| Project by SWM | posted 486 days ago | 1236 views | 2 times favorited | 11 comments |  |
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It’s been a really long time since my last project post. My shop improvement project has taken up most of the year.This is a playhouse that I just completed for my daughter. It’s not the finest woodworking that I have aspired too, but it has definately brought about the most smiles!.
I started digging the concrete forms back in October, framing in mid-November, and put the last nail in the siding on New Year’s Eve. Like most busy father’s I should have built this about two years ago. I’m hoping she gets a few good year’s of enjoyment before she outgrows it. I started with a plan from “shop plans” that a few other LJ’s have built. My wife and I decided that we didn’t like the height of the lofted house nor the idea of neighborhood cats in the sandbox. I rotated the house 90 degrees CCW and changed the beam attachment point to maintain the overal 7’ height of the swing beam.
Construction is pretty basic framing stuff. Siding is rough-cut cypress from South GA that my father donated to the project as he had a bunch left over from his barn construction project of several years back. I decided to use the cedar shake singles just for the experience of having installed a few. I’m still shocked that any roofing job of mine sheds water, but so far so good. The front door was built from PT pine 2x stock, 1/2” plywood panel bottom, and 1/8” plexi-glass top. It would have been cheaper and quicker to buy a pre-fab door but I could not find a suitable 52 ” front door. Go figure? The door was my latest adventure into mortise/tenon joinery. I was pretty shocked that it actually glued up tight on virtually the first go round. Not kidding I’m pretty sure I saw a few Angels singing and what appeared to fireworks. Let’s hope this the result of my improving skills as a wood worker and not shear dumb luck. So far my daughter has loved her new house and the tire swing is now a daily ritual.
I still need to finish out the inside, but I’m going to wait until the weather warms up a bit. We also plan to paint/stain to match our house at some point this spring. I’ve got 10-1 that it ages to a graceful grey and never gets stained.. Any takers?
Thanks for looking. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
-- Working on a retirement hobby, only 30 more years to practice!
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11 comments so far
woodshaver
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1995 posts in 1520 days
#1 posted 486 days ago
I have a comment! Great job on that playhouse! I can see the joy on your daughter face! By the way, she shure is a cutie. If it’s for the children then It’s perfect!
-- Tony C , My high school shop teacher said "You can do it"... Now I can't stop!
a1Jim
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86998 posts in 1744 days
#2 posted 486 days ago
That is very cool ,a great job ,the kids have to love it.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
Ken90712
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12660 posts in 1355 days
#3 posted 485 days ago
The smile says it all, great job!
-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"
w8n4simplertimes
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37 posts in 1557 days
#4 posted 485 days ago
I think you made someone very happy. Great job
stuk4x4
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115 posts in 1234 days
#5 posted 485 days ago
I am willing to take the bet on it being grey for quite a while!!! Great Job. I sure it will be a hit for a long time.
Walt
-- All the tools in the world wont make you a good mechanic or craftsman... however it helps!
StumpyNubs
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5029 posts in 967 days
#6 posted 485 days ago
I’d live in there…
Thanks for posting!
-Jim; aka “Stumpy Nubs”
(The best woodworking show since the invention of wood.)
-- It's the best woodworking show since the invention of wood... New episodes Wednesdays at: http://www.stumpynubs.com
woodworm
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14104 posts in 1757 days
#7 posted 485 days ago
I need to go out of the shop/home once a while to look at outdoor project that other people build. I like this site coz I do not need to go out and yet I feel being actually present there. Great project. Thanks for sharing.
-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.
SWM
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92 posts in 1225 days
#8 posted 485 days ago
Thanks for all of the kind words fellows. Now if only I could figure out how to get you all a paint brush and a few hours of work time in GA!
I should have shared the story of how/when this project finally got started…....I planned to build this for her 3rd birthday two summers ago. It was an exceptionally hot GA summer and I put it off until the cooler fall weather. You know the story, next thing I know it’s December and Snow-mageddon has descended below the Mason Dixon line…..Again, going to get this built for her 4th birthday this past summer. The 4th birthday came and went without any progress. It wasn’t until we were saying her bedtime prayers one night that she asked Jesus for a playhouse with a slide, sandbox, and tire swing that I got the message. Forget Santa Claus, my 4 year old daughter had escalated the requests all the way to the top! Not much wiggle room left there huh? Anyway, I thought it was funny so it needed to be shared.
Thanks again.
-- Working on a retirement hobby, only 30 more years to practice!
alfa189
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95 posts in 628 days
#9 posted 485 days ago
Oh my, oh my. I have an 8 year-old one of those things that tugs at your heart strings. She knows her Daddy will do ANYTHING for her. Just got done re-painting her bike (pink, butterflies and hello-kitty). I sincerely hope she doesn’t see your playhouse. I think I’ll just buy her the pony instead. Haha! Great build, my friend. It’s amazing.
-- "It's not a mistake. It's a design feature."
jim1953
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2564 posts in 2009 days
#10 posted 485 days ago
Great Lookin House
-- Jim, Kentucky
anobium
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62 posts in 511 days
#11 posted 484 days ago
I like the idea of combining the swing and the playhouse a lot.
Great job. I wish I would have had something like this.
-- Whoever finds mistakes can keep them. English is a foreign language to me.
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