Parenting

Dad Builds Luxury Playhouses That Parents Will Want To Move Into

by Ashley Austrew

This dad’s luxury playhouses might be nicer than your actual house

When we were kids, our “playhouse” was a big bush in the backyard, or maybe — if you were really lucky — a spider-infested shed where dad kept the lawn mower. As with most things, kids these days have it way better, and nothing proves that like these incredible luxury playhouses designed by an imaginative Canadian dad.

Tyson Leavitt is the owner of Charmed Playhouses in Lethbridge, Alberta. He began his venture last year, after working for eight years as a landscape designer. He tells Buzzfeed Canada he noticed the yards he worked on never really had “spaces that kids could go and enjoy,” so he decided to remedy the problem — and, boy, did he ever. This is just a preview of Leavitt’s incredible work:

Leavitt specializes in custom playhouses that can be designed to fit any kids’ wishes. He’s done everything from castles to pirate ships to minimalist condos. The houses are built to theme, all the way down to the very last detail, and Leavitt tells Buzzfeed they can cost anywhere from $7,000 to $100,000, depending on what parents want.

Leavitt’s playhouse business has grown so much that Buzzfeed reports he now has a staff of 15 and his own TLC show in the works. He’s even working on a dream playhouse for NBA player Steph Curry’s little girl. Needless to say, that little girl’s playhouse is going to be nicer than my actual house — I’ll try to contain my envy.

As amazing as Leavitt’s playhouses are, you have to admit it’s kind of crazy to think about people spending $100,000 to give their kids an actual Rapunzel tower. I mean, does it have wifi? A working Keurig? Can the children live in it when they go to college since their parents will no longer be able to afford tuition?

When we were kids, imaginative play meant tying a sheet around your torso and pretending to be a princess bride. These days, it seems things have gotten a little more extravagant. But if you can afford to do something like this for your child, there’s no doubt they’d love it more than anything in the world. The times may have changed, but the magic of childhood remains, and these playhouses capture the beauty of a child’s imagination like nothing else.