Imagination Station Playhouse

Did you have a playhouse growing up? Or maybe a treehouse? Or a special little hiding spot where your tea party and imagination came alive?

I didn't have a playhouse growing up, but I did have special little spots in the neighbourhood where my friend Carolyn and I would hangout and play "house" with our dolls.

My big guy has a very big imagination and we love watching him play pretend. Whether its pretending to be a daddy to his baby bear, a super hero rescuing his mummy or playing with his imaginary friend of the day, his imagination is infectious and embodies the creativity and innocence of being a child.

One day while I was at Costco with the kids, our cart came across a playhouse kit. My big guy went crazy for it and I knew it should have a home in our backyard.

Mr. Fix-it was excited about the project and we knew that our little boys and their friends could have great times in a playhouse.

Soooo...a couple of weeks ago while I was visiting my parents, Mr. Fix-it and his handy helpers started and finished the project in 40 degree heat. Oh my! Beverages definitely earned!

Here is the playhouse play-by-play:

- Mr. Fix-it pulled our various perennials, little trees and random weeds out of the corner where the future house would be built and then transplanted a bunch of the hostas that needed a new home.



- Next, he and his handy helpers leveled the ground and started to build a platform deck using 4X4s for the length and width and 2X4s for the crossbeams. The goal for this platform was a spot for the house to sit on, as well as space for the kids to play around the playhouse. This was not an easy job in hot weather. More bevvies definitely earned!



A way to make a solid base that wont sink is by using crushed limestone (you can get it at any Home Depot, Rona, Lowes etc), pour it in the trenches dug for the wood (about 2 inches thick), spray lightly with the hose, compact it (you can pound it down with a shovel) and wait for it to dry. This allows you to have a solid "make shift" concrete base.





- Next they added the crossbeams...





- Once the deck was built, the construction began.







Alot of TLC later...a playhouse was born!



I bought these two resin "Muskoka" chairs at Canadian Tire but didn't love their original blue colour. So...I gave them a quick spray using Krylon spray for plastic furniture. It gave me the look I wanted (although I see from my photo that I missed a few spots around the legs ;)



It even comes with its own working doorbell and a mock gas stove and sink ;)



- Our big guy's face of surprise was priceless! We stocked the little house with a few little flowers for the finishing touch. I'm thinking it needs a little sign out front maybe.

- So far the playhouse has transformed from a house, to a rocket ship to a zoo. Its hard not to remember how fun imagination and pretend play was.

If you have a young family, you're bound to have alot of plastic toys outside and inside your home (they aren't the most attractive things to look at). Sometimes its nice to splurge a little and get something that not only your kids will love, but that also looks fresh.fabulous.sophisticated.

Keep it Beautiful.