The ideal playhouse for children is stable, weatherproof and colorful. The little ones are very enthusiastic when they understand the construction and can help with the construction work. The following instructions explain how to build a garden shed for preschool children yourself.
How do you build a playhouse for the garden yourself?
To build a playhouse for the garden yourself, you need squared timbers, formwork boards, screen-printed panels, roof panels, wall panels, door and wall panels, a base plate, concrete panels, screws and hinges. First assemble the frame, then the walls and windows, then the door and finally the roof.
Material and tool list
To build a garden home for children with a footprint of 125 x 125 cm, you need the following materials and tools:
- 12 squared timbers (44x44x1250mm)
- 5 formwork boards (120x1200x24 mm)
- 1 screen printing plate (800x1300x12mm)
- 1 roof pane (700x1300x12mm)
- 3 wall panels (1130x980x12mm)
- 2 door and wall panels (475x1080x12mm)
- 1 base plate (1065x1065x18mm)
- 4 concrete slabs (350x350x70mm)
- 32 carriage bolts (5x100mm), nuts and washers
- 32 Spax screws (4x40mm)
- 20 Spax screws (3.5x20mm)
- 30 chipboard screws (4x40mm)
- 1 stainless steel rod hinge (90 cm long)
The tools required are: drill with circular saw insert (€30.00 on Amazon), jigsaw and screwdriver.
Instructions – How to assemble the playhouse
Please drill 4 holes with a diameter of 6 mm on each of the 4 standing and 8 lying squared timbers. The drill hole dimensions are 11.0 and 6.6 mm, with the drill hole pattern depending on whether it is a standing or lying squared timber. Proceed as follows:
- Assemble the lower frame
- Screw the 4 standing squared timbers into it
- Attach the top frame to this structure
- Place the paving slabs at the location and align the pre-assembled frame on top
Now attach the side walls as lying rectangles and the back wall as a standing rectangle using four chipboard screws each. Beforehand, saw small windows into the walls. Install the wall element at the entrance in the same way. Here, 3 screws at the top and bottom are sufficient. Then fix the piano hinge on the left side of the door element and then screw the door to the frame.
In the last step, you put the roof together from the formwork boards and roof panels. Check carefully whether the roof pitch of both panels creates a symmetrical picture. The two outer boards do not necessarily have to rest on the frame, but can be screwed to the frame in a force-fitting manner.
Tip
A playhouse made of pre-assembled modules is easier and less time-consuming to build. If you look out for seasonal special offers in the middle of winter, you can get the complete package for a children's house from specialist retailers at a price that is just as affordable as the individual parts of the material list listed here.
