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The 8x8 raised deck platform that playhouses get built on — 4x4 posts, 2x6 framing, real joists. Build it dead level and everything on top of it goes up easy.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Posts Swing-set option: two at 47" and two at 96". | 4 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 47" | 4x4 | ☐ |
| Shorter side boards Includes the joists. | 8 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 92 1/2" | 2x6 | ☐ |
| Longer side boards | 4 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 96" | 2x6 | ☐ |
| Diagonal corner supports Both ends mitered 45°. | 8 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 12" | 2x6 | ☐ |
| Deck boards | 16 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 96" | 2x6 | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 4x4 post, 8 ft Three if building the swing-set option. Ground-contact treated. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 2x6, 8 ft Frame, joists, and decking. Eight can be 92-5/8" studs if cheaper. | 29 each | ☐ |
| 2x4, 8 ft Under-deck cross bracing. | 4 each | ☐ |
| Exterior deck screws, #9 x 2-1/2", self-tapping | 150 each | ☐ |
| Exterior deck screws, #10 x 3", self-tapping The framing screws. | 100 each | ☐ |
| Exterior paint or stain | 1 gallon | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: 4x4 post, 8 ft, 2x6, 8 ft, Exterior deck screws, #10 x 3", self-tapping
Lay the 4x4 posts flat and screw the first side boards to them with 3" screws, per the diagram. Building the swing option? One post per side is a 96-footer — decide which end of the playhouse faces the swing before this step, not after.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Level, Tape Measure. Materials: 2x6, 8 ft, Exterior deck screws, #10 x 3", self-tapping
Attach the remaining side boards to the posts with 3" screws, forming the 8x8 rim. Now the real work: level the frame on the actual ground (dig or shim under posts — dirt moves, framing doesn't) and square it by matching diagonals.
The plan promises it won't be square on the first try, and the plan is right. Take the time; every later piece inherits this geometry.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: 2x6, 8 ft, Exterior deck screws, #10 x 3", self-tapping
With the box square AND level — verify both again — screw the eight 45°-mitered braces across the corners. These freeze the geometry: they make a square frame permanent and a crooked one permanent too. That's why they come after the fight, never before.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Pencil, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: 2x6, 8 ft, Exterior deck screws, #10 x 3", self-tapping
Mark the joist layout on the long sides — even spacing, roughly 16" centers — and screw each joist through the rim with 3" screws, three per end, tops flush with the rim top. Sight down the tops: a proud joist telegraphs a hump into the deck.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Random Orbit Sander, Tape Measure. Materials: 2x6, 8 ft, Exterior deck screws, #9 x 2-1/2", self-tapping
Screw the sixteen deck boards across the joists with 2-1/2" screws, two per crossing, small even gaps for drainage. Start flush at one edge and check remaining spacing every few boards so the last one isn't a sliver.
Sand the whole surface and every arris — this deck hosts bare feet, crawling knees, and eventually someone's sleeping bag.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: 2x4, 8 ft, Exterior deck screws, #10 x 3", self-tapping, Exterior paint or stain
Screw the 2x4 cross braces under the deck per the diagram, into the framing — they stop side-to-side sway once kids discover the deck is also a stage, a ship, and a trampoline.
Paint or stain everything, then build whatever the platform was for: walls, railings, the swing arm. The hard part — flat, level, solid — is done.