A Wendy House is an awesome addition to any yard. Most people can attest to the never-ending complaint: “We don’t have any more space!”. Well, a Wendy House has the ability to solve those problems! And why buy a wendy house when you can build it yourself?
As mentioned in a previous post and on our Facebook Page, this festive season, Sabie Poles are on a mission to get families all riled up for some serious DIY projects this holiday. We believe that family time is the most precious thing about the holidays. What a perk would it be to get precious memories AND a Wendy House from this holiday?
Therefore, our next family time DIY project will be focusing on Wendy Houses. Everything you need to know before starting the project. From retail pricing of traditional Wendy Houses right through to building your own, free plans and building materials you’ll need.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
What is a Wendy House / Shed?
In essence, it is a smaller scale house made of wood. Although it might also be known as a shed., these houses are usually built with treated timber to make the house as lightweight and mobile as possible.
furthermore, the structure is usually in the yard and can be used for a variety of things. Although we assume that you know what you want to use your Wendy House for, we will briefly discuss the different types/usages for Wendy Houses.
Types of Wendy Houses
A wendy house can be one of two things, mobile or fixed.
Mobile Wendy House / Shed
It is usually on a trailer or has wheels attached to it. This makes it possible for the owner to move it around from place to place with little to no hassle.
This build usually depends on the size you will need and the usage.
Fixed Wendy House / Shed
It will most likely be used for family storage or a playing house for kids. They are most likely to be built on stilts to keep them from contact from the ground or built on a steady foundation.
Secondly, there could be various uses for a Wendy House. We will discuss a few of them below:
Kids Playhouse
The perk of using a wendy house is, that to children, it is perfectly to scale. You can fill it with bits and bops of kiddies furniture and toys to create a fantastic wonderland for them to enjoy.
This could be built in addition or as part of a playset/jungle gym. We focused on a few DIY ideas for Jungle Gyms last week, you can check out that post by clicking here.
Garden Shed/Toolhouse
We all know having a beautiful garden is time-consuming. Furthermore, you need a massive amount of tools, fertilizers, containers etc. to keep the garden in tip-top shape. Not to mention all the tools it takes to keep the house in shape too. This includes things like paint and drills etc.
A Tool Shed solves all of those problems for you. So, you are able to have a clean and neat yard, with all of your important tools, tucked away where no one will see them.
Extra Storage
We all know we have bits and bobs lying around the house that seem to never have a specific place in the house. Yet, you can’t throw it away. A prime example of this might be those kitchen utensils you never really use, or a mirror you haven’t found a place to hang just yet!
Well, that is exactly why you can use a this DIY project as extra storage for all the things you rarely need but can’t throw away!
Low-Cost Living or Accommodation
For this usage, it might take more skill and money to set up as it will usually require a bathroom. Consequently, there needs to be a qualified plumber to assist you in all of the laying down of pipes etc.
In Southern Africa, it is common for Wendy Houses to be used as a permanent low-cost living solution. It is used as a small home/apartment.
Furthermore, some people may even use wendy houses as guest house accommodation. These houses are usually a little bigger than most traditional wendy houses. Additionally, they will also include bath and kitchen facilities for the tenant’s/guest’s convenience.
Wendy House Prices (Retail)
Depending on what size you are looking for, you are looking at anything between R6 000.00 and R35 000.00 (Averages are taken from various sites as of November 2018)
This usually excludes delivery.
*Note that it is possible to find more affordable sellers in your specific area. These prices are based on major retailers in the main centers of Southern Africa.
While it might take more time to build, it works out cheaper to build your own. Additionally, you get to decide on the exact shape and size of your wendy house. As a result, you do not have to stress about where it will fit or whether or not you will have enough space.
Let’s head on over to our next section: How to build your very own Wendy House.
DIY Wendy House
Why buy when you can build? That’s why we always say! Doing it yourself can frequently save you a lot of money. Additionally, it has the ability to make the whole project more personal and customized to your needs.
When it comes to a wendy house, there is no exception.
A few pros about building your own Wendy House:
- Customize the size
- You can customize the design
- Paint/stain the wendy house any color of your choice
- Work out cheaper
There are definitely more pros to this DIY project. For example: Having a project that the whole family can help with, creating valuable memories etc.
But let’s dive into the various building materials you will need when you start your Wendy House:
DIY Materials
It is important to think about what the Wendy House will endure throughout its lifetime. It will have to stand in the pouring rain, followed by the scorching sun. In South Africa, it’s a normal thing that different weather conditions can be present in one day.
As a result of this, you need wood that will last. Therefore, we highly recommend pressure treated wood/ CCA Treated Wood. But, be warned, there are many CCA Treated Timber sellers that are conning people. If a company does not adhere to strict rules and regulations, and they don’t have the correct certifications, we recommend walking the other way.
These resellers are usually selling sub-par wood that will not last even a fraction of the time the sellers claim they will last. Therefore, when looking at Timber suppliers for your wendy house make sure they have all or at least one of the following credentials:
- SABS Approved Treated Timber Products
- NRCS Approved Treated Timber Products
- A company that is a part of SAWPA
At Sabie Poles, our timber is SABS and NRCS approved. Furthermore, we are proud members of SAWPA. This means that you can trust that our timber are of the highest quality!
Wendy House Plans (Free)
Get more free building plans from The Spruce Crafts. They have 13 plans to give you an idea what you will need, and how to go about starting the construction of your wendy house!
Basics to building a wendy house:
- First Step: Decide whether you want it to be on stilts or on the ground
- Second Step: Plan out the size.
- Third Step: Make sure the area you are going to build on is completely level.
- Fourth Step: Decide on a building plan (Free plans available above)
- Fifth Step: Buy the necessary materials (Ensure that you mention the application for each product to the sales consultant). The application will determine the Treatment class for your specific products
- Sixth Step: Follow the building plan as supplied above.
Sabie Poles Materials for building a Wendy House
As mentioned previously, we have a whole range of CCA Treated Products that are all SABS and NRCS approved, and will be perfect for your Wendy House construction.
Some of these items include:
- CCA Treated Construction planks (S5)
- Pressure Treated Ceiling planks and floor planks
- Treated Poles, can be used for stilts/supports in the wendy house.
- Plywood slabs for interior use (Untreated)
- Doors (Untreated)
- CCA Treated Cladding for the exterior, untreated cladding for the interior.
All of these products are available to the public as well as wholesale to resellers all over South Africa.
