Custom Playhouse

If you follow along on Instagram, then you saw some sneaks of the playset we got the girls for their birthdays.

Joe and I have talked about getting the girls a playset for probably a year now, but with all the options  available, I couldn't settle on what to get...so we just never got anything. But they literally light up at the playground and were in awe of homes that had yards with swingsets/playhouses in them, so I knew it was a must this year.

When I came across a makeover of one of those cute little playhouses online one day, I loved the idea of customizing one for them instead of just buying. I had looked at sets on Amazon that we could paint and decorate, but the money gods were looking out for us and we stumbled upon a used one locally for only $50.

At the end of the day, the girls got a completely custom play set for way less than we were considering spending for a high quality brand play set months ago. We couldn't be happier with how this turned out and the girls are truly obsessed with it!

Before: scored this gently used set for $50!

Before

Step 1: Removed tarp roof, assembled and powerwashed
The original plan was to add floor, walls, and roof while the swing set was hidden away in the garage. Then move it outside the night before we left for vacation in June, and have our painter paint while we were away. Then the girls would come back to the almost done surprise in the yard. But, we quickly realized that the play set would be difficult to move once all that wood was added and we were unsure if it would fit through our backyard gate once built out; so we opted to just surprise them before we customized it.

While my mom distracted the girls one Saturday, we moved the set into the backyard and put it together. The only changes we made to it prior were removing the tarp roof, and adding a floor to the bottom level. Once we had it all together and staked into the ground, Joe power washed it.

All put together 

Powerwashing

Ready for the reveal!

They were so excited as they rounded
the corner to find their birthday surprise

Step 2: Added walls, bench and roof
The bottom part of the swingset was completely open with a little bench originally. We removed the bench, and enclosed two sides. We partially closed another, leaving an opening as a window and flipped the bench to the outside with some additional support beams. We then closed in the final side leaving half of it open for a doorway.

Walls and roof up!

Step 3: Primed and painted
We opted to pay to have this done and save ourselves the time and hassle. Plus, I want the paint job to hold up to the weather elements so I wanted to be sure it was done right. Both the inside and outside were primed and painted white, costing roughly $600.

Sides and roof on!

Still needs a door

Shingled roof

Step 4: Spray painted swings
Against my color choice, we ultimately did accents in the girls' favorite color - purple. Joe spray painted the two swings a deep purple color and the glider black and purple. We kept the slide green since it was a requirement of our neighborhood HOA for swingsets (plus you really don't see it since it faces the back).

Step 5: Added dutch door
Another task we passed on to our handyman/painter. I love how the dutch door turned out! Having the double door lets the girls play inside with a little more light if they leave the top portion open.

Dutch door added

And painted

Step 6: Accessorized
Here are a few things we've done to give the set some character:

• Added a flower tin (and would love to add another)
• Sienna named the playhouse and we painted the signs together
• Since we didn't put mulch/chips down under the play set, we got a few rubber mats to go at the end of the slide, which also happened to be perfect for the space in front of the door as a mock patio
• Added a teeny, tiny mailbox by the front door
• Lastly, we added stepping stones as a path towards the door

6" mailbox painted purple

Signs up!

Path to "the kids playhouse"

Flowers

After everything was said and done, we probably paid about $1200-$1500 in materials and labor.  We do have a few minor things left to do - adding solar powered string lights to the inside, cleaning the paint off the roof, and adding a small built in tabletop to the lower part (right now, Sienna moved her old Ikea art table and chairs into it, and well, they are pretty much taking over the whole inside space).

And that's it!  How do you think we did? If you've redone a play set, what were some cool things that you did to make it special?

After: custom play set

Front side

Front close up

Angled view

Side view