It seems all the people we know with kids are going crazy for garden play-houses at the moment. Not wanting our kids to feel hard done by, Karen has asked that I build one. Not wanting to be out-done and having had too much time to think about it, I think I might have gotten a little carried away.

You can see the kind of thing I'm on about here. You know, this kind of thing:

Ours will go at the bottom of our garden which currently looks like this:

As you can see, I've started to accumulate some wood already.

The "concept" for the house was in my head until a few days ago, when I managed to get it down on paper:

The idea is that the house is on a raised platform and behind the fir tree, which will grow through the platform.

Entry/exit will be via the steps and slide, which I'll be recycling from this one that was given to us ages ago:

The tube in the photo above was going to be a part of it but I can see how it will fit in, so has now returned to dad's (don't ask).

The wood to build it has also come from dad - via my brother, Leo, who was going to throw it all on a big fire.

We're doing it on a shoe-string. Partly as we don't have money to splash out on such things, but also to prove you can do it for next to nothing to those who prefer to give Tesco and the like their money instead. Also because I like the idea of recycling while saving money at the same time.

I'll be keeping a tally of what gets spent, which so far is on 18 pounds. My budget is 100 - 150. Most of which I expect will go on screws.

So, Karen's away with the kids this weekend and I want to have it as near as finished as possible when they return.

I'll report back on Monday morning so you can how we (Dad's coming to help) got on...