#AD – gifted for review
Ever since we did our huge garden renovation a few years ago, we have really made the most of our outside space. Easily the favourite part of my entire house, we spend a huge amount of time playing outside in the garden whatever the weather, and with the recent heatwave, we have definitely made the most of the weather.
Our garden is also a bit of a children’s haven and Little Tikes products have become a huge part of that. A firm favourite with both the girls their toys have offered hours of fun, and as such, I am always keen to hear about new additions to their collection.
This Summer we’ve been putting the Little Tikes Build a House playhouse to the test – a playhouse with a difference, this was a really exciting addition to the Little Tikes Playhouse range. Here’s how we got on.
About the Build a House Playhouse
The Little Tikes Build a House is a play house with a difference. Where as most playhouses for children only offer one finished design, the Little Tikes Build a House comes with interchangeable panels and easy-to-use tools so that little ones can be involved in the construction, letting their imagination help create the finished design. Using the completely child friendly mini handheld screwdriver and electric screwdriver included, they can help build, take apart and re-build their house to create endless variations! Build a House is suitable for both indoor and outdoor play.
The Little Tikes Build a House is a colourful bright playhouse with interchangeable panels that requires some initial assembly. Parents build the frame and roof and then the rest is up to the children to customise – with 25+ interchangeable panels and accessories including windows, doors and even a letter box, and chunky screws ideal for little hands, children will loved being involved in bringing their house to life.
The Little Tikes Build a House retails at £199.99 but is currently on sale at just £128, making it an ideal gift for birthdays or Christmas.
Our Little Tikes Build a House Review
I was really excited about road testing the Little Tikes Build a House. On paper, this playhouse seems a little bit different to your standard house, offering something a little different from others on the market. I was keen to see how Erin in particular would enjoy helping create the finished effect. Here’s how we got on!
I have to be honest, when you first open the box of the Little Tikes Build a House, it can be more than a little daunting. There are a LOT of pieces – not only are there the 25 interchangeable panels that the children can help build with and a large bag of chunky screws, there is also lots of other pieces that form the initial frame and roof and a big bag of regular screws ready for the adult assembly element that is required. I had a quick look, before closing the box back up and waiting for Daddy to get home!!
Those of you who have read previous reviews will know that this isn’t uncommon. Spatial awareness and building things really isn’t my forte, and although he would probably never admit it, Mike actually really enjoys stuff like this. So one Saturday morning we dragged the box out on to the patio and Mike set to work.
I took the girls for a bath to get them out of the way whilst Mike set to work, and a few minutes in, he admitted that it was actually very straight forward and that the instructions were fairly simply to follow. A few of the pieces had become slightly warped in the box, but during fitting he was able to manipulate these back into place so it wasn’t a major problem. Within about 25 minutes he had created the frame of the house including the roof panels and that is where his involved should have ended. I then had to remind Mike that the next part was supposed to be for Erin, but he found it very difficult not to ‘help’!!!
There are around 25 interchangeable panels included in the box, all of which can be placed in different arrangements to change the look and feel of the house. The screws included for these panels are large and chunky, and Erin was super excited about starting to fit some herself.
Each panel comes with holes, and the screws need to be pushed into the holes prior to fastening to the frame. This did require adult assistance as it was a little tough to push them through, and as such Little Tikes recommend that an adult is supervising to assist with this element of the build.
Erin was then able to pop the panels in where she wished to place them, and used the electric screwdriver to fasten them into place. The screwdriver has a button on top that allows her to change the direction of the spin (righty tighty, lefty Lucy!). The electric screwdriver tended to do the initial securing, and then the handheld screwdriver was useful for tightening them up and ensuring they were secure. From a parents point of view the electric screwdriver was probably more of a gimmick – as it was just as easy (if not easier) to tighten using the handheld screwdriver alone. From the children’s point of view however they absolutely loved having a ‘real’ screwdriver just like Daddy’s.
Mike helped Erin with the initial aesthetic, in particular deciding where to put the door and window pieces, but it was really cute watching Erin help secure them into place, looking really proud as she worked her way around the house with her hand tools.
Creating the entire Build a House took around an hour in total, during which time Erin’s attention didn’t wane at all. Neve was also keen to be included, with the odd squabble over who was holding the screwdriver, and coming round to ‘help’ with tightening up the pieces Erin had put in place.
The finished house looks great. With the bright orange roof it really stands out in the garden even on a gloomy day, and there is plenty of room inside for both girls to play together. I love the saloon style door and the large window frames, perfect for playing peekaboo – something which Neve likes to do A LOT.
The doors and window pieces are a little on the flimsy side, so I have needed to encourage Neve to be gentle as she can be a bit heavy handed when she pulls the windows open. She also hasn’t seemed to grasp yet that the hinges on the saloon style door only allow them to open one way, and a few times has tried to push them backwards in order to get in, getting herself in a bit of a pickle – I am sure she will figure this out eventually! 🙂
My girls are 5 and nearly 2, and what’s great about the Little Tikes Build-a-House is that it is perfectly suited to both of them. Now that it is built Neve in particular really enjoys playing inside, peeking out the windows and posting things through the letterbox (normally random items that she has collected from around the garden). Erin loved the construction element, and we have had a few reshuffles since the houses’ creation, with Erin unscrewing panels and swapping them around to create a slightly different look.
In reality I am not sure how many times the house will get moved around once it has been in place for a while but it is great to have the option to mix things up a little bit should the girls wish to do so. That said, it does open the possibility for more items in a similar range. My partner said as a child he would’ve loved something similar with a Castle or Workshop style theme, and felt that this sort of design would encourage more regular use of the swap and change element using the tools included.
Overall. I felt the Little Tikes Build-a-House was a really fun playhouse offering something a little different to others on the market.
Pros & Cons of the Playhouse
Pros:
- Build-a-House offers the ability to “mix things up” and change the aesthetic of the playhouse once it has been created.
- Child friendly tools and screws allow children to be involved in the building and creation of the playhouse with an element of “just like Daddy”.
- Bright colours and attractive design including saloon door, opening windows and a large letter box.
- Great for siblings of mixed ages to play together, offering something for everyone.
- Educational element involved whilst children learn about rearranging and fitting the pieces.
Cons:
- There are a lot of pieces which can be daunting on first opening, and the initial frame does require adult assembly – something you may wish to consider doing the night before if you want to give as a present – as children can be a little impatient!
- The chunky screws do need to be clicked through the holes prior to children fitting the pieces, and Erin got a little frustrated wanting to do this bit herself too.
- Some of the panels (in particular the windows and door) are a little on the flimsy side, so I am unsure of how these will weather or perform with heavy handed play!
You can learn more about the Little Tikes Build a House on the Little Tikes website. Build-a-House is currently on offer for £128 as part of their summer sale.
*Disclosure – We were sent the Little Tikes Build-a-House free of charge for the purpose of this review however as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own*
