My Kids Pallet Playhouse

Being in an area where gardens are very rare, I needed to make our yard space exciting for the kids. Something to keep them outdoors long enough for me to drink a hot cup of tea. So I built them their playhouse out of recycled wood pallets.

I spent a few evenings taking detours down side streets searching for abandoned pallets, with my husband saying, “why would anyone want pallets from the side of the road, surely no one who is sane”… he clearly never heard of this website. He’s definitely been converted, don’t worry.

I finally found a selection of whole pallets right by my uncle’s house! Perfect, he even knew the pallets owner and said they were definitely up for grabs, and they’d be pleased if I removed them.

I started with 4 pallets; they’d been outside for months and months apparently, so they were a bit rotten in places. I bought a crowbar and got to work on splitting them. (Had a zoom lesson from my Dad on how to split a pallet!)

I had no plans—just my creative little brain whirring away with the ultimate goal of building a pallet playhouse. I pretty much only paid for the crowbar, the wood screws and nails, and the roof, which I used a tarpaulin-covered with a Reed screen.

After the initial structure was built, my husband told me he wanted the roof to have a hinge so we could grab the kids out quickly if needed as the door was so small (child-sized). More creative brain obsessive behavior… I did it—a hinged roof.

The kids love it; I added some curtains and a mud kitchen that was built out of a wooden shelving unit from Wickes. It’s a perfect place for them to play and the tarpaulin feature of the roof actually means they’re quite happy even in the worst weather—a quiet cup of tea time for Mummy. Everyone wins. And hubby got his hinged roof. And no longer thinks I’m a crazy person.