Plastic Playhouse Remodel

I came across this idea on Pinterest a few months ago, and sort of forgot about it.  New playhouses range from $200 up.  I had found one style that would be about $150 from Little Tikes, but that was the cheapest I had seen.  

I had also searched Craigslist a few times, only to find nothing.  Then, one night last week, I randomly checked the Durham area to see if any had shown up.  Someone had posted one that night, so I quickly emailed her.  After I didn't hear from her, I decided to text the next morning.  She quickly responded back that she had received a lot of texts about it, and that it would go to the first person who came to get it.  I quickly asked her for her address, and she literally lived in the next neighborhood over.  I grabbed a bra (I do have standards..) and Emma, who was also still in her pajamas.  I raced over in the truck, after quickly stopping at the ATM.  The kind lady was sad to see it go - she said her kids had so many good memories playing in it.  It made me feel good to now it had been loved before, and will be loved again now by Emma:)

So, here it is....I had my neighbor help me unload it.

It sat in our yard for 4 days before we could work on it.  Technically, not our fault...it had stormed every day....but still, embarrassing enough.

Brent pressure washed and scrubbed it.

Then we headed to the hardware store to buy paint.  I agonized over the colors.  I knew it needed to be dark enough to hide dirt, but realistic as well.  We have a darker pink for the door, but haven't sprayed it yet (which is why the doorknob white paint is all around the door)  It may never happen now that Emma is using it and it's on our deck....but maybe!

She absolutely loves it, and I have already picked out some plastic stool chairs from Ikea to put inside.  

Here's what I learned and the breakdown:

As with all Pinterest projects, it was not as easy as it looks.  The playhouse really needs 2-3 coats of Krylon spray paint...and it needs to be the expensive can (I think they were $6 a can), not the cheaper version.  The cheaper version will not adhere well and rubs off.

With the playhouse costing us $30, we still came out better than buying a new one...even with having to buy the expensive Krylon paint.  Plus, it was fun to customize it!  I have future plans for a flag, perhaps a wreath on the front door, an outdoor rug or mat, and maybe some flower boxes on the windows????

Many thanks to the Hubs for spending most of his morning Saturday remodeling it for us - we are grateful!