Turning The Old Swing Set into a Playhouse

This project has taken us, my husband and I, about a year to finally complete. Well about 2 weeks worth of work, but it took us another year to start working on it again. The paint is still not perfect but I’m okay with it at the moment.

Last year we started out with a well used and worn down swing set and turned it into a fun playhouse for our two kids.

For most of my large projects or designs, I start by sketching out what I would like it to look like and jotting down any ideas I may have for materials, etc.

The Plan:

It’s not the best drawing but this will give you an idea.

The Before:

What we added/replaced:

Longer beam on swing set
3 new swings
Interior floor
Tongue and groove siding
Wider steps over the ladder rungs
Wood railing at the top
Front porch and railing
Farmhouse Style Door
Couple gallons or paint and primer
Decor: window box, flowers, front porch light, & welcome sign
Interior: table, bench, and curtains

Our Mistake:

The siding on the bottom ‘house’ – We wanted to match the bottom of the house so we used a super thin plywood that we cut into strips and overlapped to mimic the top. We hoped it would hold up in the weather once it was coated in paint. We were very wrong… We thought we were finished with it last summer. Over the course of a year, it warped, peeled, and started looking really gross. This is why this turned into a year long project so we could re-side the house.

The Plywood Siding Before and After:

The After-After:

I’m really happy with how it turned out and think the tongue and groove will hold up to the weather a bit better. It was A LOT of work but totally worth it to watch the kids and all their friends having a great time.