Share
A sandpit and chalkboard were added to this cubby house along with a colourful arrangement of pine posts.
The project
The cubby was already here, so the first step was to mark out where I wanted to build the sand pit. As I didn't have much room, I was happy to go with the standard square shape.
Once I marked out the corners, I concreted a 50mm x 50mm timber post in each corner, and then used spare treated Pine timber pieces for the frame (around 35mm x 130mm).
I then cut the treated Pine 90mm posts to the sizes I wanted, and had my little boy and partner help paint them the colours we had chosen. I attached the posts to the timber frame with long screws and glue.
I screwed the posts from the inside frame, but I recommend wrapping aluminium builders strapping around the outside of the posts to lock them tight for extra support. The last step was lining the base with black plastic and filling with white washed sand.
Making the chalk board was exciting because I've never worked with chalkboard paint. The only materials I needed to make this was pallet wood, non structural ply and chalk paint.
First, I cut the non structural ply to suit the sizes I wanted – I used 3mm ply, but you can go thicker if you like. I then brushed the chalkboard paint onto the plywood. Once dried, I secured the board to the wall with a few screws and used sealant adhesive, mainly in the centre.
I built the frame of the chalkboard out of recycled pallet timber, which is the best way to go for cost efficiency and a rustic look. You can stain the timber, but I recommend just applying a clear coat of varnish for protection.
How to build a cubby house
Resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert Mitchell has put together a step-by-step guide to building a fantastic cubby using recycled timber pallets. It has an additional shop and can be built over a few weekends for minimal cost. Follow the guide How to build a pallet cubby.
Popular D.I.Y. kids projects
Find more great projects to build that can keep children happy and entertained for countless hours in our Top 10 most popular kids projects.
You might also like
