Mountain Kids Playhouse
When I see an old storage shed sitting on a property, I think “Why not turn that forgotten space into a playhouse for kids!?” What a great excuse to get the kids and the adults to spend more time outside. You’ll be surprised how a small space can go a long way with extra imagination and a little decoration!
This year Danny and I purchased a mountain house in Highlands, North Carolina and there was an old forgotten shed in the backyard of the property. The shed had great potential and was made of wood inside and out with a sturdy metal roof. Initially, when renovating I wanted to move the shed to another part of the property, but due to a heavily sloped and rolling area, it was going to be too costly to do this. That’s when my brilliant husband came up with the idea of tying the kids playhouse into the main house by building a rope bridge that crossed from the newly built main deck to a new proposed deck to be built outside the playhouse front door. We did hire a contractor to do the entire deck and bridge work and he was amazing! So thankful for Seth’s creativity and willingness to work on our unusual requests.
The playhouse renovations we did ourselves. It took a lot of cleaning to get the inside and outside prepared for paint, but it was so worth it! It’s amazing how the right paint can make something old look brand new. I chose Sherwin Williams Iron Ore paint for the exterior and Sherwin Williams Extra White for the trim. We added a kids picnic table from Polywood on the deck for the kids to sit outside and enjoy a snack. We purchased all the lumber and stain from Ace Hardware (Reeves) in Highlands and the rope for the railings from Amazon (1-inch white cord rope).
For the inside, I used the same color as the exterior trim (Extra White) to help lighten up the space. Then it was time to accessorize. I found most of my interior decorations at Hobby Lobby and purchased the furniture from Amazon and Ikea. The pillows came from my aunt Rose who bought them in Brazil. I love mixing in sentimental pieces. Since this is a mountain playhouse, I wanted it to look rustic, so I added all kinds of accessories and personal touches such as lighting, flowers, games and artwork to make the place a great spot for kids to enjoy and relax. I particularly love the artwork that has the pawprints of the animals of the woodlands on it, as well as the bright colored flags with bears and pine trees. The small adirondack chairs were an antique find and look great in the space. The rug is an outdoor braided rug from Overstock.
This whole project might sound like a lot of work, but honestly, it was easy and much more cost-effective than building an entirely new structure. A little elbow grease goes a long way, plus a project like this is the perfect excuse to get the whole family involved. My girls and their friends spend endless times out there when we visit and I must say that the swinging bridge is probably the biggest hit. Our small problem ended up becoming the best attraction!