The Playhouse Buyer’s Guide

Plan, Select, and Personalize Your Child’s Dream Playhouse

A Playhouse: Every Child’s Wish Come True

When you give your children a playhouse from Cabinfield, you give them a special place to play, pretend, and pursue a childhood filled with delight and memory-making joy. You give them an entrance to a world of fantasy and fun, where imaginations grow and creativity blooms. You give them a very special playhouse that’s truly a wish come true – right in their own backyard!




You’ll love the variety in our extensive playhouse collection. Select from our gallery of playhouse designs filled with an array of themes – from nautical lighthouses to rustic log cabins to charming Victorian hideaways and more – including a selection of sizes, colors, trim, windows, flowerboxes, porches, railings … the list goes on!


Some come in beautiful, naturally finished or hand-stained cedar, while others feature painted selections in your choice of a variety of popular shades or in custom colors selected by you. Alternatively, you can choose DuraTemp™ T1-11 or vinyl – both attractive, weather-resistant, and amazingly durable materials that afford years of easy-care, next-to-nothing maintenance.

Whichever material you choose, you’re sure to find just the right playhouse for your child. Depending on the playhouse selected, you can even personalize it with options such as railed porches and porch swings, fireplaces and chimneys, lofts, electrical packages so lights can be added, built-to-scale furniture and appliances, even custom-colored shingles that turn it into your child’s very own, unique “home-away-from-home.”

Each and every playhouse kit from Cabinfield comes to you intelligently designed and carefully crafted by hand, so you’re assured of the finest in quality and workmanship in a playhouse that’s built to last. You can choose to install the playhouse yourself or have one of our nationwide professionals do the work for you, while remaining confident you’re receiving the best in installation service.

How to Choose? Which Playhouse Suits Your Child (& Family) Best?

If your child plays alone often, or if only one or two children will be enjoying the playhouse, one of the smaller versions may be more appropriate. A smaller backyard also better accommodates the smaller playhouse sizes. Make sure you leave enough yard space to enjoy other family outdoor activities.

Of course, if your yard and the number of children are large, and your budget allows, you’ll want to consider the larger playhouse versions. The larger the playhouse, the more room your child has to enjoy – and the further imaginations can develop!

With the many different sizes Cabinfield offers, you have an entire range of choices – from 6'x8' to 12'x28' – to suit your specific requirements and desires. You may also want to consider a playhouse such as the Lighthouse, from which you can purchase the tower alone, then, if you wish to expand, you can add the “Keeper’s Cottage,” railed porch, slide, and swing set with climbing ladder to the tower to conveniently increase your child’s play area and options.

Where to Place the Playhouse?

It’s recommended to have the playhouse installed where you can always keep an eye on children, particularly younger children. By positioning it where it can be seen from a frequently visited window, such as one in the kitchen, children can be monitored even while you’re in the main house. Since children naturally prefer playing near the home, you’ll want to avoid far-off corners or areas behind shrubs or trees that screen or seclude the playhouse from the main house. You’ll want to keep in mind, however, that any maintenance, such as cleaning or treating a wood playhouse, will be easier if it is far enough away from other outbuildings, landscaping, and the main home that you can easily access all sides of it.

Unless you’re prepared to have your selected area graded level, you need to pick a portion of the yard already flat and level enough to accommodate the playhouse. Avoid or re-grade low areas where water from rain or sprinkler systems may collect. A French drain – basically a small ditch or trench filled with gravel – provides another solution for taking water away from the playhouse site.

To get a better idea of the playhouse size, mark the dimensions on your slab or patio with bricks, stones, chalk, or other material. Step inside the markers to envision just how big the playhouse will be when constructed.

What Else Do You Need to Know Before You Buy Your Child’s Dream Playhouse?

Check your area’s building codes or with your homeowner’s association before you begin. You may need to purchase a building permit or gain written permission before constructing your playhouse.

Double-check to make sure you’re allotting enough room for the playhouse. Measure everything at least twice and don’t forget to allow space for current or future backyard barbecues, picnic tables, lawn furniture, and other outside amenities enjoyed by the entire family.

Take a good look to ensure the site you have in mind for the playhouse has been adequately prepared. Remove any tree stumps, overhanging branches, fencing, or any other object that may interfere with the delivery truck.

Customizing Your Child’s Playhouse

Depending upon which style you choose, Cabinfield playhouses come with a delightful array of standard features plus available options to personalize your child’s playhouse, making it a unique and magical, one-of-a kind retreat. Add flower boxes, chimneys, painted decks, vents, insulation, paneled interiors, lofts, shelving, fence-railed porches, and much more. You can even have your wood playhouse custom painted to your own color specifications!

Shutters give a finished, homey look to playhouse windows, along with interior lighting, exterior coach lamps – even real lace curtains. A “real” (child-safe) fireplace or freestanding stove affords warmth on blustery play days. Add a swing to a playhouse front porch for that perfect place to laze a day away reading, gossiping with playmates, or just for the simple pleasure of daydreaming. Furniture and appliances, including tables and chairs, refrigerators, sink and stove combination counters, benches, and even hutches are also available.

Our lighthouse playhouse options include a 3’x6’ porch, 100-volt electric revolving light, a 14’ “super” slide, and a three-position climber swing set.

Of course, additional windows, doors, dormers, and other standard features can also be ordered as extras.

Choosing Your Playhouse Building Material:
Cedar, DuraTemp™ T1-11, or Vinyl

Many people love the aesthetic appeal of cedar wood and wood composites such as DuraTemp™ T1-11, while others opt for the clean good looks and effortless upkeep of maintenance-free vinyl. Cabinfield offers all three materials in its playhouse selections.

Cedar – Cedar wood captures the essence of natural, rustic beauty along with many other benefits. Its low density and shrinkage characteristics provide construction stability and excellent insulation against both heat and cold. The natural preservatives contained in cedar work to withstand moisture and decay, and to resist insect damage, making preservative treatments unnecessary. And because of cedar’s natural affinity to the great outdoors, it’s “at home” whether it’s raining, sunny, hot, or cold. Cedar “works” all year ‘round.

DuraTemp T1-11 – A textured composite material, DuraTemp™ T1-11 ranks as a preferred choice among many builders. Strong, long lasting, and low in maintenance, this remarkably sturdy siding holds up to extremes in temperature and provides superior paint adhesion properties. Its natural-looking appearance fits perfectly with the tough durability it provides: DuraTemp™ T1-11 does not crack, split, or check like many similar products and resists denting as well as weather damage.

Vinyl – A popular choice for many, vinyl siding boasts strength, resistance to impact, and easy maintenance. With siding panels manufactured with permeated color, painting is obsolete, and the colors never chip, peel, or blister like painted products can do. Maintaining vinyl most often requires nothing more than washing off with a garden hose. Easy to install, easy to maintain, and easy to repair – vinyl makes an excellent choice for many outdoor construction projects

And What About the Roof?

Cabinfield makes sure that every playhouse roof comes shingled to your specifications. Choose from asphalt, architectural dimensional shingles, or #1-grade cedar shingles. Additionally, our lighthouse playhouse shingles come in five popular shades: black, blue, green, gray, and redwood – with more color choices upon request.



Asphalt shingles, our most basic shingle – are both versatile and durable, most lasting around 20 years.







Dimensional Architectural Shingles lend a thicker, more three-dimensional effect and have an extra buildup of asphalt and mineral granules that prolong and add to their durability.

#1 Cedar Shingles, which come treated for longevity, add a touch of rugged appeal that many find highly desirable. Cedar shingles should ideally be treated once a year to help guard against moss and mildew buildup, as well as to prevent weather and insect damage.

Playhouse Flooring

All Cabinfield playhouses come standard with flooring consisting of structural-quality plywood with optional staining available. Many playhouse owners choose to cover their playhouse flooring with indoor/outdoor carpeting or casual, comfortable throw rugs.

Questions? Don’t Hesitate to Call or E-Mail Cabinfield!

Here at Cabinfield you’re considered our most valuable asset – one of our customers! So, please never hesitate to call us at 866-450-WOOD (9663) to speak to one of our friendly, helpful Customer Service Representatives or e-mail Service@Cabinfield.com. We will respond promptly.

We truly hope you enjoy your Cabinfield playhouse – but we hope your children enjoy it even more! In fact, we would appreciate your feedback to let us know how we’re doing to help us improve our service to you. Thanks for your business and congratulations on choosing a Cabinfield Amish-made playhouse.