This play structure was built for a pre-school and out of school care club.  An external staircase leads up to a raised platform set at 3ft, on this platform sits the playhouse which has a central door with a non opening rectangular windows either side of it.  The roof has felt shingles on it and then finished off with a straight facia and ridge board.  Internally the playhouse is lined with plywood.  This platform steps up to another play platform set at 4ft which then gives access to the first floor of the castle play frame.  The castle has an open top and a total of 5 castle unglazed window, 1 portcullis style unglazed window and 2 open doorways.  Access to the first floor is via ladder, both the floors are grooved decking.

Dimensions

Playhouse: 6ft (182cm) wide x 4ft (122cm) deep

Height to eaves: 4 1/2ft (137cm)

Maximum height: 6 1/2ft (198cm)

Castle: 5ft (152cm) wide x 5ft (152cm)deep

Maximum height: 9ft (274cm)

Footprint: 16 1/2ft (502cm) + staircase wide x 6ft (182cm) deep

Colours

Finished with sadolin classic: Playhouse walls in african violet: Door, windows and facia in smokey mountain, Castle walls in dover grey:

Sadolin Superdec: Doorways, windows and balustrade in limestone.

Specification

Floor

Decking can be laid at ground level either as a floor for a play-frame, a sub base for a playhouse or to give an additional play area.  The decking boards are good quality grooved redwood boards that are pressure treated.  The deck boards are screwed to pressure treated 50mm x 100mm timber bearers which in turn sit on bricks placed at ground level.  A weed prevention membrane is fitted below the decking to ensure that there is no plant growth up through the boards. If it is being used as a sub-base or play area a skirt is fitted to match to deck.

Decking can be painted with a non slip rubberised paint, please ask for details.

Sides

Whilst this is our option one build, it should not be confused with a “shed” type construction, as each one of our playhouses are hand built in our workshops in Herefordshire and we only use superior quality materials.  Initially a framework is built using 50mm x 38mm redwood timber with rounded edges. To this we fix, using galvanised brads, good quality redwood shiplap timber; this makes the side panels. These panels are then sanded and treated on the outside using two coats of Sadolin wood preservative. These are then fitted together on site, a clear silicon seal is applied to all the corners.

Roof

The roof is built to withstand the English climate; 75mm x 50mm bearers are put across from side to side. Screwed to these bearers is 12mm external quality plywood covered with 2 base coats of waterproof membrane and then a top layer of felt shingles giving the appearance of tiles. The felt is wrapped over the front and back and sealed behind the facia board; there is also a ridge board fitted along the top ridge, these boards can be either straight or shaped.

Doors

All our doors are built with safety as a paramount concern. All are a special non-trap design, using piano hinge down the whole length of the door, and then a rebate on the inside of the hinged side. When the door is in the closed position there is a taper between the door and frame, so should little fingers be left in the way they will not be pinched. Doors are held closed with heavy duty magnets; this prevents a child getting locked in accidentally. The cut out window is glazed with unbreakable 2mm polycarbonate sheet.  Doors have a knob inside and out.

Other

All staircases are built at an angle of 45 degrees with no more than 180mm between treads: they are built using tanolised timber with grooved decking used for the treads. All staircases above 300mm have balustrade rails on the side.

The following table gives the cost of this project with the various build options that are available, where the highlighted price indicates the cost of the project as featured on this page.

Click on the build options to see more details.

• Mineral Felt

  High quality 38kg mineral felt over the top of base felt.

• Felt Shingles

  To give the appearance of tiles, these go over the base layer of felt.

• Cedar Shingles

  Traditional roof finish in North America, Cedar shingles are fitted over the top to the felt.

• Slate Effect

  Eternet artificial slate is fitted over the top of the felt, this look just like a traditional slate roof.

• Option 1

  Good quality redwood framework rounded on the edges and shiplap fixed to the outside using galvanised brads. The floor is 18mm wbp plywood with a damp proof membrane on tanolised bearers.

• Option 2

  All of option 1 with the addition of 6mm wbp plywood and a damp proof membrane between the frame work and the shiplap. The floor is 18mm wbp plywood with a damp proof membrane on tanolised bearers.

• Option 3

  All of option 2 with the addition of fitted insulation. The insulation fits within the frame and the plywood is attached to the inside giving a flat surface throughout the walls. The windows and doors are finished with architrave and skirting is fitted around the bottom. The floor is 18mm wbp plywood with a damp proof membrane on tanolised bearers.

Optional Accessories

• Flag pole - static with flag

  

• Window boxes