Style and Design
This attractive little wooden playhouse is available in two versions - one with a small covered verandah to the front and one without. Both feature a traditional apex roofed design with an open structure and window boxes to the front. TP's Cubby is a lovely addition to the garden which will delight the younger child.
Materials/Construction
The Cubby is constructed throughout in FSC approved pine or spruce.
Dimensions
Sizes are 4'3'' x 3' (130 x 96cm) without the verandah and 4'3'' x 4'6'' (130 x 137) with. Both versions measure 4'6'' (138cm) high at the apex of the roof.
Finish/Treatment
The wood receives a pre-treatment prior to delivery. This means it's not necessary to add any further treatment before siting the playhouse outdoors unless you wish to decorate it to your own preference. The verandah and front window trim is decorated in a crisp white in the verandah version of the playhouse.
Delivery/Assembly
The TP Cubby is delivered flat packed ready for straightforward DIY home assembly by the purchaser.
Availability
See the details of sellers and prices given above.
Our Verdict
The TP Cubby is a nice, affordable little wooden playhouse which is small enough, especially in the verandah free version, to be used indoors as well as out. It has an attractive, open design with a stable type door to the front and a large open window to the rear to allow children inside to easily interact with other children and adults on the outside. It also means you can easily supervise what's going in inside without being too obtrusive.
The styling means that this isn't a wind and watertight structure, but it looks well designed for what it is and its open nature means it should dry out quite quickly after a shower. The features include a couple of window boxes to the front which can be used to introduce youngsters the niceties of plant care if you wish. We'd suggest that if you do try this, you keep the plants in pots to prevent earth from soiling the playhouse wood.
Assembly of your playhouse should be relatively straightforward. It arrives flat packed with full instructions and fixings so you can put it together. The pre-treated wood is a bit of a bonus if you intend to keep the Cubby outside. Often with budget playhouses it's necessary to add your own timber treatment following delivery but this is an additional step you won't need to take with this one. Of course you may wish to add your own decoration to personalise your purchase and this can certainly add interest as well as helping to stop the playhouse taking on a weathered look if it's exposed to the elements longer term. The verandah version has some nice white highlights pre-added to the front structure and window frames. If you do intend to add your own decoration, we'd recommend you decorate the parts before you put the playhouse together. That should make it easier to reach everything you need to and to make sure the paint or stain penetrates well into the joins in the wood. As with all outdoor wooden buildings you'll need to periodically check the finish for damage and maintain it as necessary during the life of the playhouse.
You should find the TP Cubby priced quite competitively for a playhouse of its size and general open design. It's new to the UK market in July 2020 and to us it looks like a useful addition to TP's extensive playhouse range. If you're looking for a compact wooden playhouse of this type of open style for a child of 18 months plus, simple to assemble and ready for outdoor use we think the Cubby is a value for money buy which, properly looked after, will serve you well. 4.5 stars from us. If you're looking for an alternative with a more watertight construction, we have one or two suggestions below which are also worth checking out.
