Cubby house base recommendation wanted

[helencaceres]

  

I’m hoping you can help us with our cubby house base. We are rookies here so all the help is needed. We have the following cubby house and are wanting to put it on the grass in between the hedges. We are thinking of digging out the grass and putting pavers down but don’t know what type of pavers are best to use and what to use with it. Any advice or recommendations are helpful! 

[Akanksha]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @helencaceres. We're delighted to have you join us and trust you'll find this site a great resource for useful D.I.Y. advice and inspiring ideas. 

That cubby house looks beautiful and I can't wait to see it installed in your outdoor area. I'm sure our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL will be able to help with your questions around the base when he's back online on the site later today.

In the meantime, let me also tag @LePallet, @ProjectPete, @weekenddiyer and @Dave-1 to see if they have any thoughts.

While waiting, I recommend checking out this popular related discussion in case it helps: Cubby house base ideas? by @SxcMnx 

These clever cubby house designs shared by our creative Bunnings Workshop members might also spark some ideas for your base. 

Hope this helps. Look forward to seeing more updates of your cubby house project as it progresses!

Akanksha

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @helencaceres 

I dont mind pavers down under the cubby house tho I prefer a tiomber deck of some kind. Just adds class plus keeps everything up off the ground nicely.

As for the type of pavers, really any type as long as they are level and you have drainage behind the cubby house it should be fine.

I had a look at the link @Akanksha  posted about cubby house bases and @MitchellMc's sketch of a base really draws to the idea. A deck even a low one I would rather sit on as a kid then tiles. 

It looks like the cubby house you have chosen comes with a timber deck. Id almost be tempted to forgo the pavers and put in posts to support it. Does the cubby house come with any instructions?

Dave

[helencaceres]

Hi Dave,

Thank you so much for your response.

Just to mention, there is flooring for this cubby house which is the timber, same as the deck - not sure if this changes your response.

I would have thought pavers (from what I’ve been reading)  as timber is prone to mites and insects. 

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @helencaceres 

You will probarly have some sort  of bugs even to just under the deck on its own. I still like the raised deck as it will allow air to circulate underneath (even if its raised by only 100mm) Pavers will last a lot longer and the area can be reused as time passes. (also if you keep an eye out on buy and sell sites then a lot of people give them away for free)

Dave

[EricL]

Hi @helencaceres 

Thanks for sharing your question about what base to use for your cubby house? If you prefer using pavers, I suggest having a look at this guide - How to pave a pathway. The techniques used will give you a nice level surface from which to place the cubby house onto. It will also provide good drainage should there be a strong downpour.

The general steps are to remove your existing turf and levelling the surface for paving sand. You then place a wooden border to hold the sand in place and use a timber level to straighten the sands surface. Once it's level you can begin laying the pavers. This is the way I would suggest installing it if you're using pavers as it does not involve using concrete and will be easy to fix should there be any movement in the future.     

Another option would be to build a timber frame using 90 x 22mm Decking H3 Treated Pine - 2.4m or marine plywood as the surface cover for the frame. You can then anchor the cubby house on top of the timber frame you've built. This will provide very good protection for the cubby house and your children while they are inside it.

Having the cubby house off the soil means that its flooring will not get wet, and the frame and pine decking will stop moisture from below travelling inside the cubbyhouse. The timber and pine decking are rated for outdoor use and can withstand attacks from insects. 

An alternative to using sleepers is to build a frame with 90 x 45mm Outdoor Framing MGP10 H3 Treated Pine - 2.4m and have it supported with DEKO 250 x 150 x 150mm Instant Concrete Foundation Block. This will allow air to pass through the bottom of the frame allowing air circulation.

I've placed a sample image below to give you an idea of how it can be put together. The best part of this assembly is that once the cubby house has been outgrown the entire set can be taken apart and recycled.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[helencaceres]

Thank you so much Dave! You have helped me a lot with the deck, does that grass still need to be dug out? 

[helencaceres]

Thank you so much Eric, the timber deck with treated pine is sounding like a great idea. Do you have an image of how this would look to build? 

[Dave-1]

Morning @helencaceres 

I really dont think so, As long as you have access to the edges so you can whippersnip them the grass will just stop growing,

As for posts I have been thinking of these for years for non structul things. Just depends on what your ground is like?

otter 690 x 90mm ground screw stirrup  This way no concrete needed! Just know if you have your phone/internet or gas/water/sewage underneath is all.

Im going to try these one day for a picket fence idea I have.

Dave 

[EricL]

Hi @helencaceres 

I suggest having a look at these guides - How to build a deck by @MitchellMc and How to build a low-level deck by @Adam_W. These guides should give you a good idea what you need to take into consideration when building the cubby house base.

I propose thinking about how big do you want the cubby house base to be? Will you be making a landing of sorts, or do you want the base just slightly bigger than the cubby house footing? Once you've decided on the size of the base, I encourage you to draw your plan on paper. From there you'll be able to deduce the amount of timber and fixings you'll be using. Can also you please tell us what is the flooring size of the cubby house? 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric