Clever cubby house designs

[Jason]

A cubby house can grow alongside your kids and offer hours of entertainment. Building with recycled timber, adding to a flatpack design or renovating an existing cubby can make this an easy and affordable project.

Check out these clever and creative cubby house designs shared by Bunnings Workshop community members and let us know if you'd like a hand tackling a similar project. We're here to help.

1. D.I.Y. cubby house using recycled pallet timber by @Yorky88 

Marty built this impressive cubby house without any plans using recycled pallet timber. It triggered a hugely popular discussion about D.I.Y. cubby houses with other members sharing their creations and ideas. 

2. Raised cubby house by @globetrotter 

A cubby was raised a metre off the ground to incorporate a sandpit beneath.

3. Cubby with sandpit and chalkboard by @LePallet 

A sandpit and chalkboard were added to this cubby house along with a colourful arrangement of pine posts.

4. Cubby house with picket fence and planter box by @ProjectPete 

Pete created a bespoke cubby house featuring tongue-and-groove cladding, a custom picket fence and even a planter box.

5. Pirate ship cubby on sandpit by @ShaneandAsh 

This pirate ship includes a slide, periscope, binoculars and boat wheel for hours of fun.

6. Pallet timber pirate ship cubby by @Yorky88 

Another wonderful pirate ship, this time using recycled pallet timber. 

7. Kids cubby house with sandpit and slide by @weekenddiyer 

A flatpack cubby was transformed into an impressive playhouse by adding a slide, bell, chalkboard, sandpit and fence pickets.

8. Recycled pallet timber cubby by @MitchellM 

A colourful recycled timber creation that saved eight pallets from landfill.

9. Cubby house in Shrek green using recycled materials by @Adam_W 

Built using timber off-cuts and other materials leftover from other projects, this cubby looks sturdy enough to live in. 

10. Kids playhouse using recycled materials by @LePallet 

Riley built this cubby in sections and with recycled materials so it was affordable and easier to transport.

11. Old cubby house renovation by @Jimi 

Restoring this 33-year-old cubby house kept it in the family for another generation to enjoy.

12. Cubby playhouse by @woodalwaysworks 

Workshop member woodalwaysworks described this cubby with shop, mud kitchen, steering wheel, binoculars and cargo net as an “open project” that changes over time as the kids grow older.

13. Two-storey pallet timber cubby house by @Tara86 

Inspired by Marty's cubby project, Tara built this two-storey cubby house with a telescope, steering wheel and slide using recycled pallet timber and Merbau decking boards.

14. Pallet playhouse by @HansoloNZ 

Recycled pallet timber was used to create this kids playhouse with hinged windows and a planter box.

15. Wardrobe cubby house by @woodalwaysworks 

Workshop member woodalwaysworks turned a built-in robe into a two-storey cubby and wall-mounted a bed to make the spare room into a play space.

16. Teepee pallet cubby house by @LePallet 

Riley built a teepee cubby house using recycled pallet timber for an affordable D.I.Y. project to keep the kids entertained.

17. First cubby house build by @Mikezoom61 

A great example of what a beginner can achieve. 

18. Pallet timber cubby house by @Millsylad 

This recycled timber creation began as a mud kitchen. 

19. Cubby house makeover by @bnorio  

A before and after transformation that highlights what some elbow grease and a bit of paint can achieve. 

20. Converted shed into cubby house by @cmignani 

An unused garden shed transformed into a cubby house with a cafe theme. 

21. Pirate themed treehouse by @mjkworldwide 

Crafted using an old pergola from a demolished house, the platform for this treehouse sits on a frame that avoids the need to dig post holes that would have impacted the Lemon-scented Gum tree's critical root zone. 

22. Pimp my cubby by @JessR 

A Bunnings cubby was improved with additions such as a letterbox, phone, shelf, chalkboard, door bell, house number and flower decorations.

23. Mulberry cubby by @LisasGarden 

A green cubby requiring no-construction by simply using Mulberry trees to create a secret play area. 

24. Side transformation featuring cubby and vegetable garden by @jamesaward 

An under-utilised side yard transformed a vegetable garden and cubby house for the children to enjoy for years.

 

25. Bunnings cubby house chicken palace by @isabelfry 

When your kids have outgrown the cubby, give it a second life as a chicken coop. 

How to build a cubby house

Resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert Mitch 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.

[Dave-1]

Afternoon All

They are some Nice looking Cubby Houses I have a lot of fun memories of building them when I was a teenager, possibly some not so safe ones even lol

Some things I learnt being able to build the cubby houses (And most were not as flash as these are but they were good, A fort, A pirate bridge between the inside of the yard to out in the creek area in the treetops, A Firemans pole and a Jail to lock my sisters in!)

- It taught me how to install posts and pack them with rocks and soil to secure them.

- Taught me to think twice about sawing a piece of timber in half as once chopped I didnt have that length to reuse again.

- Taught me to look after my tools and not leave them outside... My grandma would go around and pick up any that I had left out and confiscate them, right up to the point all I had left was a bucket of old nails and a ball hammer. In the end yard work earnt them back but that was months later.

- Safety, what ever I build had to be safe enought not to be able to be pulled down or hurt my sisters. (The Jail was a good experiment)

- My birthday and Christmas pressents were 4kg bag of nails from the hardware store Way before Bunnings lol

- Endless fun creating in "My area" of the backyard

- Negotiating with mum that if I had this area then I had to build my sisters a cubby house in their area. 

So many fond memories. Will see if I can find an old photo somewhere of the fort!

Dave