Playhouse of Your Dreams: a 12×12 Gable Shed

Whether you have small kids or love spending time with the grandchildren on weekends, having plenty of safe spaces and toys is an absolute must. Children have great imaginations, but it is always better to help foster that creativity by providing them with a place to pretend, have fun and be who they want to be.

Children, by nature, are wanderers. They can be wizards, pirates, and basically anything their imaginative minds could come up with. We, as their guardians, have the important responsibility to make sure they can enjoy this phase of their life as happy and safe as possible. A great way to do this is to provide them with a sure, safe playground where they could have their fun in.

Playgrounds come in different forms. One of the most commons ones is the backyard playhouse. It comes in different sizes and can be made from various materials like plastic or wood. Playhouses are amazing additions to houses that have kids. It is like a small haven for your little children.

Looking ahead, playhouses tend to serve a temporary purpose. Naturally, your children will grow up and soon you will find your beloved playhouse discarded and abandoned. For this reason, try to think of a double purpose for your shed prior to building it. Is the size of the shed appropriate for other future purposes? Or is the one you have in mind too small to be used for anything other than a playhouse. If you want to make the most out of your shed, you will want to make sure its durable enough to last that long and big enough to be transformed.

If you are looking for the perfect type of shed for your playhouse then you have found it. Let us introduce you to the Gable shed Playhouse. A very popular type of shed commonly used to build playhouses.

Taking Size and form into consideration

Since you are considering the present and the future purpose of your shed, then size would definitely matter a lot. You might want to research already built sheds just to get yourself an idea of how you want yours to be like. Then adjust and changes on how you think you could improve it when you build yours.

The size of your children’s bedroom should be enough space for your shed. It should be more than enough play space for your kids as well as for something else in the future.

If you are having trouble wrapping your head on what the size and design the sshed should be, take a look at our extensive list of shed designs. Check out the 12×12 Gable storage shed plan discussed earlier and see if it fits your dream playhouse. The plans come in many designs and sizes and can be rectangular or square to fit every backyard need.

And if you are looking for inspiration, wander into a hardware store or the home improvement section of your favorite mall. They often have DIY sheds complete with all the materials you would need, just waiting to be assembled. Or visit 3DSHEDPLANS to find DIY Premium shed plans and choose the one you like and start building right away…

Choose your material

Be practical. Yes, you want to have the perfect Playhouse shed. But it does not mean you have to spend a lot of money and a considerable amount of time trying to get it.

Do not be ashamed to shop around for items that can be repurposed. One man’s garbage is another’s treasure. Look around your neighborhood for ongoing constructions and unused materials. Do not be afraid to ask if you could buy it from them at a cheaper price. You might be surprised to hit a jackpot and get it for free since they do not need it anymore. Shop around recycling areas and see if there is anything there that you could reuse for your shed. Grab any discounts you could come across with.

You could also buy wood or lumber directly from the supplier, like CutMyPlastic.co.uk, and see if they could give you a discount if you buy in bulk. Ask if you could have them cut it to the size you want to since they have the hardware to do it easier than you can. This should save you time and help you maximize your resources.

Build the Foundation/Base

Choose a level field where you can build your playhouse on. If you cannot find one, take the time to manually level the ground where you plan to build your playhouse on. This is a very important step and will play a big factor on the strength and stability of your shed.

Start with the base. Just like regular houses, build a strong foundation for your playhouse. The best material you could go with is concrete. Although it needs more time to harden before the rest of the playhouse can be built. If you choose to go with wood, use a 2X8 boards and decking planks for your floor and foundation.

Build the Walls

Erect four empty around your floor. This would serve as your playhouses’ walls. Decide whether this playhouse would have windows and where you want the door to be located. Make space for them in the frames as you build the walls. This process is crucial and will determine the strength of your playhouse. Always remember that you are building a shed for children and that their safety is your priority.

With a little help, you will then attach the wall frames to the base of the playhouse one-by-one, followed by securing each wall to the adjoining ones.

Carefully attach each of the walls to the floor and secure them to each other as you go along. It is best to ask for help during this process to ensure the safety of the frames and to avoid incurring damages.

Install a Roof and Finish the Walls

All that is left in the process is the roof. Much like the walls, create a frame for the roof. Also create rafters to hold the roof to the playhouse. Once you finish this, you can either use plywood or the very popular galvanized metal to cover your playhouse and serve as your roof. Keep the temperature down in your playhouse with tar paper or shingles.

Finish up the house by building the walls. Use either wood or plywood to cover up the walls of your house. Finish up any doors and remaining windows to complete your entire shed.

Because of their appeal, there is an increasing number of families who are building sheds in their properties. Do not think too much about the effort, time and money that will go into it and focus on the fun and the memories your family can make from it. Think about the playtime your children can have on the shed that you built yourself. Think also of the future purpose your shed could provide for you.