"Mothers of little boys take note: you don't have to have a daughter to design an adorable backyard playhouse!" So begins Judy's description of the incredible playhouse she and her husband Tom made for their son. If you have even the smallest inkling to make one for your child, boy or girl, this is a must-see.
Creating a child's playhouse is something Judy has wanted to do for a long time. She and her husband feel strongly about giving their son as many opportunities as they can to encouraging imaginative play and a playhouse seemed like the perfect venue to enact this value.
They drew up some basic plans and went to work! Tom did most of the construction and Judy swept in with furnishings and decorating. A few of the features of Andrew's amazing playhouse are a lofted playspace, a deck, dormer windows, a ladder and, hold your hats folks, a garage! The level of detail is fantastic and we're sure Andrew and his friends have a great time exploring and playing with each little element. Our favorites include flowerboxes, a handpainted Calvin & Hobbes mural, address marker, doorknock and a homemade Westie mailbox.
If we lived anywhere near Judy you can bet we'd break the do not envy thy neighbor's playhouse commandment. You can see loads more photos and read more of Judy's description on her blog Cutest Little Things. We also recommend her post about the playhouse in the early stages so you can see its humble beginnings.
Thanks Judy!
(via Hooked on Houses - see their post on playhouses here)
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This is unreal. I would have loved that as a kid.
That is quite possibly the coolest thing i have ever seen. I have to little boys and i say the same thing about them having a playhouse or kitchen for that matter. I'm going to have show my husband that and make him make that for them. So cool!!!
wow, wow, and wow!
Wow again, and in ten years or so, he'll bring in a sofa and and have his own little house for entertaining friends.
Too cool...and too bad we are not handy at our house.
I so want to make one of those for my baby son. Maybe a replica of our house?
Wow, what more can I say!
I'd rather have a tree house, it's more imaginative and exciting. This is great though, I'm sure it will be loved for generations! :)
I love it! Absolutely wonderful, especially the lofted play space.
I also love the how the tone of these comments is completely different from those those on the post for a company that made these and sold them. Lesson: people who pay for something with their own labor are admirable, people who pay for something by made with someone else's labor are spendthrift and irresponsible.
Well, the only thing I can think about that is that when you make it yourself you spend 1/4 of the price if that much. I think this is a teensy bit over the top but otherwise cool. The $10,000 kid's homes are just waaaay over the top.
Obviously there is an added layer of awesome that comes from appreciating the talent that goes into designing and building something yourself. I'm very impressed with this piece, particularly with the level of detail and obvious care that went into it.
I just get exasperated that people here so often get up on their soapboxes and rail because someone else dares to spend her own time and money in a way the commenter wouldn't. Presumably your own time and labor is worth something--mine is. If you enjoy DIY, that's great. If you don't, and the time, worry, and aggravation it would cost you to attempt to make this yourself outweighs the extra cost of buying it premade from someone else, there's nothing wrong with that either.
Agreed-- there is a self righteousness the pervades this site which is repugnant and often times hypocritical.
As for this house-- whether homemade or purchased from a factory-- its lovely but its over the top, and not in a good way.
Yay, Calvin and Hobbs!!!!
This is one lucky little dude.
And the square footage prepares for adult life in Manhattan. :)
When I first saw this I thought, "Woah, that's decadent..."
But the cost of this was probably somewhere along the lines of a relatively inexpensive vacation. I kind of doubt that I would judge a family for going to Disney World for a weekend.
So, yeah, cool house. And lucky kid. His parents could have spent this money on something for themselves instead and they didn't.
The high ceiling means he'll be able to use the play house for a good bit longer than most kiddie-houses, too! Just take out the play furniture, throw in some bean bags, and paint the walls black. :D
Yep, my father had made me a play house in the back yard that I used up into highschool. It had normal height ceilings and was probably 6'x6' or so. It had power, lights etc so as I go older it basically ended up being a place for me to go draw, read, listen to music, and watch TV. Hell, if we had laptops back then I probably would have used it through highschool.
It didn't even cost that much. It was mostly made from scrap and recycled materials from my dads work.
ahhh the garage, so cute!
who cares that it's fancy? this is awesome, it would make any neighbor jealous.
my neighbor paid an amish company to make a miniature version of their house with electricity. to me it looked like a waste because she can only fit in there for so long without hunching over, but in the mean time, she loves that place. as a kid who grew up with a tree house, this is just the next best step. he's very lucky to have such creative parents.
Sure, it's a great house, and kudos to his parents for doing such an amazing job, but...it's too shiny. Whatever happened to the fun of making your *own* version of a playhouse, instead of one that the helicoptering adults designed for you? Your own secret hideaway instead of some grownup's idea of what you would want? My heart actually kind of breaks a little for this kid, carefully sweeping his porch, even though he's obviously lucky to have such dedicated parents.
@tangledupinblue: Certainly your own childhood seems to have fostered quite an imagination -- the kind of expansive, compassionate imagination that allows you to not only pity a child whose parents who fail to share your ideals but also envision how those well-intentioned but wrongheaded parents are turning him into a sad, imagination-starved little robot.
@elvedon:No need to get personal just because you disagree. Props for putting words into my mouth to aid you in your quest for righteousness.
I think the parents are loving and the kid will enjoy his playhouse. But I stand by my comment. Kids like to create and contribute. I don't see evidence that this child had much say in the creation of what is supposed to be his special space. In contrast: http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/look/look-rubys-playhouse-065146
Thank you all for the {mostly} kind comments on our son's playhouse. And thank you to Carrie for featuring it on the site.
My son {although only two when this playhouse was being built} was instrumental in the design and planning. He picked every color, every element of his special hideaway - even helping to paint the walls!
His playhouse has helped him to learn responsibility and helps {rather than hinders} his imagination through creative play. Rather than being cooped up indoors in front of the TV, or playing Wii, he's outdoors, climbing atop his ladder to his loft, pretending it's his castle/shop/train or whatever his toddler imagination dreams up.
We designed/built/decorated/landscaped this ourselves - we didn't hire anyone to build or design any part of this playhouse and we did so on a very tight budget.
I'm proud of this project, as this was built from the heart, using or creative talents to give our son a treasured place, all his own, to dream, play and explore.
Judy@cutest-little-things