes
- 11Re-assembling the playhouse
Making the Floor
It’s a good idea to skim through all the pages before you start to see what is involved and to get a feel for the project.
Refer to the plans and cutting detail plans (Plan 2) when necessary and use the menu at the top to jump back and forth as need be.
Step 1. The skids (bearers)
Cut two 4″ x 4″ (100mm x 100mm) skids at 86″ (2150mm) long.
Lay them parallel on a flat surface so that they are 48″ (1200mm) apart overall.
Step 2. The floor joists
Cut five 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ (90mm x 45mm) joists 64″ (1600mm) long.
Fix the two end joists (one each end) to the skids, 4″ (100mm) in from each end.
Attach a string-line to one side, giving a straight line to set the intermediate joists to.
Cut six blocks of wood out of 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ (90mm x 45mm) at 17 1/4″ (430mm) long.
Fix the first two against an end joist so both of them are parallel and flush with the outside edges of the skids.
Then place an intermediate joist against the blocks and the string-line and nail in place.
Repeat the procedure until the final intermediate joist is fixed in place.
Measure, cut, and fix the last two blocks into position.
Check that the floor frame is square by measuring diagonally from corner to corner.
Make any necessary adjustments.
When the diagonal measurements are equal, then the frame is square.
Step 3. The floor
Cut a sheet of plywood 76 3/4″ (1920mm) long by 48″ (1200mm) wide and sit it on top of the floor joists.
The sides of the plywood should be flush with the outside edges of the blocking, and the two ends should be set back approximately 1/2″ (12mm) from each end joist, thus allowing a ledge for the front and end walls to sit on.
Once positioned, nail the plywood floor in place.
Hello there,
First of all thanks for posting the plans for this project on the web for all to use. The friends kids love it when they come round for the garden parties etc.
It is quite a lot of work and took me a whole week to complete, after all the parts were delivered. I was working approx 8 hours a day for 7 days. It is a good idea to make sure all the tools you require are sharp and in good condition so that you don’t have to stop in the middle of a cut etc.
The one point I would like to highlight is that the 90mm cut in the end panels for the lower roof sections doesn’t take into account the 18mm of board that forms the lower roof section.
To clarify. If you measure up 130mm along the vertical edge of the end panel and join this to a point 930mm to the right of the vertical edge, it will be the correct distance from the parallel line drawn from the lower left corner. Those calculations will work out correct. The parallel lines will end up at approx 108mm apart.
What is incorrect is the number shown on the drawing stating that the parallel lines will be 90mm apart. When constructing the playhouse you will be using a 90mm piece of lumber screwed to a 18mm piece of plywood which means the parallel lines should be approx 108mm apart.
I have got some pictures attached here and will be completing a blog about it at http://www.bunglesmate.co.uk/blog/2014/10/04/saturday-27th-september-2014-playhouse/
Hi, I built the plywood playhouse from these plans: https://www.buildeazy.com/plywood-playhouse/ Just finished a couple days ago.
I don’t recommend this project for someone with no prior carpentry experience as there are a number of cuts that require angled mitre cuts and some of the plywood cuts are really long. The instructions were fairly easy to follow with only a couple of dimensional hiccups. Foremost, the side walls, using standard 4×8 plywood, do not quite reach the lower roof. I didn’t have to trim that edge to fit the slope, which was kind of a relief. However, there is about a 1″ gap. Everything else worked pretty well and I love the design. Here are some other changes and comments:
– I used 5/8 plywood on the roof/ceiling to save some money and because 3/4 everywhere seemed a bit overkill. You could run a truck into this thing and the truck would break first.
– I didn’t have a workshop space with a tall enough ceiling to finish initial construction inside, so I had to finish installing the roof on-site. This was no problem except for the painting. I definitely recommend painting this thing in panels (per the plans) instead of assembled like I did.
– I skipped the plexi windows because they seemed like the one afterthought in the design, plus I thought it would be better to maintain air flow and keep it cooler inside. We’ll see how that works out in the winter. I may change my mind.
– I used one of the scrap pieces of plywood to make a little desk in the back corner.
– I used a router to round most of the plywood edges. They seem less splinter prone this way and seemed to take paint better.
Here are a few pictures.
Thanks for the plans and your website. My 3-year-old son loves it and it’s big enough to keep him happy for years!
Ben Malouf