Little House - youngins playhouse

Started by youngins, December 30, 2006, 10:23:52 PM

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youngins

Hello,

Before Wendy and I attempt the 14x24 Little House on our Colorado property over 700 miles away, we decided to try our hands on a project here in our back yard to test our capabilities.

We are going to attempt to build the Little House playhouse. Here is the photo John has in the Gallery:



We are starting to develop the basic design. For starters, this is a survey of our suburban property:



Due to HOA restrictions, any utility building must be out of view when looking towards the property from the street in front of the house.  This being the case, will will have to build it somewhere inside a square area bounded between the the 39.9 feet length of the back of the house and the approx 30 feet between the house and property line.

Our first thought is to build it along the back of the property with the playhouse front facing the back patio, where we have a sliding glass door so we can see it from the kitchen.

However, placement of the structure is going to be dependent on the structure's requirements.  We spent some time looking thorugh the Little House instructions which came with the Big Enchalada Kit. After reviewing the instructions, we have the following questions/observations and would appreciate any comments:

1. Length/Width - It appears in the playhouse picture {above} it is smaller than 10' x 14'. It actually looks more like 10 x 12 or even 8 x 10. Hard to judge.

2. Height - The play house walls appears to be no more than 5' high. Also hard to judge.

3. Foundation - While the skid foundation is attractive for portability, I am wonding if it would be easier to do a pier on paver on gravel sort of thing. We have to deal with the expansive soil issue here in North Texas. I also don't want a tornado to come along and whisk the structure to Oz.

If using piers, does the configuration change from the 10' x 14' plan?

4. Windows/Doors - Home Depot has 12" by 24" windows for $20 each. We found a solid 24" by 80" interior door (not pre-hung) for a little more than $70.  We figured we could trim a few feet off of it to scale it down to play house size.

5. Texas Heat - Home Depot has a window air conditioner for $100. So the kids cannot mess with it, we thought about creating a rough opening up high specifically just for the unit.

6. Exterior materials - Siding is going to depend on that the HOA says. Once we get our plans and location finalized, we can present the request to the HOA. Our initial preference is to to something in a log siding, but we will have to see if that is going to fly.

7. Roof - Open to any design. Hip roof seems a bit complicated but works well with the design. Gable would give us practice for the 14' x 24', but just does not seem right.

Thanks

Amanda_931

#1
Standard size doors are likely to be 36" wide (32 or maybe 30), height, probably 80".  Try figuring from there.  Nobody (unless they wanted a lot of extra work or lived miles from the nearest road) would use a home made door for that.

I'd think 36" for a door of what might become a storage space.  But that may make the building look longer still.

Skid foundation might give you as much bearing surface as pier and post.  Which wouldn't necessarily keep the building from slamming into your house (or vice versa) in a tornado.  What do the local portable building people recommend?  Tiedowns, like for a mobile home?

If I'm reading your map right, you might be able to move that building when you leave--or start building?

Hip roofs--look pretty scary.  But there are advantages--for instance you don't have make the roof overhang the ends, the way you do on a gable roof.  And the old and experienced framer I worked with actually set up the straight (gable-like) portion of the roof and then measured from there down to the corner for the length of the hip rafters, then I believe we measured each of the shorter ones as we cut them.

Or, you could do what the local truss people seem to do--have the hip roof ends made just like the trusses in the main section.  Presumably they slant the tops.

This might help--second project.

http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projects/framing/frame_6.htm




peg_688

Why not just build the 14 x24 lil house scaled down ? Find some 2x3's for studs  or rip 2x6 's in 1/2 , scale everything down doors / windows / ceiling height etc by say 1/3 rd.

It is a kids play house right? Full sized doors and window look weird in a small scale .

The experience gained in the lay out process , making simple doors , just buy / find a cut off / damaged sheet of 1 1/8"th plywood , cut out the door size, then cut a window hole in it , stop on a plexi glass window , same with window build a simple frame out of 1x common utilty lumber (read cheap) , stop in or hinge with small hinges attached with nuts and bolts on plexi glass window , you want grids just use tape on the plexi glass to get divided lights.

Think outside the box , even the kids could help with the play house evry thing will  be their size  :)  

desdawg

Gotta love those HOA's. Having committee meetings and writing rules to make their neighbors more acceptable. Guess I would never make it in that environment.

glenn-k

I've already done a couple of rants on HOA's desdawg. :-/  Seems you and I are usually in agreement --I just couldn't live like that.  

My motorhome/temp shelter here, came from from an HOA - neighbors could see it sticking up over the back fence.  Requested that the owner get rid of it.


desdawg

Yes Glenn, we do see eye to eye on a lot of that sort of thing. I had to cut my post short or I would have been ranting myself. I think it is good though that so many people live that way. It keeps them out of my neck of the woods. I always shudder when someone new shows up around here. Sometimes they try to bring that kind of thinking with them. There have been quite a few over the years that have came out here, stayed about 2 years and moved back to the city. Unfortuately this area is growing so fast that the city mentality keeps growing closer. I have been here 17 years and done just fine without all of that. What worry's me is who is going to get the education, me or them? There is strength in numbers and those cities are bulging at the seams. Guess I better go buy some more ammo.  :)