The Playhouse That Daddy Built

It is still missing the front door, but the girls don’t care; they love the new Playhouse that Daddy built for them. We had been shopping around for a playhouse/swing set to put in the backyard, but didn’t find anything that we loved. So when my husband’s folks came to visit in January and we wanted a project to do with them, we decided to build a playhouse.

Here we are breaking ground.

The kids’ handprints in the playhouse footings.

Laying down the floor.

The playhouse is starting to take shape, and it’s time for Grandma & Grandpa to head home.

After Grandma and Grandpa left, Daddy finished putting the outer “skin” boards on, but then the project was abandoned for about a month while we figured out how we wanted to finish it. Well I guess not really abandoned since the girls loved playing in it, painted or not.

With no real ideas flowing we decided to just paint it white. I was actually at Home Depot getting the paint when I picked up a copy of Dwell magazine and saw this house. It was the stroke of inspiration we needed to finish things up. We decided to use the brown and red color scheme that worked really well with the color of our house and our future plans to paint our barn red. Plus the high-contrast colors really played up the super-long rectangular windows, giving the playhouse the modern feel we were after.

The swings are definitely the highlight — thank heavens we put in two. We debated having just one swing and that would have been a BIG mistake. It is bad enough getting them to share when friends are over.

I know this is kind of a random picture, but I really love the look of the ceiling inside the playhouse. I think the tin roof and skylights are so fun.

Bettijo Bridges

Administrator at Paging Supermom
Bettijo is the founder and designer of Paging Supermom where she shares creative ideas for family fun. Known for practical and kid-friendly activities, free printables and holiday entertainment. Bettijo was a guest on the Martha Stewart Show and has frequently appeared on local TV. Her work has also been featured in national magazines including Real Simple, O, Redbook, Parents, Family Circle, and Health. She enjoys art, retro-modern design, photography and making new things. Mom of 4 kids.

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