Thread: No Cost Cubby House

OK. So I have the timber (it's all pine by the way) and we agree on a plan, which I hasten to add has grown considerably over what I had originally envisaged.

I had planned an elevated house but I was persuaded to enclose the lower half too. I probably spent a day resawing the the 250 x 45s. They became 68 x 45 studs, 150 x 45 floor joists and 100 x 45 rafters.

The structure is made along traditional timber frame construction lines and the whole acoodle sits on timber piers (ironbark) buried into the ground.

The building is 2500 x 2400 and about 3m tall. I made up the frames and lifted them over the fence. I suppose pine has to have some benefits.

The neighbours had some old bullnose iron which was incorporated into the design. Old windows, doors and the like were used in the interests of keeping the cost to zero. Yeah.. Zero. I don't think so. For example I have used a whole box of nails for my nailing gun ( about $45) plus all the sundries. I suspect I have nearly overloaded the electricity grid with all the re-sawing and thicknessing.

Not quite finished, but here are some more pix.

Regards
Paul

And some of the structure itself.

Regards
Paul

The lower section is enclosed too. The neighbour said she had an old window I could use and that was fine as all the windows and doors were on one side. I went to put it in place and she said "oh no it has to go on the other wall because it isn't in keeping with the rest of the doors and windows" .

So I cut a hole in the northern wall and stuck it there. I think I am starting to appreciate how builders feel.

More pix tomorrow.

Regards
Paul

A fine looking cubby house


Pete

amazing

Great work. You sure have my approval.

Looks good enough for an overnighter !!

Thanks for your endorsements. The pictures I promised will have to be tomorrow (I think I may have a future as a politician....NOT).

I got too involved in making the ladder to the upper storey and a pair of double doors for the lower entrance. Now they were a problem.

They were double doors with a glass panel each side. The neighbours had picked them up for $5 somewhere or other. The problem was, and is, that they are internal doors. Basically they are made of hardboard and mdf. I don't think there is any proper timber in them anywhere except, that where I cut the door, the panel profile had to be filled and I used some pine from the offcuts for that. I have emphasised that copius coats of paint are going to be required for this to survive any length of time at all.

This coment is true of the whole structure really.

The ladder too became a bit of a monster (that I created). I decided that as the ladder had to cater for seven, ten and twelve year olds of which the former two are girls (sorry if that sounds sexist, which is partly because it is sexist) I thought a slight angle on the ladder would be appropriate.

I have some small amounts of trim around a window, the remainder of the ladder, the trapdoor to the upper storey, some guttering and the upper storey door to finish and I can complete the handover.

That is if I ignore the verandah handrailing I have to put in place and the slide that exits off the central door on the upper storey.

Regards
Paul

Well done making something from nothing like that, got a touch of Ettamogah about it I reckon

Originally Posted by springwater

Well done making something from nothing like that, got a touch of Ettamogah about it I reckon

Umm, except it's a pub with no beer.

Having said that I have been promised a cubby warming. Knowing the neighbours' penchant for a"drop" I have little doubt that it will come to pass. There may even be an encore.

There is much talk of a slow combustion oven and a stainless steel sink going in the lower storey. I have seen both items so it is possible. I have some reservations about the stove and the combustibility of the structure (I use the offcuts to start our wood heater and they are absolutely the best kindling I have ever used). I am not sure about compatibility. I may have to insist on some fibro lining between the stove and the walls.

Regards
Paul

Another full day saw the internal ladder complete with trap door go in, the bottom doors adjusted and the bottom window set permanently with timber trim.

The ladder is fairly crucial in that it embodies the "fun" of the cubby, but potentially it is the area where small children could also come to grief. I have made it substantial and have also extended it well into the upper level so they can keep climbing the steps until they can step onto the upper floor. Each rung has a large cove routed into the back so little fingers can get a better purchase.

They trap door folds back towards the window so that it does not obscure the upper floor rungs. The ladder had to be let in to the studs so the trap door could lift cleanly. The handle for the trap door is at the moment a piece of heavy duty baling twine (the sort used on large square bales), but I will be replacing that with some smart white nylon rope when I remember where I have put it.

Tomorrow I'll put up the gutter, trim the flashing and wait for the supply of a few items like door handles and indeed a door for the upper level which will lead directly out onto the slippery dip.

Regards
Paul

I'v got a house that needs renovating when your finished this masterpeice!!!! Only joking, but its a great job and you do sound like your enjoying it. A great use of recycled stuff and the kids will love it for a long time . And your right, nothing is for free but no doubt the cubby warming will make it all worth while. Enjoy

Originally Posted by novice185

I'v got a house that needs renovating when your finished this masterpeice!!!! Only joking, but its a great job and you do sound like your enjoying it. A great use of recycled stuff and the kids will love it for a long time . And your right, nothing is for free but no doubt the cubby warming will make it all worth while. Enjoy

Thanks Novice.

Although there are still some things to do I officially handed the cubby over today. The main satisfaction will be seeing the children utilising it for their play. The youngest girl lives there permanently but the two older children visit on weekends.

It took far too long to build and just reaffirms that I would starve if I tried to make a living from it.Watching my son, who is a builder, confirms this.

So now I have to return to the backlog of projects SWMBO has for me. If there is any truth in the phrase "there is no peace for the wicked," I must have done something heinous that I have forgotten about.

Regards
Paul

While to some it may(perhaps justifiably) have an Ettamogah-ish look about it, for those to whom it really matters, it will without doubt be like Buckingham Palace and the New York Hilton all in one!!

For you? The untold joy of watching the little ones make their castle from your construction.


"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile."
-- Sir Wilfred Grenfell (Humanitarian, Benefactor and Doctor)