How to assemble a kids playhouse

• Cordless drill with screwdriver bit
• Hammer
• Spirit level
• Step ladder
• Tape measure
• Sandpaper

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

• Floor panel and bearers
• Front, back and side wall panels
• Roof boards and roofing felt or shingles
• Door, window frames and acrylic glazing
• Screws, felt tacks and trims

1. 1

   Step 1: Lay a level base of slabs or treated bearers so the floor sits off wet ground, and check it with a level both ways.

2. 2

   Step 2: Place the floor panel on the base, then stand the back wall and one side wall and screw them together at the corner and down into the floor.

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the remaining walls, checking each corner is flush at the top and the door opening is square.

4. 4

   Step 4: Fit the roof boards across the gable ends with a helper, screwing them into the tops of the walls, then lay the roofing felt from the bottom edge up with overlaps and fix it with the tacks given.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fit the fascia boards and corner trims to cover the felt edges and the wall joints.

6. 6

   Step 6: Hang the door and fit the window frames and acrylic glazing, then check the door swings without a finger-trap gap at the hinge side, adding the finger guard if one is supplied.

7. 7

   Step 7: Sand any rough edges or splinters, check for protruding screw points inside, and treat the outside timber with a child-safe wood treatment.

8. 8

   Step 8: If your kit includes a veranda, ladder or slide, fit them now and follow the manual's clearance around them.

• Building straight on grass, so the floor rots and the walls twist out of square.
• Leaving screw tips poking through inside the walls where a child can catch them.
• Using a door stop or latch that can lock a child inside.