What are Playhouses?

A playhouse (or Wendy house) is a garden building, usually made of wood or plastic intended for children to play in. They can be single- or two-storeys and provide an insulated area for children’s development and imagination to run wild whilst being in a safe and weatherproof stucture.

But a garden playhouse can be one of many different types.

Types of Playhouses

The two easiest ways to split up playhouses are by material and type (or style). Let’s start with the former.

Playhouses by material: Wood

Wood is one of the most popular playhouse building materials. This is because wooden playhouses are:

• Long-lasting
• Durable
• Weather-resistant
• Traditional/classic design
• Fitting with garden aesthetics (e.g. they go with wooden furniture)
• Customisable 
• tongue-and-groove cladding. This style of interlocking panel creates a solid structure that’s weather-resistant. 

  Best for: Anyone who wants a traditional look or to customise their children’s playhouse.

  

  Playhouse by type: Tower playhouses

  A tower playhouse is elevated off the ground on stilts. Children access the playhouse via an external ladder onto a small balcony to enjoy a great view from up top. 

  Tower playhouses are very popular as they also provide space underneath. You can use this for toy storage, as a shaded play area, or even as a garage! Tower playhouses are excellent choices for growing and more adventurous children.

  You can find versions of this style as tower playhouses with a children’s slide or even swing sets. (Plus, it can give kids a place to play that parents can’t easily access!)

  Best for: Growing, adventurous, and active children.

  See what customers had to say. Check out our BillyOh Bunny Max Tower Stories.

  We’re almost finished with playhouse types – we promise! Then we can get on to how to pick, position, and build one.

  But we’d also like to give some:

  Special mentions

  Garden playhouses may come in either wood or plastic and either one-storey or two, but there are a couple of other contenders.

  Log cabin playhouses

  This category technically falls under both wooden playhouses and two-storey playhouses. 

  You can find log cabin playhouses with multi-room designs and features like an internal bunk. Perfect for sleepovers or a midday nap!

  Their timber construction also gives off a lovely modern aesthetic with slightly lighter coloured timber. You might see them feature things like cottage-style windows with shutters and even flower boxes. 

  Best for: A modern update to a classic playhouse. For maximum use year-round and throughout the day.

  Wendy houses

  The world was first introduced to Wendy houses after J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. And since then, our little ones haven’t looked back. Really, it’s just another name for a small playhouse. The classic look is usually that of an apex-roof single-storey playhouse, though.
  

  You might also find a Wendy house with a platform and picket fence to extend the play area,  as well as a gate.

  Best for: A timeless look as well as indoor and outdoor play.

  See what our customer had to say. Check out our BillyOh Peardrop Stories.

  

  How can playhouses be used?

  If you’re looking for ways to personalise your playhouse check out our ideas below. And if you haven’t bought your playhouse yet, maybe this will spark some ideas.

  Space Station

  Nothing beats learning about the planets, staring at the stars, and wondering what could be living out there in space.

  So why not turn your kid’s playhouse into an educational space station  – get them outside and learning! 

  You could deck the inside with posters of star constellations and the solar system. Outside, you could place a telescope. A tower playhouse with a raised platform would be perfect for this.

   

  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 having an unsupervised arts and crafts afternoon! So save yourself the hassle of constant cleanup and turn your playhouse into an arts and crafts den.

  A garden playhouse can provide a space where children can get as messy as they like.

  Secret superhero hideout

  Fortress of Solitude, Stark Tower, or even the Batcave. Any of those piquing your nostalgia?

  If so, why not give your kids the same superhero fun by turning your playhouse into a hideout. Gather some cool spy gadgets, maps, and maybe even a getaway vehicle to park outside the hideout. Oh, and don’t forget to find a place to hide superhero suits!

  Something like a two-storey playhouse with an internal bunk would provide the perfect spot. 

  Fairytale castle

  For a more traditional transformation, why not turn your playhouse into a castle?

  By installing shelving to your wooden playhouse, you can store costumes, play swords, and crowns. Painting a timber playhouse greys with accents can make it look like stonework, too.

  Ok, so we’ll stop before we start telling you all about our ideas for a Halloween-themed playhouse. Now that we’ve argued for why buy a playhouse, let’s look at how to narrow down your choices. 

  

  5. Roof type

  Your playhouse’s roof type will factor into the question of size and aesthetics. The main options on offer include:

  
  

  • Pent roof – Where the roof is one single plane that slopes to the back of the shed to maximise runoff

  • Apex roof – Roof is made of two slopes that meet at the highest point in the middle. Slopes fall to either side of the playhouse face

  • Reverse apex – Similar to an apex roof, but slopes fall towards the front and back of the shed

  • Dutch barn – Made of four sloping panels that create a smoother apex-style roof

  Consider which roof is going to give you maximum headspace for growing children.

  6. Design features

  As well as the main style of playhouse that you choose (e.g. tower, Wendy house, two-storey etc.), what design features excite you and your kids?

  Do you want traditional-looking Georgian or crossed windows? This may well play into the theme of your playhouse that we discussed earlier. If you want to make a classic fairytale cabin, then a quaint playhouse with a picket fence might be the best choice.
  
  

  7. Extras

  Once you’ve settled on the general style of the playhouse you’d like, think about extras. If your children are particularly boisterous, then the addition of slides, swings, and ladders might be in order. 

  8. Where to put a playhouse?

  We’ll break this last point down into two sets of practical considerations.

  Available space

  When picking a playhouse (or any garden building), you need to be realistic. Sure, you might want a luxury two-storey log cabin playhouse, but think about:

  
  

  • Safety – Is your proposed playhouse site near to any dangers like nettles or a ditch?

  • Level ground – Building a suitable base for a wooden playhouse can extend its life. But it’ll require level ground

  • Surrounding space – Is there enough room to access all around the playhouse?

  • Drainage – Make sure to build where there is sufficient drainage. Avoid marshy ground or building at the bottom of a slope

  • Trees – Will trees block sunlight and put your children off playing in summer? Do trees pose a danger with falling fruit or branches?

  • Supervision and visibility – Is your playhouse in the line of sight of the house? Can you get to it easily and quickly if need be?

  Top Tip:  Find a spot in your garden with space to create a level base. Leave room around your playhouse to access it for maintenance. (Or to allow children to run around it!).