I envisioned a treehouse for the girls to play in since we moved to our property. It was something I wanted to do right away. Sometimes I get a little ahead of myself. We had so many projects to complete after moving into the barndo that there was no way a treehouse was happening anytime in the near feature. Fast forward 2 years after moving in. My husband is a notorious Facebook Marketplace junkie. We’ve bought all sorts of things and can officially add old playhouse to the list. When he sent me the listing I was in love. The bones were good just needed a little Barnhouse Momma TLC. The playhouse was being sold by a Boy Scout troop, proceeds going to I believe an Eagle Scout project. He met with them to plan out how he was going to move this massive house 8 ft x 8 ft with I’m guessing a 10 ft pitched roof. No way it could be moved by hand, this needed some heavy machinery to load on his hydraulic trailer. What better than a crane? My husband owns an HVAC company so crane rentals is not out of the norm for him. The day finally came for the crane to pick up the playhouse. I happened to be busy this day and did not get to see the fun unfold. Thankfully the playhouse made it safe to our property. My step-dad and father-in-law and gravity….were able to help my husband unload the house.
Operation transform playhouse into a treehouse (a family affair)
Step 1: Remove front columns and porch. The columns dated the playhouse a bit and we had big plans to place the playhouse on an elevated surface with a large deck.
Step 2: Remove bottom siding and trim. The playhouse had this strange skirting of siding at the bottom, so we removed and replaced it. Later on we actually removed and replaced it again after we set the house. Sometimes we repeat steps over here…
Step 3: Set posts. So I know I call it a Treehouse but only because Barnhouse “on elevated surface” doesn’t have the same ring to it. We didn’t plan to place the house literally in the tree but within the trees of our backyard elevated 4 feet off the ground. Posts were 4×6 treated pine. 2×6 treated pine boards were also used around the posts as well as vertically across.
Step 4: Door. The playhouse didn’t come with a door. So we bought a 24 inch wide door from Home Depot that we were able to trim down. I painted it Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams to match our front door.
Step 5: Paint Exterior. We wanted the treehouse to match our barndominum. We chose Behr Marquee One Coat paint from Home Depot and got the paint color pretty dang close to our barndo. Main Color: Classic Silver, Trim/Wainscot: Graphic Charcoal
Step 6: Paint Interior. The interior was painted an almost bluish tint so I gave it a refresh with white. From pitched ceiling to walls to floor, everything was painted white.
Step 7: Stencil Floor: I chose the Almafi stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. I’m a big fan of this company and love all the designs. I used an acrylic black paint with a mini craft foam roller. The key is to go light on the paint to avoid smears. This was my 3rd stencil project but my first floor stencil. I was pleased how it turned out and feel that it really transformed the space. Tile Stencils – Stencil your old tile floor or backsplash with Tile Stencils! (cuttingedgestencils.com)
Step 8: Loft Bed. We used some 2×4 boards and plywood for the bed and then we used black pipe for the railing at the top of the loft as well as for the ladder. My husband’s Uncle was able to weld the ladder for us rather than figuring out all the unions that we needed. I then spray painted the rail and ladder Rustoleum Sunlit Brass spray paint and then followed it with a clear coat matte finish
Step 9: Move. We finally hired someone to come move the playhouse to the structure we built. Yay. I was a nervous wreck, but we got it.
Step 10: Secure. We used hurricane straps to secure the house to the posts.
Step 11: Deck 8×8 ft and fence. Derek says we used deck board and fence posts….lol he is so helpful. Guess I’ll need to take a better inventory next time I write a blog post. We used Ready Seal Exterior Wood Stain Color Natural Cedar Ready Seal 5 gal. Natural Cedar Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer-512 – The Home Depot
Step 12: Slide Swing-N-Slide Playsets Green Apex Wave Slide-WS 8200 – The Home Depot
Step 13: Ladder. We were done by this point. My husband literally cut an extension ladder he had and spray painted it… Sometimes the easy way wins lol
Step 14: Decorate:
Ceiling Decal Extra Stars – Matches Zodiac Constellation Listing (See Item Details for More Info) (kennasatodesigns.com)
Spice Rack Shelf BEKVÄM Spice rack, aspen – IKEA
Table SUNDVIK Children’s table, white, 29 7/8×19 5/8″ – IKEA
Chairs discontinued from Crate and Barrel Kids
Flag holder Amazon.com : Carson Flag Hanger – Wall/Post Mount 60734 : Outdoor Flags : Patio, Lawn & Garden
From the day the playhouse arrived to finish it was about 10 months. It took us less time to have our barndominum built. Life happened, other projects, work, health and family took priority. We were able to officially gift the girls the remodeled playhouse on Christmas Day. I look forward to the many memories they make and am so glad to have this blog to look back on.
Cost Breakdown:
- Playhouse $500
- Siding $250
- Lumber $750
- Paint and Supplies $250
- Loft Ladder and Rail $100
- Company to move playhouse $600
- Slide $200
- Misc $350
Total $3000
Note to add we did not follow any plans and are in no way professional builders. This was just our experience building something for our daughters.