Building An Outdoor Playhouse.doc

Building An Outdoor Playhouse

Project Level: Advanced

If you want to give the children in your family their own retreat and improve your do-it-yourself skills at the same time, this playhouse is the perfect project for you. Not only will you create a special hideaway, you will also practice framing, sheathing and roofing skills that could save you a bundle on large do-it-yourself projects down the road. And when your children outgrow their playhouse, it will make a great storage shed.

Tools, Materials and Hardware.

Tools

·         Shovel  ·Rake Mitre saw  ·Circular saw  ·Drill/driver  ·Tape measure  ·Framing square ·4' Level  ·Torpedo level  ·Hammer 2" Chisel Utility knife ·Metal snips ·Staple gun  ·Chalk line ·Caulk gun ·

·         Hand saw  ·Paintbrushes 

Hardware List

Materials List

Cut List

Construction

Day 1: The Floor

Day 2: Framing

Day 3: Roof Framing

Day 4: Decking and Sheathing

Day 5: Roof Deck

Day 6: Roofing

Day 7: Windows, Doors & Trim

Introduction

This is a fairly extensive project.  We recommend that you print the drawings, as well as the text in this frame. Study both the text and drawings until you are comfortable with them before you begin.

The project will typically take a two-person crew at least seven days to complete. Build it in stages and have a good tarp on hand to protect your work from harsh weather until the playhouse is fully under roof. The finished playhouse measures 7' 9" (L) x 8' (W) x 8.5' (H). Many towns do not require building permits for outbuildings smaller than a 10' cube. However, you should still check with your city or county building department for local code requirements.

Although you can cut your framing materials with a circular saw, a mitre saw will save time and create more accurate cuts. We used a 12" Heavy Duty Compound Mitre Saw because it is large enough to cut through 2" x 6" and 4" x 4" lumber. For cutting plywood, we used a cordless circular saw and a cutting guide to help us make perfectly straight cuts. Make sure that any lumber that comes in contact with the ground is rated as such. All fasteners used in the project must be galvanized to resist rust.

Construction

At the end of each day, make sure that your work site is clear of lumber and fallen nails. Untidy building sites, especially in play areas, can cause accidents.

Day 1: The Floor

Step 1: Site Preparation
Select a site that is fairly level and has good drainage. Using a tape measure and a framing square, measure an 8' x 8' square. Check that your site is perfectly square by measuring the diagonals. If they each measure 11' 6", your site is a perfect 8' square.

Step 2: Outer Frame
Use two 8' lengths of 2" x 6" lumber rated for outdoor use for the front and rear rim joists. From two more 8' lengths of 2" x 6"lumber rated for outdoor use, cut two pieces of 2" x 6" x 7' 6" for the side rim joists. Assemble the outer frame by nailing through the front and rear rim joists into the side rim joists, using two 12d 3 1/4" common nails for each corner. See Figure 1.

Step 3: Levelling the Site
Level the ground under your floor frame using a shovel and a rake. Check your level by placing a 4'-long carpenter's level on top of the rim joists (you may have to prop up a corner of the floor with a brick or a patio block). After the site is level, move the frame away and spread a sheet of polyethylene film over the site to prevent vegetation from growing. Move the frame back into place.

Step 4: Inner Frame Joists

From 8' lengths, cut five pieces of 2" x 6" x 7' 9" lumber rated for outdoor use for the floor joists. Measure from the outer rear corners of the frame, and locate the centres of the inner floor joists at 16", 32", 48", 64" and 72". Use two 12d 3 1/4" galvanized common nails to secure each end of the inner floor joists to the side rim joists. Measure the gaps between the inner floor joists and cut lengths of 2" x 6" lumber rated for outdoor use to fit between each pair of joists. Nail the blocks into place near the middle of the floor joists. Every second block should be offset slightly to facilitate nailing.

Step 5: Plywood Floor
Set one 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" CDX plywood (exterior rated) on the frame, with one edge of the sheet flush with the rear rim joist. Use the plywood as a guide to square up your frame. The front edge of the plywood sheet should fall exactly at the centre of the floor joist that was secured at 48" on centre. Fasten the plywood to the joists with 1 5/8" #6 coated deck screws at 8" intervals around the perimeter and at 12" intervals in the centre of the plywood. Mark and cut the second sheet of 3/4" CDX plywood in half lengthwise. Put one half aside for later use as the door. Set the other half on the floor joists next to the full plywood sheet, leaving a 1/16" gap between the two sheets. Secure the half-sheet to the floor joists with 1 5/8" #6 coated deck screws.

Day 2: Framing

Build the walls on the ground, stand them up and then nail them into place.

Step 1: Wall Studs
Cut nineteen 5' 6" lengths of 2" x 4" from 12' lengths for the wall studs.

Step 2: Rear Wall
Use two 8' lengths of 2" x 4" for the top and bottom plates. Space the studs 2' on centre between the top and bottom plates and secure the studs by nailing through the plates with 8d 2 1/2" galvanized common nails. Cut four 2" x 4" x 21 1/2" pieces and nail them, horizontally, between the studs about halfway up the wall.

Set the rear wall in place directly over the rear rim joist and floor. Nail the rear wall into place with 16d 3 1/2" galvanized common nails, driven through the wall's bottom plate and the floor and into the rim joist. Temporarily prop up the rear wall with an 8'-long 2" x 4". Rest one end on the ground and nail the other at an angle into the right-side stud of the back wall, at a height of about 4'.

Step 3: Side Walls
The two sidewalls are identical. Our windows required a 17 3/4"-wide x 15 1/4"-high opening. If you use different windows, adjust the distance between the two centre studs. In doing so, make sure you have a stud centred at 4' from the back of the playhouse to use as a nailer for the edges of the sheathing boards. Since the side walls will be mounted 3 1/2" from the back of the playhouse, the middle nailers should be centred at 44 1/2" from the back of the side walls.

Cut four 2" x 4" x 65" pieces from 12' lengths for the top and bottom plates. Nail the plates to the end studs with two 8d 2 1/2" common nails at each joint. Nail one stud on centre at 44 1/2" from the back of each side wall. Nail another stud at the appropriate distance for the window framing.

Set one sidewall in place, butted up against the end of the rear wall and flush with the edge of the side rim joist. Nail the wall into place with 16d 3 1/2" nails. Use a level to make sure that the wall is plumb and then secure it to the end of the back wall with 8d 2 1/2" common nails. Repeat for the other sidewall.

Step 4: Front Wall


Use two 2" x 4" x 8' pieces for the top and bottom plates. Fasten a stud to each end of the top plate by nailing through the plate into the stud, using two 8d 2 1/2" common nails at each joint. Fasten the bottom plate to the two end studs with 8d 2 1/2" common nails. Fasten another stud 22" from the right end of the front wall for the edge of the doorway. Fasten a fourth stud so that it is centred 48" from each side of the wall. This will serve as the second stud for the doorway and as a nailer for the left front sheathing. The other two studs serve as framing for the front window. We spaced them 17 3/4" apart so that their centres were 61" and 79 1/4" from the right side of the wall (adjust for different window sizes).

Set the front wall in place, butted up against the sidewalls and flush with the edge of the plywood floor. Nail the front wall to the floor with 16d 3 1/2" common nails. Make sure the front and sidewalls are plumb and nail their end studs together with 8d 2 1/2" common nails.

Step 5: Porch Posts
Cut three 4" x 4" x 6' 2-1/2" pieces of lumber rated for outdoor use for porch posts. Cut a 3 1/2"-long by 1 1/8"-deep notch at the top of the front face of each post. The easiest way to do this is to make a series of 1 1/8"-deep cuts in the face about 1/2" apart, break out the cuts and clean out the excess wood with a 2"-wide, sharp chisel.

Cut 5 1/2"-long, 1 1/8"-deep notches on the bottom front faces of the posts, at the bottom left side of one post and at the bottom right side of another post.
Stand the left post inside the rim joists at the front left of the playhouse. The notches will allow the base of the post to be flush with the left and front rim joists. Have a helper hold the post plumb. Secure the post to the floor frame by nailing through the rim joists with four 12d 3 1/4" common nails. Repeat for right post.

Stand the centre post inside the front rim joist with its centre at 50" from the right side of the frame. The notch allows the base of the post to be flush with the front of the rim joist. Secure it to the rim joist with two 12d 3 1/4" common nails.

Step 6: Top Plates
Insert one 2" x 4" x 8' into the top notches of the front posts as a ledger board. Check that the posts are plumb and secure the ledger to each post with two 2 1/2" #7 deck screws.

Cut two 2" x 4" x 7' 9" pieces from 8' lengths for the lateral top plates. Set one on top of each sidewall, overlapping the splice between the back and sidewalls and stretching to the front edge of the post. Using ten 12d 3 1/4" common nails, secure each side plate by nailing into the post, the back wall splice and the top of the sidewall.

Cut three 2" x 4" x 7' 5" pieces from 8' lengths for the front, middle and rear plates. Set them in place between the side plates and over the front wall, the rear wall and the ledger. Using ten 12d 3 1/4" common nails, secure the plates.

Step 7: Window and Door Framing
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