Guides
Playhouses – The Ultimate Guide
Playhouses are one of the most popular outdoor buildings for kids. But with so many different types available which one should you be choosing? And, once you have bought it, will you be able to assemble it yourself? How should you even be decorating it?
These are all highly important questions to consider when researching and purchasing a playhouse.
Therefore, we here at Garden Buildings Direct have put together this ultimate guide to playhouses. The purpose of this guide is to assist you in your playhouse research. After reading, you will hopefully have all your questions answered. As well as a better understanding of what playhouses are and what the features of each style of playhouse include.
What are Playhouses?
Types of Playhouses
How can Playhouses be Used?
Important Points to Consider
Are Playhouses Worth It?
What are Playhouses?
Playhouses are outdoor buildings that are specially designed with kids in mind.
Furthermore, they are a safe and controlled environment where the kids are able to express themselves in as many ways as they desire.
Additionally, playhouses are available in many styles including log cabin playhouses, wooden playhouses, cottage playhouses, wendy houses and more. Each type of playhouse has their own unique features.
Types of Playhouses
There are many different types of playhouses available that can make choosing the right playhouse for you difficult. For instance, which is best for a small garden? Which is the safest? And most importantly, which will provide the most fun?
Therefore, here is a brief description of various types of playhouses.
Log Cabin Playhouses
For a higher quality playhouse to allow the kids to get creative with their imagination, a log cabin playhouse could be the ideal choice. This is due to the well thought out design of the outdoor playhouse.
Beautifully crafted doors and some various multi-room designs have the potential of causing your kids to never want to leave the playhouse once they have entered. In fact, once you lay eyes on a modern looking log cabin playhouse, you may even want one of your own!
Furthermore, a selection of log cabins is available with cottage style windows, shutters and even flower boxes which helps give the playhouse the same classic charm noticeable in playhouses from the past. The inclusion of flower boxes could even act as an easy way to get your children interested in gardening. By giving them the simple task of watering and caring for their own plants in their playhouses, they may end up loving it so much they’ll look after the whole garden for you.
Wooden Playhouses
Wooden playhouses are one of the most popular playhouse materials. This is as they are long lasting, weather resistant as well as utilising a modern design suitable for most gardens.
In addition, wooden playhouses provide your kids with a naturally playful space in which they can spend their free time. They have the opportunity to be whatever, or whoever they want to be.
Our wooden playhouses are constructed with solid tongue and groove panels making for a reliable, sturdy, long-lasting building.
Two Storey Playhouses
For those looking for a more traditional playhouse, our two storey playhouses are designed with a traditional apex style roof as well as Georgian windows.
The playhouse itself is bound to last for a long period of time as they feature our strongest design including pre-engineered tongue and groove panels.
In addition, the Georgian windows are styrene material. This means they are highly unlikely to shatter when hit during the outdoor football match or the superhero vs villain fights. Not only that, the windows assist in providing the necessary sunlight required to aid the children in seeing their arts and crafts, not to mention helping the princesses to get ready.
Furthermore, the two storey design is accessible by going up and down an inbuilt wooden step ladder, helping your kids to believe they have their own little house. Deck it out with a pretend living area and kitchen, and who knows, you might soon be invited to a dinner party.
Wendy Houses
Perhaps one of the more well-known types of playhouses, a wendy house was first introduced to us through the book Peter Pan. It was the house built for Wendy Darling by the lost boys after she had been shot by Tootles after arriving in Neverland.
Wendy houses are capable of being a safe and fun place which may make the kids spend more time outdoors.
Features of the wendy house include classic verandahs as well as opening gates helping to welcome any child who enters the playhouse. Therefore, it is no wonder why wendy houses are still a popular type of playhouse today.
To ensure ultimate strength, our wendy houses are made featuring interlocking panels that are 11mm thick. This helps the outdoor building to stay strong for a long period of time whilst keeping out the rain. This type of design is known as tongue and groove.
Cottage Playhouses
Cottage playhouses could be the ideal environment for children or grandchildren to spend their time.
For example, the traditional design of the cottage playhouse includes barn doors, flower boxes, picket fences and traditional crossed windows. These features themselves can help give the kids the opportunity to imagine they are living in the peaceful countryside surrounded by beautiful scenery.
Cottage playhouses are available in many different sizes and can be either one storey or two stories. Therefore, there is bound to be an option suitable to every style of garden.
Tower Playhouses
Perfect for large or growing families, tower playhouses can provide your children with a safe, fun play area.
Furthermore, tower playhouses are often available with slides for added fun. Hours could be spent climbing up the ladder, sliding down the slide and repeating a countless number of times.
A tower playhouse could easily become your kid’s secret hideout, spaceship or fairytale castle. For the kids, it may even be exciting enough knowing that they have a place to call their own that the parents can’t easily access.
How can Playhouses be Used
Children are known to have amazing imaginations. Therefore, there are a countless number of ways a playhouse can be used. This is ever increasing as time progresses and no ideas fill our brains whether it be through TV, films, music or even video games.
Here are a few playhouse ideas that we love:
Space Station
Firstly, for many generations in the past and for many in the future, nothing beats learning about the planets, starting at the stars and wondering what could be living out there in space.
Therefore, with that in mind, turning your kid’s playhouse into an educational space station could be the perfect way to get your children outside, letting them have fun whilst learning too.
For example, you could deck the inside with posters of cloud and star formations, maps of the stars and all the different planets. Outside you can place a telescope, a tower playhouse would be perfect for this with the raised floor.
And, for added fun, why not create your own makeshift rocket to live outside. Who knows, in no time your child might be applying for NASA!
Arts and Crafts Den
From experience, we know how much of a nightmare it can be to walk into a room to see the kids have been enjoying themselves by having an unsupervised arts and crafts afternoon. For the lucky ones, there won’t be any evidence of the fun that can’t be cleared away. However, for the unfortunate, paint can be all over your lovely carpet as well as your walls.
Therefore, to avoid this nightmare situation whilst having the reassurance that this event is unlikely to happen, turn the playhouse into an arts and crafts den.
Providing a space where the children can get as messy as they like, without it mattering if a whole tub of paint falls on the floor or the tub of glitter you wish you hadn’t bought gets tipped over is a very sensible idea.
Secret Superhero Hideout
Fortress of Solitude, The Avengers Tower or even the Batcave. These are just a few well-known superhero hideouts. But, why not add another one to that list, your kid’s playhouse.
In order to create the ultimate superhero hideout gather some cool spy gadgets, maps of your house and garden and some sort of getaway vehicle to park outside the hideout. Oh, and don’t forget to find a place to hide the ultimate superhero suit.
With a secret superhero hideout, you won’t need to feel in danger again as your kids will be out saving the world in no time.
Furthermore, you could set up secret missions around the garden. This may help your kids in feeling extra incredible.
Fairytale Castle
A more traditional way to transform your playhouse is, of course, a fairytale castle.
With all the media attention constantly surrounding the royal family, including royal weddings and royal babies it is no surprise that there are hundreds of children who dream to be prince and princesses.
Therefore, transform an outdoor playhouse into a fairytale castle by including a costume box stuffed full of crowns and tiaras, armour, pretty dresses, pretend swords and more.
In no time your kids will be transformed into The Queen and Prince Phillip, Harry and Meghan, Prince Charming and Cinderella, or even Shrek and Fiona. Who knows, you may even be required to bow, kneel or curtsey before your new leaders – the kids!
Important Points to Consider
Can I build a playhouse myself?
Yes, there is a very high chance you will be capable of building the playhouse yourself.
This is as most of our playhouses utilise a modular design for ease of assembly. Therefore, as long as there is a minimum of two people helping to assemble the playhouse, it should only take a few hours to assemble.
Playhouse Safety
For many parents, the safety of items purchased for their children is of high importance.
The thought of the children caring for themselves in their own tiny house may be a daunting one. Therefore, we recommend adult supervision whenever a playhouse is used.
However, in case adult supervision is not possible for the whole duration of the kid’s playtime, it may be of reassurance to lean that our playhouses are safety tested to British Standards BS-EN71 for domestic use.
What Age are Playhouses For?
Although it is important to bear in mind that our playhouses are not designed for children aged under 36 months, this is as there are many small parts which may be a potential choking hazard. Furthermore, there is often a maximum user weight of 50kg when tower playhouses and two storey playhouses are concerned. We also recommend keeping the playhouses a minimum of 2m clear from any obstructions or other structures.
"Our grandsons absolutely love it and were so excited they couldn’t wait to climb up and have a look inside before…
Posted by Garden Buildings Direct on Tuesday, 3 April 2018
Are Playhouses Worth It?
For many people, the question of whether purchasing a playhouse is worth it is often asked.
Arguments may include, the kids will soon outgrow the playhouse after purchase. There’s only so much you can do, they’ll soon get bored.
However, be see playhouse as a very important feature when increasing a child’s imagination and creativity.
Why? There are endless ways to use a playhouse. Not only that, modern playhouses are strong and durable. After they are outgrown they can easily be passed onto someone else.
Furthermore, playhouses don’t necessarily have to be themed where the kids may have their imagination limited. Instead, they can be a general playroom. A place to store their toys. No longer will you have to put up with standing on tiny plastic bricks your eyes seem to be incapable of picking up. Or no more torturing of your ears by the singing plastic toys that seem to have no end.
On the other hand, if you want some more reassurance about whether a playhouse is right for you and your children. Hear from our customers directly in our series of playhouse stories:
The BillyOh Bunny Max Playhouse Stories
BillyOh Bunny Max Tower Stories
The BillyOh Lollipop Junior Stories
BillyOh Lollipop Max Stories
The BillyOh Gingerbread Junior Stories
BillyOh Bunny Tower Stories
The BillyOh Lollipop Max Tower Stories
BillyOh Peardrop Stories
