We built this playhouse at our San Jose remodel last year and watched as touring kids oohed and aahed. The whimsical apple-tree façade masks a child-size, not-too-high-off-the-ground playhouse that shelters a bottom-level sandbox. The footprint is 5 feet square — appropriate for the backyard.
The project should take two weekends for an experienced woodworker to complete. Because of the size and weight of the components, erecting it will require the assistance of a couple of strong friends.
We used redwood for all of the wood components (other options are cedar or arsenic-free treated lumber) and a splinter-free composite-wood decking called ChoiceDek (from Weyerhaeuser; 877/235-6873) for the playhouse floor.
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| Nik Schulz |
| Front, side, and back views of the treehouse. |
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The tree façade is oriented strand board (OSB), and the sides of our house are rough-sawn cedar plywood. A sheet of red outdoor fabric serves as the roof. Order the fabric from a local awning shop.
