Dreamy Built-In Playhouse Under Stairs
A few months back, it dawned on me that the bumped out area in our playroom was, in fact, hallow. It was previously accessible through a dark mechanical closet off of our laundry room, so we were easily able to see that it had been framed that way to house a single drainage pipe on the outermost edge. Other than that, it served no purpose aside from being a really dark, creepy space. So, my husband and I decided to build it into a playhouse... but not just any built-in playhouse – a near exact replica of the exterior of our actual house!
After taping it out, I could see it was going to work perfectly, so we got to work! … A lot of work. And when I say “a lot of work”, what I actually mean is - take how much work you think it was, and then triple that. All in all, the project took us about 10 weeks to complete. We both work full time jobs along with having a busy 2 year old, plus we tackled this project in the summer when most weekends were spent outside doing fun things, so a majority of the work happened in the evenings after our daughter’s bedtime. Here’s some interior before shots; the ceiling is about 50” high in some portions but over 7’ high in others.
I recently spoke to the previous owner who said they used to have issues with the washing machine flooding the basement a lot which explains all of the water stains on the old floor.
This image shows the furring strips we added to the concrete wall to attach the beadboard.
The best part was that while it looks like a small space from the outside of the playhouse, it’s actually L-shaped inside as it connects to the area under the stairs.
Here you can see where the ceiling goes up to over 7’ high and the drainage pipe the area was originally framed out to hide. We opted to frame around it and make it a bulkhead above the desk area.
We started with framing out the door and window openings. The door ended up being 39” high.
Then, we added the exterior shiplap, roof soffit, door and window trim, and wired the electrical for the exterior sconces.
With the help of paint, a window box, cedar shingles, address numbers, and sconces, the exterior started coming together!
The area under the stairs was the most daunting spot. My husband wasn’t convinced we were going to be able to make it look pretty and comfortable. Ye of little faith… We added fiberboard to all the surfaces including attached to under the stairs, and then I primed the walls.
Now it’s starting to get good!!
In an effort to avoid drywalling such a tight space with so many corners, we opted for beadboard. It’s much more forgiving than drywall.
Pssst! Wanna know a secret? That wall you’re looking at is actually a secret door into the existing mechanical closet. It locks from the mechanical side, so it’s not accessible to kids playing inside the playhouse. We wanted to ensure there was a larger entrance point into the space besides the little 39” high door should something horrible ever happen like our basement flooding, and we need to get large equipment in to remove water. We certainly don’t intend on this happening, and we’ve never had water issues in our basement before, but it’s a good idea to be prepared.
It was so nice to get flooring in and cover up that gross existing concrete floor!
SO close!
—THE FINAL REVEAL!—
I photographed some of my daughter’s favorite friends to add to the playhouse walls.
Adding wallpaper to the highest point of the ceiling was a fun touch!
—CHRISTMAS TIME AT THE PLAYHOUSE—
We always do these big bulbed Christmas lights on our own house, so it was a no brainer that we needed to plan accordingly for this addition come December. We put a hole in the soffit to feed the plug through and then it plugged into the outlet above the desk.
I’ve also enjoyed adding seasonal books to her bookshelf inside. Our daughter LOVES books, and I love when she goes inside to quietly read by herself. I’m excited to see her enjoy this space in the coming years.
This was such a special project, and it was worth every bump and bruise on our poor heads as we built it!