Victorian Playhouse - finishing
This style playhouse has more detail than most, so be ready for lots of work to make it look like you want it to.
Siding: The siding material of our project is regular 3/4" pine boards. We ripped 1x8 pine boards in half to have the small stock necessary to give the look of clapboard siding to scale.
For the Victorian look use cedar shake shingles as siding on the second floor gable ends.
Window & Door Trim: Trim around the widows and doors both inside and outside is standard 1x4 pine boards. Door jambs and casing is 1x4 and 1x6 pine stock.
Doors: Both doors will probably need to be hand made to fit the door openings you framed. You can look at lumber supply places for "cut down" doors which are made for attic eave access. They come as tall as 5' but are generally an interior door, which will cause a problem with being used on an exterior project.
Windows: The windows pictured are an opening in the wall, with screen mounted on the inside, andremovable "Plexiglas" window panes on the outside. These windows are an ingenious design where a simple piece of Plexiglas is cut to size and white plastic tape is put on to look like individual panes of glass.
Porch: The columns and railing are purchased materials used on regular porches and decks. As you look over the selection to buy, keep in mind that what you buy will need to be cut down. Check to make sure after you cut down the railing pickets or the porch columns that they still look appropriate. Finished columns are 72" long and pickets are 17" tall.
Other Trim: The oval windows are hand made with screening stapled to the inside. The corner boards for the siding are simple 1x4's nailed together in an "L" shape to cover the ends of the siding. Notice the angle cut at the top of the window trim. The support blocks below the gable overhang are hand made out of solid pine boards glued together and cut with a band saw. They are 5 " in each dimension.
Paint: As you can see the paint scheme can be rather bold and look good on this house. Notice the aqua blue gable that matches the floor and coordinates with the pink house.
Inside: You can complete the inside of your playhouse as much as you desire. Our project house has a finished drywall interior with curtains and wallpaper...but remember it was entered in a contest.
In addition to deciding on the interior finish, you can design a ladder up to the attic/second floor as is pictured below if you desire.
