The Primary Ingredient Required to Build a Playhouse
If you're just starting your journey in constructing a playhouse for your child, I have found out some terrific information that may be helpful. The main ingredient you're going to need is a good set of playhouse plans.
Without plans to build your playhouse, you'll make tons of mistakes and the end result won't be a thing of beauty, either!
I wrote this article to help other people like me who want to build a simple playhouse for their kids. As I went from the design phase and through the construction process, I learned quite a bit. Keep reading to hear my story.
Without plans to build your playhouse, you'll make tons of mistakes and the end result won't be a thing of beauty, either!
I wrote this article to help other people like me who want to build a simple playhouse for their kids. As I went from the design phase and through the construction process, I learned quite a bit. Keep reading to hear my story.
Building a Playhouse - The Plans
Because I've built other wooden projects around the house, I knew I was going to need some plans. Without plans, it's hard to know where to start and what order to take the steps necessary to build something. So I fired up the old laptop and got online.
What I found was amazing! There were only two people offering playhouse plans! And they both cost exactly the same - $70. Not too bad, I thought. As long as they were detailed and thorough, it might be worth $70 to get some assistance. It would be nice, though, if I could find them cheaper—or free!
One of the programs for building a playhouse called "Building a Playhouse Within a Week" gave their customers 12 different playhouse plans. The logo on their sales page looked extremely well designed.
With their long, compelling sales page and their offer of including 12 playhouse plans, I bit the bait. So I plunked down my $70 and downloaded my package, excited to begin my playhouse project! Read on to see what I downloaded.
What I found was amazing! There were only two people offering playhouse plans! And they both cost exactly the same - $70. Not too bad, I thought. As long as they were detailed and thorough, it might be worth $70 to get some assistance. It would be nice, though, if I could find them cheaper—or free!
One of the programs for building a playhouse called "Building a Playhouse Within a Week" gave their customers 12 different playhouse plans. The logo on their sales page looked extremely well designed.
With their long, compelling sales page and their offer of including 12 playhouse plans, I bit the bait. So I plunked down my $70 and downloaded my package, excited to begin my playhouse project! Read on to see what I downloaded.
Building a Playhouse - The Disenchantment Stage
Downloading the plans should be the most exciting part of building a playhouse, but it wasn't for me. I was disappointed with what I found in my newly purchased package. Here's what I found.
The first playhouse plan was for building a HUGE playhouse! The dimensions were 16' x 20'! It would cost me as much to build that as it would cost to build a 320 square foot addition to my home! And I'd need to acquire a building permit and build it to code! Scrap that plan!
Nine of the other eight plans were for playhouses that were 12' x 12'. A little better, but still larger than I wanted to build. The two remaining plans were for playhouses more the size I was looking for, but they were above-ground fort-like playhouses. I wanted a ground-level playhouse for my kids.
So much for being excited about building a playhouse. Fortunately, the seller offered a money-back guarantee, but that was a hassle and took quite a bit of time and effort. Time and effort I could have spent building my playhouse.
The first playhouse plan was for building a HUGE playhouse! The dimensions were 16' x 20'! It would cost me as much to build that as it would cost to build a 320 square foot addition to my home! And I'd need to acquire a building permit and build it to code! Scrap that plan!
Nine of the other eight plans were for playhouses that were 12' x 12'. A little better, but still larger than I wanted to build. The two remaining plans were for playhouses more the size I was looking for, but they were above-ground fort-like playhouses. I wanted a ground-level playhouse for my kids.
So much for being excited about building a playhouse. Fortunately, the seller offered a money-back guarantee, but that was a hassle and took quite a bit of time and effort. Time and effort I could have spent building my playhouse.
Are Playhouse Plans Worth $70?
As I was slowly coming out of my disappointment and waiting for my refund, I had this feeling that that plan package I just downloaded and returned wasn't really worth $70.
You know how you just have a feeling about what something is worth? That plan package didn't feel like its true value was $70.
So I did a little research. I found that many products sold online have a creator and people who sell the product. The people who sell the product are called "affiliates".
These affiliates make a commission for promoting and selling these products. That's normal for a lot of products. Like cars. Cars are manufactured by companies like Ford and Toyota and sold on commission by car dealers.
Those affiliates who sell you playhouse plans are making anywhere from 50%-75% commissions. That means the creator of the plans is making between $35.00 and $52.50. That's more in line with what I think playhouse plans should cost.
Of course, if you can't use the plans you purchase, the value goes down to zero!
You know how you just have a feeling about what something is worth? That plan package didn't feel like its true value was $70.
So I did a little research. I found that many products sold online have a creator and people who sell the product. The people who sell the product are called "affiliates".
These affiliates make a commission for promoting and selling these products. That's normal for a lot of products. Like cars. Cars are manufactured by companies like Ford and Toyota and sold on commission by car dealers.
Those affiliates who sell you playhouse plans are making anywhere from 50%-75% commissions. That means the creator of the plans is making between $35.00 and $52.50. That's more in line with what I think playhouse plans should cost.
Of course, if you can't use the plans you purchase, the value goes down to zero!
Building a Playhouse - The Solution
After that small setback, I proceeded with my goal of building a playhouse for my kids. I scoured the internet for free or less expensive plans for building a playhouse. The free ones were, well, worth about that.
They didn't give a lot of detail and I was required to give my email address to someone I didn't know in exchange for the "free" plans. Of course, then my email inbox would get bombarded with offers for stuff I didn't want or the package I already bought and returned.
Then one day it hit me! I had an old friend living hundreds of miles away from me, but I went to school with him decades ago. He’s extremely good at woodworking! Maybe he could whip out a plan for a smaller, simple playhouse and email it to me!
They didn't give a lot of detail and I was required to give my email address to someone I didn't know in exchange for the "free" plans. Of course, then my email inbox would get bombarded with offers for stuff I didn't want or the package I already bought and returned.
Then one day it hit me! I had an old friend living hundreds of miles away from me, but I went to school with him decades ago. He’s extremely good at woodworking! Maybe he could whip out a plan for a smaller, simple playhouse and email it to me!
So I called my friend and explained what I was looking for in a playhouse. I told him I wanted it to be the scale for a kid and preferably, in the shape of a pirate ship. He said he could easily draw something up like that.
A couple weeks later, I received an email with my playhouse plans attached in PDF format. They were perfect! Just what I was looking for! I told my friend he should sell his plans online. They were far better than what was currently available. He said he'd think about it.
It's been two months since that conversation. My friend added some more details and instructions to the plans (including videos) he created for me, and he now sells the package for $49.95.
That’s the Level 1 package though. The biggest package comes with a highly comprehensive video library and it’s almost a hundred bucks. The videos make the entire package worth forking out the extra dough. You can learn more about them here.
A couple weeks later, I received an email with my playhouse plans attached in PDF format. They were perfect! Just what I was looking for! I told my friend he should sell his plans online. They were far better than what was currently available. He said he'd think about it.
It's been two months since that conversation. My friend added some more details and instructions to the plans (including videos) he created for me, and he now sells the package for $49.95.
That’s the Level 1 package though. The biggest package comes with a highly comprehensive video library and it’s almost a hundred bucks. The videos make the entire package worth forking out the extra dough. You can learn more about them here.