Playhouse Fort Frame

I've been dreaming about building this playhouse since I first saw it on Reimuja, and I knew that it would make the perfect blank canvas for my boys who are always scheming up ways to create bigger and more elaborate forts. With the addition of some blankets and pillows it makes a wonderful reading nook, and when you cover the frame with sheets it becomes a castle,  clubhouse,  pet shop,  pirate hideaway or anything else your child can imagine!

 

When my handy hubby informed me that he would be spending last Saturday working on some DIY projects around the house, I immediately added this simple playhouse frame to his to-do list for the day. I figured it made perfect sense since he already had his chop saw and tools out and ready for action! He grabbed some 2x2's from the hardware store along with some long furniture bolts and got to work.

It only took a couple of hours to create, and that included the time to build it, un-build it to take it upstairs to our playroom and then re-build it (obviously it could have been built in-place much more quickly, but we didn't want to wake up the napping toddler tornado). Hubby built ours quite a bit larger than the inspiration since our big boys are TALL kids, and we wanted them to be able to use it for awhile. I think it's around 65" high since I can stand up in the middle of it myself (though I'm only 5'2"!), and the base is 4'x5'.

Our cal king-sized sheets only cover the roof and one wall panel at a time, so I'd like to make a slipcover out that will easily cover all the open areas. I'm still debating between using a heavier fabric that will lay better vs. a lighter fabric that will still allow more light in...decisions, decisions. I'm leaning towards drop cloths since I know they will stand up well to my rough-and-tumble kids as well as the fact that they come in large sizes that will make my job even easier.

Even with one of the sides left open, it's such a cool and inviting hidout perfect for my little boys to snuggle up with a few good books and let their imaginations run free.

 

Posted in: Building, DIY, Fort, Handy Hubby, Kids, Wood