architectural student 102: Keep it Simple!

The Lantern Playhouse By Bob Borson. Built in 2014 for Dallas CASA . the intention of the design was for the Parade of Playhouses Charity event. The reason to why I saw a need to blog about this particular playhouse is because I loved the simplicity if it and mainly because of technology used, which I thought could also be useful for me in future.

The playhouse was built by Buford hawthorne homebuilders and it was built on site.

This is one of the original design drawings for the playhouse

The detail were worked out in a way that would keep the playhouse in good shape for years to come, It was decided a change needed to be made and I clad the framing with 1×10 cedar boards running up and over the exterior of the playhouse.

The Playhouse was built on a deck made out of pressure treated lumber for the supports and then topped with cedar. They also wrapped the exterior face of the structure with 1×6 cedar as sacrificial boards so that the grass can grow right up to the playhouse and you don’t have to worry about weed whacking the bottom in a way that can’t be easily fixed should you choose to do so.

All the hidden framing was done in Southern Yellow Pine #2, but all the exposed framing was done with 2x cedar material.

The interior of the playhouse is framed out in unfinished medium density overlay 4×8 panels and the exterior is covered in 3/4″ exterior grade sheathing.

G90 metal siding was used for the flashing on the playhouse.

In this picture, you can see the cedar framing quite clearly.

The cedar slats were wrapped on the interior face of the entry.

They didn't want the screws to read too strongly on the exterior so the slats were installed using finish brads. They had to add a couple more in a few areas – so if you get up close you can see them with no problem – but from a few feet away, this attachment method allows the geometry of the playhouse to remain pure.

This is a close up look at the entry door framing and how it meets the deck.

Here is a detail shot of the where the 1×10 cedar boards roll down from the roof to the wall … they angled the edge of the roof board so that they were able to maintain the shape.