Style and Design
A pink, yellow and white version of the highly popular Whacky Ranch wooden playhouse, the Crooked Cottage is a delightful and widely available playhouse of quirky, yet appealing asymmetric design. The delightful appearance of the Crooked Cottage is guaranteed to delight children and its compact dimensions make it ideal for the smaller garden. Realistically priced, the Crooked Cottage is sure to be a real asset to your garden and a neighbourhood talking point - everyone will want one!
Materials/Construction
The playhouse is constructed in 8mm pine on a 45 x 27mm frame with perspex windows for safety
Dimensions
The base measurement of the Crooked Cottage is a trim 3' x 4' with a maximum height of 5'.
Finish/Treatment
You can expect to receive the Crooked Cottage pre-finished in the illustrated pink, yellow and white colour scheme although to prolong the playhouse's life we'd recommend the application of a further decorative/protective coat. If you want to retain the original colour scheme consider applying a clear protective finish.
Options
The floor may be optional with some sellers. If a wooden floor is important to you be sure to check before ordering.
Delivery/Assembly
The Whacky Ranch is delivered pre formed ready for simple home assembly.
Availability
See the details of sellers and prices given above.
Our Verdict
The Whacky Ranch and the Crooked Cottage are essentially the same playhouse but finished in different colour schemes - so if you're choosing between them it will be down to personal taste, and maybe whether you're buying for a boy or girl (although we don't really go for colour stereotypes!). Be sure to check the price as well since prices can vary between the two even though the colour scheme is the only real difference.
Both buildings follow the same attractive offbeat, asymmetrical style which we think gives you a lovely and unusual style of playhouse for the younger child. The colours are bright and instantly eyecatching. They are however provided by a water based stain and to make sure the colour scheme lasts we'd recommend that you apply a clear protective finish at the time the playhouse is put together. The heat treated fir wood used in the construction will afford a degree of natural protection against attack by rot, mould and other pests but the stain is water based only and unless further protection is applied the colouring won't last and the wood will take on a worn, weathered look. If you don't want to apply a clear coat you should consider renewing the stain on an annual basis to prolong the life of the playhouse and keep it looking bright an cheerful.
You shouldn't experience too much difficulty in putting the playhouse together. It comes in pre-formed panels which fit together easily and although there's a little work involved in assembling the porthole window and decorative chimney it's nothing too serious. You can get a preview of the assembly instructions here. Do note that the playhouse isn't generally supplied with a fitted floor. Some sellers will provide a floor as an optional extra and if this isn't clear from the website you should e-mail or use the seller's contact form to check the flooring arrangements. Expect sellers to answer any queries promptly. Depending on cost you might consider adding a floor yourself which shouldn't be too big a job for an average diy'er. On balance we prefer a playhouse with a fitted floor as we feel this aids strength and stability, avoids problems with grass and weed growth and makes the playhouse easier to keep bug free.
The perspex windows will allow light to enter the playhouse and are ideal from a safety point of view as perspex is virtually unbreakable - even at the hands of very young children! We like the opening windows which will allow ventilation on a hot day and overall the Whacky Ranch/Crooked Cottage looks like a well designed attractive playhouse.
One critiscism we would offer is that the 8mm cladding is rather lightweight and we doubt whether the playhouse and particularly the roof will be truly waterproof. If your Whacky Ranch/Crooked Cottage is to be used and kept permanently outdoors we'd recommend you consider adding a shed felt covering to the roof - indeed some retailers recommend this. Have a look at the Axi Alice for a similarly offbeat appearance coupled with high quality construction. Naturally however you're likely to have to pay substantially more for this.
We've awarded the Crooked Cottage 3.5 stars to take account of the lightweight construction and doubts over weatherproofing. We'd prefer to see a floor as standard as well.
Oh - and one more thing. Both the Whacky Ranch and Crooked Cottage are also available as the Whacky Tower and the Crooked Tower. These are platform versions with steps and a slide. They add an extra dimension to play and resolve any flooring issues . You can check them out here;- Whacky Tower Crooked Tower 
