underground playhouse for kids
underground playhouse for kids
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Discussion

CraigVmax

Original Poster:

12,248 posts

306 months

Monday 14th March 2011
quotequote all
ok so I have a house built on stilts raised 90cm off the ground.

We dont have a massive garden so I was thinking that I could maybe construct something under the house as a sort of den for the kids ( 4 & 8 )

I was thinking if i dug down about 30cms and about 2m square I could then construct something that would be fun to play in. Also could have plastic tubes leading to it like a maze type thing.

Now, short of literally constructing the whole thing from wood myself can anyone thing of anything I could buy and then snap or screw together ince I'm under the house. The ideal scenario would be a large plastic cube of some sort.

Its totally dry under there even when drenched outside.

Open to any suggestions whatsoever. oh, I'd also hinge one wall for emergency exit or if i needed to get to them easily. Its pretty accessable under there.

Open to your creative genius gents!

98elise

31,482 posts

185 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
Are you Josef Fritzl?

CraigVmax

Original Poster:

12,248 posts

306 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
haha, nope I do plan to let them leave wink

Ray Singh

3,078 posts

254 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
I once saw a lorry container (like the sort that can be detached and placed on a ship) buried under the ground and used for storage in a small garden.

Its certainly a good idea, but i would worry about it caving in.


Engineer1

10,486 posts

233 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
If I was building it I wouldn't bury it and I would put a good door on it, I wouldn't fancy crawling through pipes to the kids den and finding Rats or Foxes had moved in.

GingerWizard

4,721 posts

222 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
98elise said:
Are you Josef Fritzl?
no windows was his idea...

CraigVmax

Original Poster:

12,248 posts

306 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
Engineer1 said:
If I was building it I wouldn't bury it and I would put a good door on it, I wouldn't fancy crawling through pipes to the kids den and finding Rats or Foxes had moved in.
It wont be buried, it will sit in the gap under the house (which is raised up 90cm)

animals not a problem, on an island

JB!

5,255 posts

204 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
CraigVmax said:
It wont be buried, it will sit in the gap under the house (which is raised up 90cm)

animals not a problem, on an island
Rats can swim. Plan sounds fun tho!

CraigVmax

Original Poster:

12,248 posts

306 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
yeah we just dont seem to get them though for some reason, thx for all input chaps, appreciate it

davidd

6,670 posts

308 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
Sounds like a brilliant idea, my children would love that.

So you'll dig down a bit so it'll be partly underground then boxed in between the existing floor and the ground?

Some sort of large pipes for secret access?

All cool as long as you have a decent escape hatch (which could be part of the fun). Could you have a trapdoor in one of the rooms in the house for direct access? Hidden under a rug of course?

D

H6CJF

707 posts

215 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
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I think we need some pics of this...., house on stilts on an island? Sounds intriguing!

CraigVmax

Original Poster:

12,248 posts

306 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
I cant upload from work but can email to someone for them to if they pm me.

Might give a better idea of how it could work.

Tuna

19,930 posts

308 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
You could get a couple of IBC's (get ones that have only had orange juice or something safe in them!!) and link them with some of the sections they use for burying manholes (you can get lock-together rings about 60-90cm diameter, by 20cm depth from your local builders merchant). But the problem would be joining random bits of plastic together..

The thing to worry about is good ventilation - without that they'll go stuffy and mouldy and won't be nice places to be. To be honest, building something out of a couple of sheets of OSB will give you a structure that doesn't retain moisture, feels warmer and ages reasonably well.

CraigVmax

Original Poster:

12,248 posts

306 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
thx for input, i did wonder about ventilation, whats osb (if not showing my ignorance!)

twiglove

1,178 posts

218 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
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CraigVmax said:
thx for input, i did wonder about ventilation, whats osb (if not showing my ignorance!)
OSB Orientated Strand Board smile

CraigVmax

Original Poster:

12,248 posts

306 months

Tuesday 15th March 2011
quotequote all
gotcha thx