Upcycled DIY Playground

The reveal of my Orange Tank–winning upcycled playhouse project is here! My son has been playing in the playhouse ever since I finished it, and each time I add something new, his face always lights up! I was excited when I won the Orange Tank competition from the Haven Conference 2021, because with The Home Depot’s help, I was able to do more with the playhouse.

I found such a gem left abandoned on the side of the road during my dog walk! As someone who loves to upcycle things and doesn’t like seeing things go to waste at a landfill, it gave me inspiration to give my child a fun place to play outdoors. The first step was figuring out how to beautify the playhouse and make it as functional as possible. I had a vision to make it a bold house that would be fun to play with. I wanted to make sure that it had a huge deck with storage, because it would be handy to hide the toys or convert it for movie night.

To build the base, attach one of the 2” x 6” boards on the bottom and another one on the top of two of the 4’”x4’”x5’ (which are the 4”x4”x10’ timbers cut in half) timbers using the exterior construction screws.

Repeat three more times so that you have four of those to join the sides together. To add the joist, add all of the 2” x 4” boards sideways and space them out evenly between the outer boards inside the top frame vertically with the construction screws for deck flooring support.

Add a diagonal support under the top deck on each corner for additional support. Add all of the 1” x 6” boards with little space out between them on top of the joists for the deck floor in the opposite direction of the joists as horizontal. Add two each of the 2” x 2” x 8’ #1 pressure-treated southern pine lumber on top and bottom of the deck walls (front and sides). Add the rest of the 2” x 6” prime kiln-dried southern yellow pine lumber for the deck walls on the sides (six on each side) and half (three) in the front wall leaving the back access open.

I personally use the storage area in many ways. You can use it for movie night by using a projector screen and outdoor lounge; to store the kids’ vehicles, bikes or any other things that you would like to store under the deck; or convert it into a sandbox. You can even add an extra playhouse space there. To see more other ways that you can get creative with this project, go to findourjoy.com.

To build the storage, you will need to attach the black film on the ground to prevent the grass growth and moisture with stapler and staples on the ground wood frame all around. Add four of the 2” x 6” Planks on the ground frame on top of the film to be used as joists vertically with construction screws [204959302] and then add 2” x 10” boards horizontally with little space cut out in between.

You will also need to cut the boards so that they will fit on the corners—I have a cutting hack for this on my Instagram @findourjoy. To prevent the rain from coming through to the storage, tilt the PVC roof panels with closure strips underneath and secure it with fasteners.

The slide was a must and the surfboard is so fun to play with. I added a rock climbing wall and a walking net for my son to have more fun with. I also included a curtain to block out the heat and for him to have a little bit of privacy. There is a bed sheet under the storage for the projector to display the movies. The couch and blanket are perfect there too! I added flower pots, a truck toy and a wreath just in time for Christmas!

What a wonderful time of the year and it is my greatest joy to give this to my child. This was such a great project that really added to the whole scene.

Special thanks to The Home Depot for giving my child the childhood he deserves! None of this would have been possible without The Home Depot App. The app makes it easy to browse, explore and find instructions. It tells you how many are in the stock, where they are located in the store, provides customer reviews and gives you options to purchase the item online to either have it picked up at curbside or delivered to your door/store (sometimes with free shipping)! The mobile app will give the product details that come with instructions/assembly which is helpful if you accidentally lose the manual. The user-friendly directions also show you how to take care of your product. It gives comparisons for similar products, specifications, customer reviews and questions to answer on selected products. All of this could be at the touch of your fingers with the convenience of downloading the Home Depot App.