I can just about remember when I was really young and asked my dad to build me a fort in the backyard. Dad was a carpenter, so was more than capable of obliging. And he did.
What I ended up with was a two story fort which wrapped around a tree with a flagstaf on top. It looked amazing; even looking back at pictures, it looks amazing even today. When you’re that young, you don’t really appreciate the amount of time, energy and planning which would have gone in to something like that, but it was great because I had years of enjoyment from it, even as a teenager (when it became a place I’d hang out with my friends).
However, when I think about how I would go about making one today, I recoil a little bit! Knowing how to build a two story playhouse is only half the deal, as you then have to make it.
One of the reasons dad built it around a tree was for support. The second story was not really resting on the first story, but on some low hanging branches.
Therefore, any design that you come up with has to take into account the fact that either (i) the first story needs to be strong enough to support everything above or (ii) the playhouse needs to be attached to a sturdy tree in order for the tree to lend its support.
If you don’t have a tree in your backyard, this doesn’t prevent you from building a two story playhouse. All that needs to be done is to build a taller-than-usual shed structure, with the second story built as a separate, unattached structure inside. Obviously, this means a bit more work, but it’ll definitely be worth it.
With any playhouse, you’ll need additional decorative elements to show that it’s a playhouse (e.g. small windows, small door, crooked walls, etc). However, these can all be added afterwards. In effect, the basic structure is easy to build; you’ll then need to inject some of your own creativity to make it unique.
I have seen high-spec playhouses on the internet sell for over $10,000. I was blown away. You don’t need to spend anywhere close to that to get something which is even better – playhouses are not supposed to be polished works of woodworking art; just places where your kids can have a fun time in a place their parents built for them.
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