How to Build a DIY Backyard Playhouse for Kids

Growing up in the city, having a treehouse surrounded by nature was always a childhood dream of mine. There is something magical about having a little hideout place, up in the air, where imagination can run wild. It seems the sky is the limit.

DIY backyard playhouse for kids - farmhouse style

During the pandemic, when we had an abundance of time but no place to go, my husband and I decided to turn this childhood dream into reality. We had very little construction experience. No idea how this project would turn out. Over 4 years have passed, this DIY playhouse is still as solid as day one. If you’re considering creating a play area in the backyard, I hope this post will give you a little nudge to move towards your goal. With the right tool and knowledge, it IS possible to build one yourself.

Table of Content

Why we decided to build a two-story playhouse

It was never on our radar to build a playhouse. Our backyard is small and steep. Not much room for a full-size swing set or a playground.

Interesting enough, there was a hole starting to form under the concrete stoop in front of the house. After we filled sand to slow down the erosion, our son grew increasingly interested in playing there. He was so fascinated by this tiny sandpit that he was outside squatting with his beach toys almost every day.

I thought to myself: “maybe I should build a sandbox for him?”

It would work. Except it is wasting precious real estate to have only one activity. Since a sandbox is low on the ground, if we add a second story structure on top, there will be much more the kids can do.

So that’s how it all started. Next thing we knew, we went from a simple sandbox to a full-blown outdoor DIY project.

Designing a fun-filled outdoor playhouse

The biggest challenge we faced, besides our apparent lack of experience, was how small our backyard was. We wanted to make the most of the space we had. The only spot we could fit a playhouse in was next to the oak tree. 5 feet away from the property line.

We had to “shrink” the playhouse, so the kids won’t slide right into our actual house (yep, that’s how tiny our yard is).

In the final design, the playhouse measured 12 feet tall, 7 feet 6 inches wide, and 8 feet 6 inches long. Decent size. Given how small our yard is.

There were a 5-feet-tall slide, a sandbox, a picnic table area, a climbing wall, a front porch, an actual second story room with a Dutch door and window box. If space was not an issue, we would even add a zip line between the playhouse and the oak tree or a tire swing somewhere.

We wanted this to be a simple playhouse that offers a little bit more fun for the kids outdoors.

I also took inspiration from some drool worthy playhouses I saw online:

Vintage Revivals’s Little Merc modern playhouse

Ana White’s Modern Kids Treehouse (with free plans)

Two-story modern playhouse by ginggaanbai

Handmade hideaway 2.0 by The Handmade Home

I love the modern design of this playset and how many fun elements there are for little kids. Source: Chris Loves Julie.

How we built a playhouse with no experience

Before getting started, I highly recommend getting a set of instructions or build plans, such as these. If you have never built a playhouse before, the step-by-step instructions can guide you through the project. We still had to do a lot of research on our own, but it certainly made the process a lot smoother.

Step 1. Planning, shop for materials and submit permit

We dived right into the project. First went through the entire build plans, then made a material list for our modified version of the Randy’s Ranch Playhouse.

Category	Size	Quantity
Trim	1x2x10	8
Trim	1x4x12	4
Trim	1x4x8	4
2×4	2x4x10	5
2×4	2x4x12	22
2×4	2x4x8	24
2×6	2x6x10	12
2×6	2x6x12	14
2×6	2x6x8	6
2×8	2x8x12	2
4×4	4x4x10	1
4×4	4x4x12	1
4×4	4x4x16	2
4×4	4x4x8	4
Plywood Sheet	4’x8’x1/2″	5
Plywood Sheet	4’x8’x3/4″	2
Decking	5/4″x6″x8″	27
Carriage Bolts	6 1/2″x1/2″ Bolts+Washers+Nuts	28
Siding	Cedar Bevel Siding (linear ft)	400
Screws	GRK R4 3″	15lbs
Screws	GRK R4 2″	15lbs
Nails	1 1/2″ Siding Nails	5lbs

At that point, we didn’t realize how expensive this project would become. I will share the total cost towards the end of this post. But this delivery from Home Depot alone cost about $2000.

All framing and decking materials were pressure-treated. The trim pieces were also outdoor grade. As a result, the new playhouse can stand up to the elements.

We also got the okay from our neighbors and applied for a permit from the city. It included the playhouse design, a site plan, plus $30 application fee. Easy peasy.

Step 2. Remove grass and level the foundation

After mapping out the location of the playhouse, we took out our shovels and started digging.

This was my least favorite part of the project. There were so many rocks buried under the ground. My arms and back started hurting very quickly.

It was labor-intensive to dig out rocks and level the ground. Thankfully my husband and son picked up where I left off and got all four corners level (not without a lot of sweat and grunting).

This took us about 2 days. Not too bad, given we were basically digging by hand. As you will see, throughout the entire process, we used the most basic tools (a second-hand miter saw, circular saw, hammer, and home-made construction tools), no real fancy tools.

Fresh cut sod, anyone?

Step 3. Install the lower joists and support posts

Before we could start building the structure, there was one important decision we had to make. How to anchor the support posts. We could dig below the frost line, which is 42 inches where we live (insert screaming emoji), and pour concrete footing. Or we could find another way to build the base.

It was so painful to dig just enough to prepare the foundation, I couldn’t imagine digging 42 inches below ground.

If you have a post hole digger, this job would be easier. Since we didn’t, we decided to take the riskier path—using concrete deck blocks.

This may be a bit controversial.

But our main reasoning was most tree houses are nailed into the trunk directly. Storebought playhouses aren’t held down by concrete footings either. With a concrete base, water seeps in, the wood post can rot overtime. If the 4x4s are not buried underground, the chance of them rotting is much lower. Plus, we can add additional anchors to tie down the wood base.

Based on these reasons, we felt this was the easiest way to set up the base of our playhouse without sacrificing quality. As long as the foundation is compacted and level, and the support posts are square, there is little chance the playhouse will tip over.

We put down weed barrier, then concrete blocks, cut and placed 2x6s with a miter saw, attached them with star head screws, and added 4×4 posts to the corners with carriage bolts. It was critical to make sure everything was straight, square and plumb. We walked around using a measuring tape to check the diagonal distances countless times (probably looked like lunatics lol).

Honestly, at this stage of the build, we were still thinking about backup plans. If, for whatever reason, this DIY backyard playhouse doesn’t pan out, we will hire a contractor to help finish it.

Step 4. Install upper joists and deck boards

It didn’t look like much after the support posts were up. The next step was about to change that.

Following the build plans, we attached 2x6s to posts with carriage bolts. It went a lot faster than the lower joists, since the structure was already squared up.

We then screwed in more 2x6s in the middle. These are floor joists.

Tip: mark the location of the joists ahead of time to ensure they’re 16” apart.

Added joist hangers for stronger support.

The joists also worked as monkey bars.

The first real transformation came when decking was done. With the joists securely fastened, we laid deck boards on top, 1/8” apart. Then marked the location of the joists with a chalk reel and secured the decking to the joists with star head screws (these are the best!).

We also notched the deck board to fit around the posts and trimmed off the uneven edges with a circular saw..

Tip: add joist tapes on joists before adding the deck boards. This helps prevent rotting from water buildup.

This took the playhouse from a few lonely posts to a deck. We all climbed up, took selfies, and felt we were on top of the world.

How to stabilize a wobbly deck

For the first time, we could get to the second floor of the playhouse and get a nice view of our yard.

When we were up there though, we noticed the platform was wobbly. It shook as we walked on it. Did we miss a step?

Turns out, wobbly platforms are not uncommon. And there is an easy solution: diagonal bracing. Essentially, we cut 2x4s at 45-degree on both ends and attached these braces to the inside corners.

Once we did that to all the corners, the platform was solid as rock. It didn’t sway even a bit!

Step 5. Frame the walls

Our confidence grew as we kept going with this DIY backyard playhouse build. It’s time to make the most exciting change: framing walls!

To build the walls, we first cut the top and bottom plates, then screw in the studs (vertical pieces) 16” apart, from center to center. This is same as building interior walls in a residential house.

Tip: if you mark the start and end of the stud location on the horizontal pieces, it’s a lot easier to line up the studs. 1st stud starts at 15 1/4″, 2nd at 31 1/4″, 3rd at 47 1/4″, and so on.

To build walls for windows and doors, we had to make headers. These are beefy lumber that can support the heavy load of a large opening. It took more time compared to regular walls, but overall wasn’t too bad.

Here comes the challenge: the walls were super heavy and difficult to lift. Instead of building everything on the ground, then lifting the whole thing (framing + siding) to the platform, we decided to do the assembly on the platform and place the walls on top of each other in a strategic way.

The wall with the front door was laid down first, then the wall with windows, finally the back wall and side wall without windows. This way, we could work the other way around and install the no-window walls first.

Stapling home wrap and painting siding were all done on the platform.

We secured the walls one at a time, using the same star head screws. First attached the bottom plate of the walls to decking, then connected the walls to each other.

It looked much closer to an actual house after this step.

Step 6. Build a gable roof

Building rafters seemed intimidating at first, but turned out it wasn’t too bad. The key was to measure and check a few times before making the angle cuts. The plans from Paul’s Playhouses helped a lot too.

Because we knew the fully assembled roof would be heavy, we built two sets of rafters and lifted this slim-down version to the top first.

We asked our neighbors to help set it in place, and it worked the very first time!

The hard part was done. Next, we attached the remaining rafters. We end-nailed the rafters to the middle ridge beam on one side, and toe-nailed the rafters on the other side.

We also added the gable studs to support the roof.

It was a very exciting moment to see the roof line take shape. Pretty amazing to look out the window and see this beauty.

Probably my favorite picture of the playhouse build.

Aerial view of the DIY playhouse

Step 7. Install roof sheathing and asphalt shingles

Moving on to more difficult stuff—roofing. Now we faced yet another challenge. The OSB roof sheathing was heavy. How do we lift it up to the top of the playhouse?

My brilliant husband came up with the idea of tying the panel with a rope and pulling it up to the roof. One of us pushed it from one side, the other one pulled the rope from the other side, lifting the whole panel up in the air.

Tying the OBS panel
Lifting the panel to rooftop
Success!

This video shows a different trick to raise a whole sheet of plywood onto the roof.

After the OSB panels are attached, he used the same rope to securely tie himself to the house and installed the asphalt shingles onto the rooftop.

First laid down the leak barrier underlayment and drip edge, then nailed in the asphalt shingles, finally the ridge shingles. You can choose other roofing material, or completely forgo this part for a more rustic look. Finishing the roof did add quite a bit extra cost to this build, which I will talk about more later.

Drip Edge
Underlayment and Shingles
Ridge Shingle

While he worked on the roof, I finished nailing all the sidings and gave them a fresh coat of paint. We decided to use the same color scheme as our main house, so they’d go well together.

Step 8. Add stairs, railings, a Dutch door, windows and flower box

The remaining part of the playhouse was straightforward. With a twist.

We built the stairs in the simple “just screw the treads directly to the side boards” style. Without any stringers or complex calculations. (If you want to know how to cut stair stringer, see this post).

The Dutch door was easy to build as well. Fantasy Pink by Benjamin Moore gave it a nice pop of color.

The only oops happened when my husband accidentally dropped one of the windows during install. It slipped off his hand and crashed on the ground. There went our hard-earned $250, poof.

After all the windows finally arrived and were installed, we spray painted them black with Krylon Fusion All-In-One in Satin Black (spoiler alert: the paint has held up well over the years). This is a cheap and easy trick to spruce up vinyl windows.

All the little details, window boxes, gooseneck wall sconce and house numbers paired with white paint made the exterior look finished. And so dreamy (if I may say so myself).

Here is a before of our backyard.

And the after.

The progress.

Build the deck
Framing
Build gable roof
Basic structure is complete

Honest Opinion: is it worth building a kids playhouse from scratch?

As two absolute beginners, building a playhouse seemed like Mission Impossible. But as we worked through each step, it felt very much like building a LEGO set.

If I am completely honest though, there are a couple of things to consider before you jump right into this project.

The cost of building an outdoor playhouse may surprise you. We didn’t have a clear idea of how much this project would cost before starting. It came to a whopping total of $3,500 (lumber/siding/fasteners $2,000, single hang windows $1,000, roof shingles and miscellaneous $500). Although the Mercedes of swing sets Rainbow sells products in the $5,000-$10,000 range, there are also prefab play sets that are less than $1,000. Secondhand play sets are even cheaper.
The building process is fun, but kids may outgrow the playhouse the moment you’re done building it. We got a lot of use out of it in the first two years. Then our kids became busy with other activities and lost interest in the playhouse. The wasps and spiders also didn’t help keep them outdoors.

Tip: you can buy windows or building materials from Habitat ReStore or Facebook Marketplace to lower the cost.

Think through how you plan to use this space in different stages of their childhood. This way, it won’t feel like a complete waste of money to build a playhouse and let it sit empty for years.

Since this corner of our yard can’t really be used for anything else, I don’t regret putting a permanent structure there. I have plans to finish the interior to create a reading nook.

In the future, when the kids completely outgrow it, I can use this extra space as a modern outdoor office, a she shed, a tiny house, or a treehouse vacation rental. Like these.

Via Autonomous Work Pod

Via Tuff Shed

Via Airbnb The ATL Treehouse in East Point, Georgia

One last tip

Oh, one last thing. Don’t forget to double check how tall the deck will be, if you plan to attach a slide to it.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but because we used concrete blocks as bases, the deck was above 5 feet tall. Our slide ended up being pretty steep.