PART 1 : the Basic Techniques to Build the Cardboard Playhouse

Get ready for some serious cardboard engineering! This Instructables is about sharing with you guys the basic techniques on how I built this huge cardboard structure. Understanding these suggestions and techniques, you can not only build this cardboard playhouse but also can build any huge cardboard creations. So, as you dive into constructing your own version – be it this playhouse or another ambitious cardboard project – remember that you have the freedom to personalize it with your own stylistic touches, preferred colors, and any imaginative additions you can envision, or you can certainly keep it true to the original design.

1. CARDBOARD (small or huge boxes)
2. CARDSTOCK or OLD MAGZINE or OLD BOOK COVERING
3. LOTS OF ZIP TIES
4. TAPE (small and big of an kind)
5. HOT GLUE
6. STAPLER
7. PAINTS (colors of your choice)
8. TRANSPERENT SHEET or TRANSLUCENT BOOK BIND
9. SCISSORS
10. PAPER CUTTER
11. NEWSPAPER or OLD PAPER
12. PLASTIC PIPES (not compulsory)
13. DECORATIONS OF YOUR CHOICE

The current playhouse was a new version of old playhouses. The red and brown playhouse seen is the playhouse I built long back, this red & brown playhouse was first renovated to the white and grey playhouse you see. And then I dismantled the entire thing and constructed the playhouse you see now from scratch.

# The entire thing is in the theme of black and white

# All the cardboard I used are small piece

# The entire roof is only made up of old magazine paper and cardstock

# The Front Side :

The theme is a house

The doors and windows are covered in plastic to replicate glass

Then on the right side is the balcony, the bottom one is where we can go in and the top one if for dolls

The pots along the edge of the dolls balcony is for fake plants which adds on to the look

# The Bake Side :

The theme is shop or anything you can imagine to play like : hospital, supermarket, pet store, etc.

Here also the long window is covered with plastic to give the feel of glass

The are 2 doors and and a canopy to add to the theme

there is a large rectangular hole in the left side where you can keep your laptop or any other gadget to add a digital screen where you can display whatever you want for your play

There is a board on the top where I use chalk to write

I add a small piece of cardboard to one of the windows to add on a counter top which adds on to the theme

# The Inside :

I have add a counter with 3 divisions which is a multipurpose table

Then there is a shelf on the top for more storage

The top most floor is for the dolls or use it up to your imagination

There are 4 doors from the inside, one for the front, another for the back, one for the doll balcony and the last one for the big balcony

Also the window near the multipurpose table is covered with net so that there is enough ventilation

Take a box of any size which you have available

Remove the tape covering the box

cut it open on one side

lay it down flat

and remove any excess tape on it

Decide on what piece fits the best on the cardboard piece you have opened

measure and mark it on the cardboard

Cut it out

After cutting the piece if any hole or gapes then cut piece of cardboard which fit the hole or gape correctly

Also there will be gaps between any two flaps of the box, remember to fill it with cardboard

Cut a piece of paper into small sheets

and then role each sheet into small role as shown above

Take one of the paper role and find an edge where two pieces of cardboard are attached

(in my case it is between two flaps of the cardboard

put one edge of the paper role into the gap of one piece and then insert the other edge to the gap of the other piece

this gives a more stronger connection between the two piece

Now you can tape down the parts where the paper roles are inserted

and also tape down any other parts which have been added on

Now is the fun part!!!! it is painting time.

make sure you know where the piece belongs and paint the color you want

Add on the piece done to your project

and if any gaps, repeat the same process with a box or extra piece

and now fill the gap with your new piece

Use the (usually) small extra piece which are left out after using the cardboard boxes.

The extra pieces I was left out with after making the piece I demonstrated to you were used as the support beams of the dolls balcony

I used zip ties to connect the pieces to the main playhouse

If you find any bends of folding in you project

just role news paper up into long piece and use them or just use plastic pipes

you can use small left out piece to make pieces which require detail

in the above image I have used long piece to make a balcony panel

Use cardstock for some part of the project

I have use old book covers.

I have removed the from the books and then marked, scored and fixed them at the dolls balcony

and also used brown color paper. I have cut, crumbled and used it as soil

First I dismantled the old house

Then I change the back part by cut out two doors and also added a new layer to make it taller

Than I made the balcony more stable and painted the new part

Next I add the dolls balcony and the one of the roof

Then I added in the next roof. The second roof I added was not the old one. The old one was made up of cardboard and the new one was made up of cardstock charts

Later I painted the old and new roof black because the old one was grey the cardstock roof was white & pink.

Later I decided to add a new part to the shop side and I built it

Then I painted completed the balconies and painted both the front and the back

Next I added plastic book bind to the windows and door

At last I added small add ones like the window pattern, canopy & the counter on the shop side, the fake soil in the dolls balcony and wrote with chalk on the shop side board

Excellent job constructing the main framework of your two-sided cardboard playhouse! You're one step closer to a fantastic play space. To find the links for both the basic building techniques (Part 1) and the creative decorating process (Part 2), head over to this page: [ ]