Playhouse Made Modern: Pt. 1 – Planning

Building our son a modern playhouse required planning and prep work. This post explains how I got started and includes the cut list I used for the deck and framing.

DISCLAIMER: This post contains ads and affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links and ads.

When stay-at-home orders were put into place in our area, numerous travel and overall life plans were quickly crushed. Fortunately, as a toddler, E was oblivious to the changes. I, on the other hand, was feeling quite anxious and in need of control. My solution – build something!

In hopes of keeping E entertained at home, and out of trouble in the backyard, I poured my energy into finalizing some playhouse plans for him. I was always impressed by the AudoCad-like image used by Ana White and other DIY woodworkers. After a little bit of googling, and several YouTube tutorials – I finally figured out how to use the free version of SketchUp!

For someone like me, who likes to plan out every cut and joint of a project – SketchUp is perfect. It took a few hours over several days, but I created a scaled, digital model of the playhouse I planned to build. By planning the playhouse in SketchUp, I was able to avoid a lot of mistakes that otherwise wouldn’t have been realized until building (like accounting for the thickness of the siding).

DISCLAIMER: This post contains a description of our building process. I cannot make guarantees regarding the safety of this play structure. Before building, please consult with a professional regarding materials and weight limits.

Knowing what cuts would be needed, I spent a lunch break figuring out how to maximize common board lengths. After my shopping list was finalized, I called our local lumber supply and arranged for a delivery (which also included the needed lag bolts and construction screws).

It felt risky, but I opted to make all cuts before assembling the playhouse. I grouped the boards by size, measured, and marked where cuts needed to be made. To account for the kerf of the blade, I measured from the outsides inward whenever using a single board for multiple cuts (with an “X” indicating scrap pieces – which you can faintly see in the photo above).

After the cuts were made, we began building the deck and assembling the walls for our modern playhouse!

SHOP THE POST –

This is my first time writing up a full materials and cut list. Please don’t hesitate to comment below if you have any questions or find an error with the materials list!