Bosch Global
Verktøy for Hjem og Hage

How to build a DIY playhouse the right way

A child blows bubbles out of the window of a playhouse.
Your own DIY playhouse will give your children endless hours of fun.
  • Difficulty
    medium to difficult
  • Cost
    Approx. 1,500€
  • Duration
    Several days

Introduction

As a DIY enthusiast, you’ve likely already got a few projects under your belt. We now present your next challenge: building your own DIY playhouse for your kids.

Building your own DIY Wendy house can be a great project for you and your children. Your little ones can let their imaginations run wild inside and maybe even spend a night there in summertime. Plan this project well, and even ambitious DIYers like yourself can get their money’s worth.

You can take multiple approaches to this project, whether you build the whole thing from scratch or buy a kit. You decide whether you want to find the materials yourself or buy everything pre-planned. To help you determine what’s best, we’ve created a table summarising the benefits and downsides to buying a kit:

Advantages of a Kit

Disadvantages of a Kit
Saves lots of time. No need to cut wood to size. Cannot customise design.

Relatively wide range of kits available.

Much more expensive than building it yourself (estimated cost: £200 - £2,000).
Everything is already calculated and measured. Wood quality is sometimes poor.
Can be conveniently delivered. Bonus use as a garden shed isn’t possible.

 

If you’re not settled on a DIY Wendy house, check out our other guides on building a DIY stilt house or a DIY tree house. We've even got instructions on how to create your own wooden decking and patio roofing!

 

You need

Planning

It may seem like there’s not much to plan when it comes to building your own wooden DIY playhouse, but the devil really is in the details. If you choose the wrong foundations, for example, the whole project can be ruined. That’s why it’s extremely important to plan ahead, saving you valuable time and unnecessary expenses later on.

If you want to get your kids involved in this project, make sure you follow safety precautions as carefully as possible.

Preliminary considerations

There are many ways to build your own children's playhouse, so plan your vision carefully. For instance, you could construct an indoor playhouse, which requires a lot less foundational work and protective coatings than an outdoor DIY playhouse.

You may even want to build your Wendy house with two floors and an alcove inside. In this case, you must plan for extra fall protection to give your children the best, most uninterrupted fun possible.

Tips
Playhouses aren’t built for eternity
The cost of building a DIY playhouse will depend on its intended purpose and longevity. What many people forget, however, is that a playhouse isn’t designed to last forever. Your little ones grow up and quickly develop other interests, so you should consider designing the playhouse to accommodate your needs too. For example, you could use it as a garden shed or even turn it into your own private home office!

With these preliminary considerations in mind, here’s what we’ll include in our DIY playhouse:

  • Construct a base area of at least 2m x 2m to accommodate a potential change in purpose.
  • We recommend a mono-pitched roof since it’s easier to build and seal than other roof types.
  • Install double-glazed windows to protect the interior from weather and uninvited guests.
  • Additional child-friendly features – such as a slide, a swing, or a sandpit – can be easily attached to the playhouse. Read our guide on building your own sandpit for more details.

In theory, there are no limits to what you can achieve with your playhouse. To keep yourself from spending an eternity on the design, plan the construction time and costs carefully and keep everything within your own budget and limitations.

What type of wood is suitable for building your own children's playhouse?

Wood is a very versatile and widely available material that’s ideal for a DIY children’s playhouse. Common wood types that are weather resistant include pine, spruce, Douglas fir, and larch. Larch is particularly effective if you don’t want to reapply a protective coating every year, but this extra weather-resistance comes at a higher cost.

High-quality pressure-treated wood (e.g., pine or spruce) may also be suitable for your project. If you apply a protective coating, you should have no problems for at least a few years.

Building your own playhouse: A step-by-step guide

We’ll be honest, building your own DIY playhouse can be quite challenging. That said, it becomes a lot easier with two people, although an experienced DIYer can build it by themselves with the appropriate support structures. Working with another person is also a lot safer but, either way, be sure to check out our DIY safety tips before starting.

A diagram of a playhouse construction with mono-pitched roof.
Here’s what your initial plan for a DIY playhouse could look like.

Let's go - step by step

Step15

Preparing the materials

A diagram of a support structure consisting of a purlin, support strut, and post.

Roof structure basics: purlins, support struts, and posts.

 

Once you’ve gathered all your tools and materials, it’s time to get building! The first step is to prepare the materials for your playhouse’s structure and support frame. Start by cutting the posts, joists, beams, struts, and purlins to size until you’ve got all the timber to build a frame and a roof with adequate supports.

Label everything so you can find the right parts later. Remember to store the timber properly – keep it sheltered from the rain and off the ground.

Step25

Laying the foundations and floors

A diagram of the floor structure for a playhouse or garden shed.

Here’s what a smartly insulated floor structure for your DIY playhouse could look like.

 

For the flooring and foundations, you’re going to build a wooden base with holders for the posts. We recommend using thick glulam beams for the floor construction since these are the most stable and don’t warp in damp conditions.

Place the post holders in the ground and use quick-drying concrete to secure them. Depending on the size and weight of your playhouse, it may be worth using universal beams (also called I-beams) to provide extra reinforcement. Dig your foundations deep enough to reach frost-free ground – around 80cm is usually sufficient – and ensure everything is levelled so that the floor joists end a few centimetres above the ground. If you’re not a fan of this look, you can add a covering at the end.

For smart protection, you can add insulation into the flooring with hard foam boards and a vapour barrier, which are then covered by wooden planks. This is a great idea if you want to use your playhouse or garden shed in colder weather.

 

Step35

Building the walls

A diagram of a playhouse or garden shed wall structure with insulation.

Your DIY Wendy house’s wall insulation could look like this.

 

You’re not limited for choice when it comes to building the walls of your DIY playhouse. We’ve gone for a frame made from roof battens attached to OSB boards, which also help to reinforce the upright posts and overhead beams.

Assemble the entire wall before attaching it to the playhouse structure. Make sure you plan for windows and doors, too. For shutters, you can buy used wooden louvre doors from DIY shops and cut them to size.

You should also add insulation to your walls if you plan on using the playhouse after your kids have outgrown it. Insert the insulation as described in Step 2 between the OSB boards in your wall.

You must remember to plan your walls to allow for a sloping roof with a gradient of around 2-3cm per metre. For example, you could make your front walls 2m high and your back walls 180cm tall. Always consider the structural engineering calculations of your construction or seek advice from a specialist if you’re unsure of how to do this.

Step45

Roofing and waterproofing

Once you’ve attached the walls, your playhouse begins to take shape. The next step is to attach the rafters by screwing them with butt joints into the purlins or, if that’s too simple for your liking, you can choose a different kind of joint. Finger joints, for instance, are great if you want a roof overhang. Using joints to connect the rafters is ideal because it gives them automatic positioning – just make sure you allow enough overhang to protect your walls from rain.

Now, it’s time to seal the roof and install a drainage system. Bitumen and rubber are great materials for waterproofing, the latter of which has become particularly popular in recent years. Rubber is the also the best choice if you want to add greenery on top of your roof – just remember to adjust your structural engineering calculations to allow for this!

Bitumen sheets and roof shingles are a cheaper alternative than rubber. They’re also easier to work with, but it’s ultimately up to you which material you choose.

To create a drainage system, attach a small rain gutter and a downpipe to the roof. If your roof isn’t too big, you could add a chain instead to help funnel the water down. This option is a lot more aesthetically pleasing.

Tips
Let the sunshine in with translucent roofing
You don’t want your playhouse to feel like a cave, so consider using polycarbonate sheets for the roof. They’re cheap, lightweight, and durable, and certain colours even protect against UV light! However, this material may make your playhouse a lot warmer in summer than a traditional opaque roof covering.
Step55

Creating the façade

OSB boards aren’t a popular choice for the exterior. Instead, use moulded boards connected by tongue and groove joints for the façade. To do this, attach counter battens to the OSB boards to provide support and rear ventilation. Then, attach the panels carefully without angling the boards to ensure they all fit.

Finally, decide on a colour for the façade. Apply special protective paint over an undercoat of insulating primer to maximise its evenness and attractiveness. All types of wood should be protected in this way with wood stain  or varnish – you can find more details in our paint spraying guide.

Got a creative streak? Build your own playhouse from pallets

If you’re not someone who does things by the book, why not build a DIY playhouse from wooden pallets? It won’t last as long, but it’s a lot quicker, cheaper, and still stands for a few years at least. And since the pallets all have the same dimensions, you won’t have to do nearly as much measuring!

How do I build a child's playhouse from pallets?

You can build a children’s playhouse from pallets quite easily. For example, connect four of them together as a foundation and construct the side walls from two pallets each. Add a second row of pallets at the front wall to accommodate a mono-pitched roof.

It’s possible to build the roof out of pallets, but you must ensure everything is well secured because each one weighs around 22kg. Screw OSB boards onto the roof as basic waterproofing protection or attach bitumen shingles on top.

How much do pallets cost?

There are two types of pallets: standardised Euro pallets and non-standardised disposable pallets. The non-standardised pallets are often a lot poorer in quality, but you have a good chance of finding some for free at your nearest tip or industrial estate. However, they are often battered and dirty, which doesn’t make a good material for building a DIY wooden playhouse.

If you’re set on using disposable pallets, make sure you sand them down to minimise the risk of splinters. Alternatively, you can buy new, EPAL-approved Euro pallets at most DIY stores for around £20 each.

How long does it take to build a DIY playhouse from pallets?

That depends on your project. If you’re not concerned about winning any DIY awards and just want the job over and done with, using pallets is by far the best option. It costs relatively little, and you should be finished in around half a day.

You can also upgrade your pallet house by fitting matching slats into the spaces in the pallets. This is a great idea for creating a nice, flat surface under your feet. For opaque walls, simply attach matching boards to the outside. And don’t forget to sand and paint everything!

Final thoughts and ideas

Here are a few more questions and answers about building your own playhouse:

Do you need planning permission for building your own garden playhouse?

In most cases, planning permission isn’t necessary, but it always depends on your desired size and location. Rules and regulations may differ between counties, so it’s always worth checking with your local council before you start building. It’s also a good idea to check with your neighbours too, just to make sure they’re on board with your idea and your proposed design doesn’t block their view of anything.

Extra features

In this guide, you’ve learned how to build your own playhouse. However, you can also create any number of add-ons you desire. As we mentioned previously, slides, swings, and sandpits make great additions to your playhouse. You could also use this guide to build a terrace connected to your house using the same principles.

If you’re after more DIY projects for your kids, why not try building a toy box or a ring toss game? We’ve got a range of DIY kids’ toy projects you can discover.

And once the playhouse has run its course, why not turn it into a garden shed, home office, or home gym? You can even build your own weight bench! The sky’s the limit with what you can do, so get building!