![]() Position You need to position the 4x4 floor supports so they will fall directly under the stringers in the wall panels. Mine were 56 1/4" so that is how long I cut my 4x4's. Measure the outside distance of the two outermost stringers on your stockade fence panels. This made my life a little more complicated because I had a LOT of leveling to do and I will have to move the swing set back about two feet for safety. My Wife and I decided on the back corner. My back yard is Freaking tiny so the only location I had available was either behind the garage where no one can see it, or in the back corner where a raised flower bed once was. It should have enough room around it that it does not get in the way of other things like a swing set or kiddy pool. I didn't have any extra of either so I just made the dirt level and tamped it down as much as I could. If you are willing to spend some more money and time, I would suggest that you dig out and lay down some crushed stone under the 4x4 supports. This can sometimes be difficult but take your time and it will look a lot better (As straight as possible) 1 - 1 x 3 x 8' lumber 1 roll of Roll roofing 2 - 1lb Box of 1 1/4" Deck Screws 1lb Box of 3" Deck Screws 1lb Box of 7/8 roofing nails (left over from another project) 3 Gallon of Deck stain (2 light cedar, 1 dark green) 2 Packages of Cedar shims Total Cost for me = $268.42 Tools Required: Shovel: Spade Tamper 4' Level Hammer Drill/Driver Circular Saw Chalk line Paintbrush Utility knife Terminology used in this instructable: Slats = the part of the fence panels that look like the log Stringers = the three 2x3x8' long boards on the fence panels that keep all of the slats together Other stuff: Make all of your cuts with the circular saw from the inside of the panels to reduce splintering that can be seen from the outside. Parts List: 6 - 6' x 8' stockade fence with 2x3 supports 4 - 4 x 4 x 6' Treated timbers 2 - 2 x 4 x 8' Treated lumber 2 - 2 x 4 x 8' Lumber 1 - 2 x 3 x 8' lumber. Time: This took me 4 weeknights (6:30pm - 8:30pm) to level the ground for the floor and one very long Saturday and Sunday to finish the build. I am a pretty big guy so I just tipped them up the long way, leaned them against my back, grabbed the top of the 8' section, leaned forward a little, and carried them where I wanted them. You will probably want at least two people to move the panels around and lift them in place. The center is actually a piece of plywood covered with left over roofing material. The sunflowers were built from that same Neighbors old metal fence posts and the cut offs from the wall panels. I think I need to stain the floor again, but the rest held up well. Picture 2 shows it's current state taken exactly 3 years from the original. It's had a lot of snow on the roof over these 3 years and a lot of abuse from my now 6 year old Son and my 2 year old daughter. 3 Year Update I noticed that it's been 3 years since I created this playhouse so I decided to take a picture of it in it's current state. I looked under and didn't see any animals I would suggest that you apply some metal mesh around the foundation prior to putting on the walls. My dog has been digging on the side of the playhouse and sniffing through the floor of the playhouse. He didn't knock any slats off but I figured just in case. As a precaution I decieded to pre-drill and screw the slats on the back wall to the stringers. My Son for some reason has been leaving the front door open and he runs into the playhouse and bounces off the back wall. On several occasions I have had to carry him inside screaming in order to put him to bed. When I pick him up from daycare all he wants to do is go into his playhouse, He has even eaten his dinner in there more than once. My Son has been using this playhouse almost every day, even when it's raining. ![]() If you do a crappy job and it falls down on your kids head it's not my fault. ![]() DISCLAIMER: This structure will be as durable as you make it. Dang, those look like the side to a log cabin! And so my planning began. I walked outside, glanced over and thought. Then there was the Log Cabin one that I thought was really cool but it was $3700, marked down from $4200 because it was a floor model! Then came my inspiration, my Neighbors put in a Stockade fence this spring and were resting the panels against their garage until they used them. Yeah well, after shopping around for a while I found that a Playhouse of any decent size was $1200 for a striped down, 4'x 6' box. So, I put Playhouse on my list of things to get for him. ![]() I noticed that my 3 year old Son always gravitated toward the playhouses whenever we went to a big playground.
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