A wooden playhouse is one of those rare bits of garden kit that earns its keep for years. Long after the novelty toys have been outgrown and boxed up, a good playhouse is still there — a shop one week, a pirate ship the next, a quiet reading den on a rainy afternoon. It gets children outdoors, gives them somewhere that feels entirely their own, and quietly does the work of a hundred imaginative games.
But playhouses are not all the same, and the gap between the right one and the wrong one usually comes down to a few decisions made before you buy. We have brought in the Big Game Hunters range because it sits at the sturdy, characterful end — solid timber, proper detailing, and designs built to take on real outdoor play. Here is how to choose the right one for your garden and your children.
Start with age
The right playhouse for an 18-month-old is not the right one for a six-year-old, and age is the first thing to pin down.
For toddlers and younger children, you want something open, low and easy to walk in and out of. The Evermeadow Playhouse is designed from 18 months up — an open, welcoming layout that a very small child can explore safely, with the option to add a raised floor or even a single mud kitchen as they grow into messier play.
For older children who want to climb, hide and burn off energy, a raised design earns its place. The Redwood Tower Playhouse with Slide and the Evermeadow Tower Playhouse with Slide both put a den up on legs with a ladder up and a slide back down — far more appealing to a five- or six-year-old than a house they can simply walk into.
With floor or without?
Several of our playhouses come in two versions, and it is worth understanding the choice because it affects where you can put them.
A without-floor option sits directly on grass, decking or patio. It is lighter, easier to reposition, and fine if you have a dry, level spot to put it. A with-floor version adds a raised timber base, which keeps children off cold or damp ground and lets you site the playhouse on almost any surface. If your garden gets muddy, or you want to move the playhouse between indoors and out, the floor is worth having. You will see this choice on the Redwood Lodge Playhouse, the Wooden Café Shop Playhouse and the Evermeadow.
Think about the kind of play
Not every playhouse is just a house. Some are designed around a specific type of play, and matching that to your child makes all the difference.
If your child loves role-play — serving, stocking, taking orders — a themed playhouse turns the garden into a proper little business. The Wooden Café Shop Playhouse comes with a serving counter, chalkboard and display shelves, and works just as well as a shop, ice cream parlour or market stall. For the full set-up, the Make Your Own Little Barista Bundle builds a complete café around it.
For a cosier, quieter kind of play, a Wooden Teepee Playhouse makes an enclosed hideaway that works indoors as well as out — ideal for dens and reading nooks. It comes with or without a floor depending on where you plan to use it.
Measure the space — and the safety gap
The single most common mistake is buying for the footprint of the playhouse itself and forgetting the space around it. Anything with a slide needs clear run-off room at the bottom; anything raised needs space to climb and jump safely.
Measure your spot, then leave a clear margin on every side — away from fences, walls, sheds and washing lines. If space is genuinely tight, a raised tower design often makes better use of a small garden than a wide ground-level house, because it builds upward rather than outward.
Don't forget the extras
A playhouse is the anchor, but the pieces around it are what turn a garden into a proper play space. A children's picnic table gives somewhere to serve pretend meals or get stuck into crafts. A wooden BBQ stand extends the role-play into an outdoor kitchen. And for sand-and-water play alongside, a picnic table sandpit or the novelty car-shaped sandpit rounds out the setup.
The short version
For toddlers: an open, low playhouse like the Evermeadow, with a raised floor if your garden gets damp. For older children: a raised tower with a slide. For imaginative role-players: a themed café or shop playhouse. Whatever you choose, measure the space including the safety margin, and pick the with-floor option if you want to move it around or keep little ones off cold ground.
See the full range on the outdoor play page. And once the children are sorted, it is worth getting the grown-ups' side of the garden right too — a bistro set or some seating nearby means you have somewhere to sit while they play.
Every playhouse we stock comes with full assembly instructions. If you are not sure which design suits your garden or your children's ages, email us at sales@oakandoutdoor.co.uk — tell us a little about your space and we will point you to the right one. Explore more across outdoor play, seating and outdoor rugs.