Home >> how to make an easy pvc playhouse

Are you looking for a really cool present for your kids that does not cost much?

Everyone who comes to our house for the first time is drawn to the big playhouse in our living room. It’s a kid magnet and parents can’t resist sticking their head in to see too. So many people have said they wished they had one when they were a kid and tell me that I should market it! Well, Pottery Barn already is for $199 but I thought maybe I could replicate it…HA, it worked and materials only cost me about $20! Here are the instructions:

6 – 10 ft lenghts of 1/2″ PVC pipe
6 – 3way elbows
8 – 2way elbows
4 – 4way elbows
1 PVC cutter
I had some old tab curtains that I used for the sides and an old blanket for the top. Over the years we’ve decorated the inside with star lights from IKEA, little chairs, a rug, a stool for a table, a lamp, a few toys, family & friend photos, and beads around the doorway from our gypsy-belly-dancing neighbor. All kinds of things can be hung inside from the pvc…Christmas decorations, pictures, etc…

Cut 13 lengths of 1/2″ pvc at 40″ each for the base, sides, and long roof top
Cut 4 lenghts of 1/2″ pvc at 30″ each for the angled part of the roof

Connect four 40″ lengths using the 3-way elbows for the bottom. Then add four more lenghts for the verticle sides. The top corners are tricky to describe so here’s a picture:

Add two 2-way elbows to the top and one side of the 4-way elbow (to convert it to a 45 degree angle) for the upper corners where the roof starts. The 30″ lengths are for the roof. If you want a permanent house, add plumbers putty to the joints. I’ve left mine loose so that I can take it apart easily. Occasionally if kids are too rough, the joints come loose, but they are easy enough to reconnect.

Hopefully a few pictures here are worth a 1000 words. When finished at these dimensions, the highest point of the roof is about 5′7″…making the house very hospitable to grown-ups. Expect an invitation to a tea party! By the way, the house is a great place to toss stray toys when you’re cleaning up for company!

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