DIY A-Frame Play House

When I was little, I always wanted a playhouse. Did anyone else watch Now and Then and just lust after their dreamy tree house?! Well- I did! It was pink and classic and big enough for sleepovers- sigh! Here’s a glimpse of it:

As any well-meaning parent would do, I decided that Don needs a playhouse since I never had one. We’ve never had the space, until recently. Since we now have a backyard (!!!) I decided that it was finally time- Don would get his own playhouse!

A-Frame houses are a really hot house style right now. I thought I could incorporate that trend since it is an easy structure to build. My number one goal was to make it as inexpensively as possible while still being a fun little house! Ready for the tutorial?

how to make a DIY A-Frame play house

Supplies:

• 4 Corrugated Roof Panels in White (Suntuf 26″x8′) $22 each- $88 total
• Roof Ridge in White (Suntuf 4′) $18 total
• 2 boxes of Screws to attach the roof (Woodtite 2″ Fasteners- 50 pieces) $5.75 each- $12 total
• 1 box of Spax screws– #8 x 2.5″ $8.50 total
• 16 pieces of Lumber– 2″x 4″x 8′ $4 each- $64 total
• 2 pieces of Lumber– 2″x 6″x 8′ $6.50 each- $13 total
• 2 pieces of Lumber– 1″x 2″x 8′ $1.35 each- $2.50 total
• Underlayment– 1/4″x 4’x 4′  $9.50 total
• 11 Fence Pickets– 1″x 5.5″x 6′ $1.68- $19 total
• 3″ Brass Pull $3 total
• 1 Pack of Brass Hinges (2 come in a pack) $2.50 total
• 16 Pieces of Peel and Stick Vinyl Flooring (grey marble) $0.89 each- $14.50 total
• Fluff Chalk Paint (for the walls) $30
• Mint Julep Chalk Paint (for the door) $10
  • $295 total

I purchased everything (besides the paint) from Home Depot. Above is exactly what I used. Instead of going in store to shop, I did all of my shopping online and scheduled a store pick-up to save time. It was free to do the pick-up and so convenient!

tools

• Tape measure
• chop saw
• circular saw
• drill
• workbench
• sander

cut list

• Lumber– 2″x 6″x 8′
  • 2-48″ long
  • 2- 45″ long
• Lumber– 2″x 4″x 8′
  • 2- 8″ long
  • 2- 9″ long
  • 2- 11.5″ long
  • 1- 13″ long
  • 1- 13.5″ long
  • 1- 18″ long
  • 12- 18.5″ long
  • 1- 25.5″ long
  • 2- 42″ long
  • 4-45″ long
  • 7- 48″ long
  • 2- 53″ long
  • 6- 78″ long
• Lumber– 1″x 2″x 8′
  • 1- 5.25″ long
  • 2- 16.5″ long
  • 2- 30″ long
  • 1- 48″ long
• Corrugated Roof Panels
  • 4- 80″ long

step 1

Construct the floor/base of the playhouse. The base is a box made of 2″x 6″ boards. The cross boards are 2″x 4″ boards. The boards are held together with the Spax screws. The overall base measurements are 48″x 48″. Pardon my above photo- I completely forgot to take a picture of the base before the whole thing was completed (#bloggerfail). Hopefully the photo with the diagram are clear enough to replicate.

Finish the base of the house by attaching the underlayment with the Spax screws.

step 2

Construct the framing for the two walls that the roof will be attached to. These walls are made of 2″x 4″s. When they are complete, lean the walls on the base (the bottom of the walls has the 6″ overhang). Attach a 48″ long 2″x 4″ board at the top to stabilize it. Use the Spax screws to attach the top of the second wall to the 2″x 4″s. Then attach the bottom of the walls to the base with screws.

step 3

Construct the opening for the door with 2″x 4″ boards between the walls you just made. You will next add in additional boards to stabilize it (one  25.5″ board and two 8″ boards).

step 4

On the backside of the house, its time to construct the window opening. To make the box for the window frame, you’ll attach the 11.5″ boards to the 53″ boards first, and then attach them to the floor. Next, add the 13.5″ board to the top of the window boards. Finally, add the 9″ and 13″ support boards to the sides and top.

step 5

Add wood siding to the walls with the door and the window. Cut the fence pickets on an 18 degree angle to make the walls of the A Frame playhouse. To make the easier, start with your first board right above the window frame for the back and the door frame for the front. This makes it so you don’t have to cut around the window/door.

step 6

Attach the Corrugated Roof Panels to the playhouse with the Woodtite Screws. The roof is 80″ long- the sheets overlap one ridge to make an exact 48″ width when installed correctly. On top of the play house, attach a 1″x 2″ board cut to 48″ long- center it on the 2″x 4″ with the longer side vertical. Once that is complete, attach the Roof Ridge to the top of the playhouse with the Woodtite Screws.

step 7

Paint the outside of the A-Frame playhouse. I used Fluff Chalk Paint, but latex house paint will work too. Because we constructed the house of fence pickets (aka the cheapest wood on earth), it took longer than normal to paint. This is because the pickets have a texture to them and really suck up the paint. You can sand the wood down if you want, but I just left it and it was fine once it was painted.

step 8

This step is optional, but I decided to paint the inside of the house. I wanted a cleaner look and love white on white. Again, I painted the inside with the Fluff Chalk Paint. It took me 2 coats for full coverage.

step 9

Now, it is time to install the floors. I used an expensive Peel and Stick Vinyl Flooring. To put them in, I used a ruler, pencil and scissors to I could cut the vinyl so it’d fit around the beams. It was very easy to put the floors down and took less than 15 minutes. This really finished off the space and is easy to clean up from muddy little feet.

step 10

We originally weren’t planning on a door, but Don begged for one, so he got one! It measures 18″x 30″ and is a little shorter than the door frame so my son can see out with it closed and we can see in. The base of the door is made with 1″x 2″ boards and the front is covered with fence pickets. I painted the door with Mint Julep Chalk Paint. It is attached to the house with Brass Hinges. The door knob is an expensive 3″ Brass Pull. To mount the brass pull, add a 1″x 2″ board that is cut to 5.25″ long to the back side of the door.

And that is IT for making the play house! I hope that was enough information so you can construct your own too. If you have any questions though, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. How about some pictures of the completed play house?!

after

Here’s a picture of the door all installed. Isn’t the simple triangle frame so cute and happy?!

And then a view of the completed back. We ended up adding a piece of wood in the window for a window sill.

With Don peeking over the door, you can see why we built it a little short. Should we go inside?

chair / lantern / stool (part of a bigger set) / tea set / gardening set

Inside, we have a little chair and a stool. There is a lantern with a battery operated candle.  I added a plant and some little paintings to make it feel extra festive.

The way the framing and the walls work, there are little ledges for hiding things like seashells. He has a little bag with shovels for digging.

To be 100% honest, the floor of the playhouse usually has a bunch of cars and dirt in it. He loves digging and then bringing the cars inside. As long as he’s happy, I’m happy too!

Isn’t the top of the house so pretty with the blooming bougainvillea?!

The little piece of art above the window, Don and I made together. He did the base (I let him go crazy with paint)! After it dried we talked about what it looked like. He decided it was a garbage dump, so I added some seagulls. I added the Picasso quote “Everything you can imagine is real.” Isn’t that perfect for a play place?!

Don and Lucy like to go outside to play, so this has been great! It is on the side of our yard, so I usually grab a lawn chair and sit out there with him while he plays.

There you have it! A little a-frame playhouse! It was really fun building it and decorating it! We all love it and it has stood up really nicely to the rain storms we’ve received. Hopefully these steps will help if you are looking at building one yourself.

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