Kids' Garden Playhouses: What to Check Before You Spend a Penny

A garden playhouse is one of those purchases that pays you back every weekend. Get the wrong one and it sits unused after a fortnight. Get the right one and it becomes the busiest spot in the garden for years. This guide walks through everything worth knowing before you buy: materials, sizes, safety marks, roof styles, bases and real UK prices.

What Actually Counts as a Garden Playhouse?

A garden playhouse is a small outdoor structure built for children to play in, usually made from wood or plastic. Most have a door, at least one window and a solid roof. Some sit on a single level, others have a raised platform or a full second storey reached by a ladder. Think of it as a miniature outbuilding scaled down to child height rather than a toy.

Wood or Plastic? The Big Decision

This is the first fork in the road, and it shapes almost everything else about your purchase. Neither material is wrong. They just suit different gardens, budgets and children.

Wooden Playhouses

Built from timber, usually with shiplap or tongue and groove cladding for weatherproofing
Can be painted or repainted in any colour, so the look changes as your child's taste changes
Sturdier under rough play; wood generally shrugs off jumping and climbing better than plastic
Needs a wood preserver treatment roughly once a year to stop rot, warping and splinters
Takes longer to assemble, sometimes a full day or two, and often needs two people
Most come with a 10-year anti-rot guarantee, some pressure-treated models stretch to 15 years

Plastic Playhouses

Made from moulded, interlocking plastic panels, usually UV-treated to resist fading
Quick to assemble, often in an afternoon, and no ongoing treatment required
Cleans easily with a hose or pressure washer
Tends to be smaller with lower headroom, so children outgrow them faster
Colours do fade over several summers even with UV protection
Cracks are hard to repair and replacement parts are rarely sold individually

If you want something that grows with your child and can be redecorated, wood wins. If you want a quick setup with zero maintenance for a toddler who'll move on to bigger things in a couple of years, plastic makes more sense.

What Is Tongue and Groove Cladding?

You'll see this term everywhere, so it's worth explaining properly. Tongue and groove boards have a ridge (the tongue) on one edge and a matching slot (the groove) on the other. Each board slots into the next, creating a tight, interlocking panel with no gaps. This keeps rain out and adds strength compared with flat, overlapping boards. Thickness varies from around 8mm to 12mm; thicker boards resist sagging and last longer. Shiplap is a similar interlocking style, often used on cheaper models.

Choosing the Right Size and Age Range

Every playhouse is designed with an age range in mind, and manufacturers print it on the box or spec sheet. A house built for one to four year-olds will have a lower doorway and roofline than one built for children up to eight or ten. Buy for the child's current height, but also think ahead. A house that's too small in two years is wasted money.

Single-storey playhouses – no stairs or ladders, simplest and safest choice for younger children under five
Platform or raised playhouses – sit on a small raised base, adding a den-like space underneath for storage or extra play
Two-storey playhouses – a ground floor plus an upper bunk area reached by a ladder, best suited to children aged five and up
Tower playhouses – taller structures, sometimes with a slide, built for confident climbers rather than toddlers

Before you buy, mark out the footprint in your garden with string or canes. Stand back and check there's enough clearance around it for children to move, plus space for the door to swing open fully.

Roof Styles Explained

Roof design affects both looks and headroom, so it's worth ten minutes of thought rather than picking on appearance alone.

Apex roof – the classic triangular roof shape, ridge running across the width. Simple, sheds water well, and gives good headroom in the centre.
Reverse apex roof – the same triangular shape but the ridge runs the other way, along the length. This changes the internal layout and can suit narrower plots.
Pyramid roof – four sloped sides meeting at a central point. Distinctive to look at and sheds rain from every angle.
Flat or mono-pitch roof – a single sloped panel, common on budget and modern-style models. Cheaper to build but less headroom at one end.

Roofing material matters too. OSB (oriented strand board, a pressed wood-chip panel) is common on budget models and typically runs 8mm to 12mm thick. Tongue and groove roofing costs more but resists sagging and lasts longer. Always check the spec sheet for exact thickness rather than trusting the product photo.

Safety Standards to Look For

This matters more than any other feature on this list. Any playhouse sold in the UK for children's use should be tested to EN71, the European safety standard for toys, which covers things like mechanical strength, flammability and the use of non-toxic materials. Look for it stated clearly in the product description.

Windows made from shatterproof styrene or acrylic rather than glass
Doors designed so little fingers can't get trapped in the hinge
Anti-slip treads on any ladder or step
Safety rails around any raised platform or upper floor
Rounded edges and no exposed screw points at child height
Wood that's planed smooth throughout, to avoid splinters

Even with all these boxes ticked, young children under eight shouldn't be left unsupervised on a two-storey or tower design. Falls happen fast at that age. Keep the playhouse within sight of the house if you can.

Do You Need Planning Permission?

Most garden playhouses don't need planning permission. They're small, temporary structures and fall under permitted development rules in most cases. That said, rules vary by council and by the size of your garden building, especially if it's very large or close to a boundary. If you're unsure, a quick call to your local planning authority before you order saves any headaches later.

Bases and Foundations

Never place a wooden playhouse straight onto grass. It traps moisture against the base timbers, which speeds up rot and creates an uneven surface that puts pressure on the frame. Suitable bases include:

An existing patio or paved area
Paving slabs laid level and compacted
A concrete slab
A gravel and plastic membrane foundation kit, which lifts the floor clear of standing water
A timber sub-frame, raising the whole structure a few centimetres off the ground

Plastic playhouses are more forgiving and can often sit on level, well-drained grass without a base, though a paved area still helps keep the floor dry and reduces mud getting tracked inside.

Assembly: What to Expect

Read the instructions fully before you start, not halfway through. Most manufacturers recommend two people for anything beyond the smallest plastic model.

Plastic playhouses: usually a few hours, large moulded panels that click or bolt together
Wooden playhouses: often a full day, sometimes two if working alone, with dozens of panels and fixings
You'll typically need a screwdriver or cordless drill, a spirit level, a step ladder and a rubber mallet
Some retailers offer paid installation, worth considering for larger two-storey or tower designs

Maintaining a Wooden Playhouse

A little upkeep goes a long way toward hitting that 10-year guarantee.

Apply a wood preserver or specialist timber treatment once a year, always on a dry surface
Check for moss and lichen on north-facing panels and clean it off before it spreads
Sand down any rough patches or splinters on handrails and flooring as they appear
Sweep out leaves and debris a few times a year, particularly around window ledges
In harsh winter weather, a breathable protective cover can help, though it isn't essential for pressure-treated timber

Maintaining a Plastic Playhouse

Hose down or pressure wash a few times a year to remove dirt and green algae
Check screws and bolts periodically, as plastic panels can loosen with heavy use
Keep an eye out for hairline cracks, especially near hinges and corners, and stop use if you spot one

How Much Does a Playhouse Cost?

Prices in the UK vary hugely depending on size, material and extras. As a rough guide:

Small plastic playhouse: from around £100 to £250
Basic wooden playhouse: roughly £250 to £600
Deluxe playhouse with a plastic base kit: around £200 to £250 just for the base
Deluxe playhouse with a concrete base: base costs alone can reach £400 to £500
Two-storey or tower playhouse with a slide: often £600 upwards

Remember that UK prices quoted online sometimes exclude VAT, so check before you order. Ground preparation, if you're not doing it yourself, adds to the total too.

Popular Add-Ons

Slide: a natural pairing for a tower or platform playhouse, typically adding £100 to £250 to the price
Climbing wall: from around £70 to £200
Periscope or telescope: a small nautical-themed extra, usually £10 to £20
Swing and rope ladder attachment: from around £150
Soft play equipment for inside the house: prices range from £60 to £200 depending on the set

Quick Checklist Before You Buy

Confirm the age range and headroom suit your child now and for the next couple of years
Check for EN71 safety certification stated on the listing
Measure your garden footprint plus clearance space before ordering
Decide on wood or plastic based on maintenance time you're willing to put in
Check the guarantee length and what it actually covers
Plan your base or foundation before delivery day arrives
Read a handful of genuine customer reviews for the exact model, not just the range

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a wooden playhouse actually last?

With annual treatment, most wooden playhouses are guaranteed for 10 years against rot. Pressure-treated models can stretch that guarantee to 15 years, since the preservative is worked deep into the timber during manufacture rather than sitting on the surface.

Can I put a playhouse on decking?

Yes, though keep it clear of handrails and stick to a single-storey design if the decking is raised, to reduce fall risk near the edge.

Do plastic playhouses need a base?

Not always. Level, well-drained grass is usually fine, though paving underneath keeps the floor drier and stops mud being carried indoors on small feet.

What tools will I need to build one?

A cordless screwdriver or drill, a spirit level and a rubber mallet cover most models. Larger wooden builds sometimes call for a stepladder too.

Is a two-storey playhouse safe for a four year-old?

Check the manufacturer's stated age range first. Many two-storey designs are built for children aged five and above, with anti-slip ladders and safety rails, but supervision is still recommended for younger climbers.

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