This project is a couple of steps up the complexity ladder from the flooring, painting and wainscotting project that preceded it. It's going to be substantially more transformative though. The staircase is a hazard for young kids and a total eyesore. We originally planned to build a reading nook under the stairs but changed course in favor of a Nantucket-style playhouse for the kids to chill. It'll be a really cool space that's just for them. Here's what I started with; taken on December 31, 2017.
We built a fort in the backyard with Dad when we were kids. It was really cool - we even slept out there a few times. One night, we ran extension chords down from the house and watched the NBA playoffs on a black/white CRT TV. :-) Bunny ears and all!
While I remember framing a fort wall with Dad, this was definitely different. So, framing an interior wall was a first for me...as was coordinating with an electrician, hanging full sheets of drywall and finishing walls with anything other than paint. I was mildly terrified of the actuated hammer (which uses a .22 caliber round) to attach the sole plate to the concrete foundation. Here's what the framing looked like - it was taken on March 10, 2018.
There's a strand of LED lights that back-light the cubby and go around the ceiling of the playhouse for lighting. They're controlled by the switch at the door - the kids love to "open" and "close" the shop with the light switch and door bell. We put a carpet runner and some pillow seats in there to make it kid-comfortable. We didn't finish the interior walls so the kids can draw on them without us worrying about it. The cubby at the top is a space for some Boston sports memorabilia. This pic was taken on March 28, 2018 - 3 months after I started.
The playhouse certainly isn't future-proof. While we think we'll change it into a reading nook in the future, it might be hard to tear down and replace the memories that we'll create with the kids in the playhouse.
Up next: the staircase/stairwell project! Am I done yet?
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