Assembling the playhouse

Required tools

• Cordless drill
• Tape measure
• Bubble level
• Saw
• Knife

Other supplies

• Felt nails: approx. 160 pcs
• Screws 5 x 50 mm: approx. 40 pcs
• Screws 5 x 70 mm: approx. 10 pcs
• Screws 5 x 90 mm: approx. 70 pcs
• Screws 6 x 90 mm: approx. 10 pcs

It is a good idea to place some kind of ground cover on the site so that the weeds that grows under the cottage can not conduct moisture into the floor structure. Put a layer of sand on top of the cover. It is best to put small concrete posts in the corners of the floor element. The cottage in the images was assembled temporarily on wooden beams, because it was moved later. Check that the floor element is level and adjust as necessary.

At this point, you need to decide on which wall elements you want the upstairs floor to rest on. The erection of the wall elements starts from the five elements where the upstairs floor will be fixed. In this case it was decided that the upstairs floor would be on the opposite wall of the door, so those wall elements were erected first. The elements are identical in their outside dimensions so the desired window order is obtained by varying the position of the elements.

The elements are secured to each other with 5x50 mm screws. At this point, the walls are not yet attached to the floor.

In the center of the picture you can see that the upstairs floor element has been lowered into place.

The floor element is resting by its floorboards on the horizontal beams of the walls. The floor element is not yet attached to the wall elements at this stage. The wall elements must be free to move slightly as the rest of them are added.

Cut off a small piece of wall panel from the corner of the elements that are placed next to the door as indicated in the image. Do the same on the other side. This is to ensure that wall elements fit better next to the protruding porch floor.

Install the remaining three wall elements and do a simple cross-measure check. The distance between each opposite wall corner should be the same in each pair. The walls are free to move so adjust as necessary.

The wall elements are screwed onto the floor with 5x90 mm screws.

The top edge of the wall elements is pushed to their proper cross dimensions with a suitably long board. The length of the board is 190 cm.

When the walls have been pushed in place, the upstairs floor can be attached to the walls with 6x90 mm screws. Start the fastening from the back wall and move towards the sides.

The ladder is screwed from the top to the upstairs floor beam.

It is advisable to install the upstairs railing at this stage before installing the roof elements.

The upper edge of the railing is fastened with 5x90 mm screws. Drill a pilot hole first to prevent the wood from cracking. The lower edge of the railing is attached to the beam at the front edge of the upstairs floor element.

It is easier to install the roof elements if you attach a temporary support board to each element. The roof elements can be lowered temporarily to rest on the support board.

Cut a 187 cm long board that is used as a temporary support for roof elements. The board supports the roof element from the upstairs floor.

Important!
During installation of the first roof element pay attention to the following:
1: The top line of the wall element and the bottom line of the roof element must be parallel.
2: The seam of the wall elements and the outer edge of the roof element is aligned.

The first roof element is attached with two screws so that won't move or rotate in place when installing the other elements.

The roof element is fixed to the beam of the wall element with a 5x90 mm screw. The temporary support board can then be removed. The roof element is fixed at this stage with only one screw so that its position can be slightly adjusted when installing the other roof elements.

The roof elements are secured with 5x90 mm screws so that ther edges are aligned. Make sure that the outer edge of the roof element coincides with the seam of the wall elements. If necessary, adjust the angle of the support board to get the roof elements and the walls to line up.

The roof of the porch is attached to a horizontal beam of the wall element. The bottom edge of the beam is about 160 cm from the floor. Measure and mark the same height on the outside wall above the door. It is a good idea to put two temporary screws on the wall at this height so that the porch roof can be placed on top of them.

Attach the porch roof with two 5x90 mm screws and then remove the temporary screws.

The posts on the front edge of the porch are cut to the right length. Set the post as shown in the image and fasten it from the top. Check that the porch roof and the posts are level.

Fit the porch railings between the posts and the walls before fixing the posts to the porch floor. The porch railings are secured from the inside of the cabin next to the door behind the frame with a 5x70 mm screw.

The cabin comes with one and a half rolls of roofing felt to cover the seam of the roof elements. Cut 185 cm long pieces of felt. One piece has to be extended and should be put on the back wall where it is least visible. Remove the plastic film from the felt and nail it over the seams with felt nails. Finally, screw the dome to the top of the roof.

Finished playhouse.