Building a house with dad

Adam Boyd built this amazing 2-storey house for his daughters to play in.

As a kid, did you ever build a play house with your dad? Maybe it was an elaborate treehouse in the backyard, a cardboard shelter in the garden or a humble tent on your bed. Whatever the structure was, these creative spaces, for sure, guaranteed hours of fun and imaginative play.

The fact that you built all these things with a parent only made the memories even more precious.

And wouldn’t you want your kids to experience the same joy you did during these moments? Nowadays, children are often handed a gadget to while away time. While technology can provide much entertainment, nothing can beat the bond parents and children develop during actual play.

The idea of receiving something built by parents can give children a sense of pride and appreciation.

This Father’s Day, let us celebrate some of our best memories with our dads by reliving them. From the elaborate to the humble, let us look at some of the most remarkable play houses dads built out of love for their children.

A dream house by dad

Although Adam Boyd of Highland, Michigan, was a seasoned contractor who built houses for a living, nobody would have guessed the lengths he would go to make his daughters happy.

Born out of a wish to do something special for his kids, he built a two-storey wooden play house that inspires awe from both kids and adults alike.

Mostly made out of wood, the house is flanked by a bridge and a climbing wall. The structure also boasts of a spiral slide, a rope ladder and several swing sets. Inside, chalkboards adorn some walls, allowing children to draw freely on them.

The interiors are spacious enough to accommodate Boyd’s whole family. Only one thing is absent in the house: electronics. This feature was intentionally left out to encourage kids to focus on actual toys and interaction.

The elegant construction and generous size of the playhouse has garnered attention all over the world. Some newspapers even call Boyd the “best Dad ever.”

Though he downplays most of the accolades, Adam Boyd takes pride in his work and hopes other families would share his experience. He has gone on to build a new business—Spoiled Rotten Homes—which focuses on creating customized play houses for children.

For the love of kids

Jeremy Trentelman of Ogden, Utah, shares similar sentiments with Adam Boyd.

The cardboard castle he created in his front yard, however, garnered attention for the opposite reason. Within a day after its setup, Trentelman’s creation caught the eye of the local building official.

Trentelman was asked to remove the structure within 15 days as it was considered a waste material.

At first taken aback by the notice, the Utah dad laughed it off and posted the story online to share with friends. His post, however, spread like wild fire online.

People began to see his creation as an act of defiance against stringent city laws. International news stations picked up the story and many rallied to keep the cardboard castle on his lawn. As a show of support, people around the globe built their own cardboard structures.

In the end, the controversial creation met a peaceful death: it got destroyed by heavy rains. Neither Trentelman nor the city officials became responsible for its demise. Despite the ruckus it caused, Ogden’s most famous cardboard fort brought attention to the world’s humblest play house. Though simple, a cardboard house can serve as a father’s gift to his imaginative children. Or in some cases, it can spark a global movement.

Make your own

Inspired by these stories, why don’t you try and build a play house for your kids? What better way to pay homage to our fathers than being the best parents we can be to our children?

Using cardboard, wood pallets or any other material that is readily available to you, run wild with ideas and create spaces that will tickle the imagination. Turn a personal project into a bonding activity with your kids.

In a society that has become a slave to technology, a constructed space is paradise to a child yearning to play. If you can build a playhouse with your hands, you can be sure that it suits your child’s interests and your safety concerns.

As an ode to our dads, build something your children can be proud of. You do not have to be an architect or an engineer to be a great parent. If you are willing to build on a relationship with your kid, everything will eventually fall into place.

(Sources: Jeremy Trentelman; Adam Boyd; Mali Maeder via www.pexels.com; Willie Chieves via www.pixabay.com; www.latimes.com; www.spoiledrottenhomes.com; www.pixnio.com)

(The author is a licensed architect who studied abroad and currently works for DSFN Architects. Her dad is an engineer who helped her build a dollhouse, a toothpick bridge and a townhouse miniature model. She credits him for inspiring her to become an architect.)