Creative mum reveals how she built her son his dream cubby house for $2,000

A creative mother has revealed how she built her two-year-old son his dream cubby house for $2,000 – and it looks even more stylish than a real home.

Harmony Briene, 22, from Perth, said she has always had an interest in design, and she is currently six months into studying for a degree in architectural science.

Putting her new-found knowledge to good use, she put together ‘Kadel’s dream house’ with her husband and father over the course of four months – using materials from Bunnings Warehouse, Kmart and Aldi.

‘Growing up I always wanted a cubby but never had one,’ Harmony told FEMAIL. 

‘I saw lots of companies selling play houses, but I wanted to create something unique, something different and something tailored directly for Kadel.’

So how did the talented mother put the cubby house together?

Firstly, Harmony said she enlisted the help of her father and bought some materials to make the cubby from Bunnings.

‘We live in a rental so we were somewhat limited as to how high and big we could build something, but my dad put together 90 per cent of the home and my husband and I helped at the weekends,’ Harmony said. 

One of the best parts about the cubby is that it can come apart whenever they want if they were to ever move.

‘All four walls, the roof, front deck, floor and side play area are all built separately to be transported,’ Harmony said.

Once the structure was up, the mum was really able to get creative with the interiors.

Harmony said she found the mini kitchen from Aldi, before adding a tiled splash back using Bunnings tiles.

‘The kids’ bench seat is from Temple and Webster – it’s great for storing toys as the seat lifts up like a toy box but also a great-sized bench seat,’ she said.

The drawing station was made by Harmony’s father, using leftover wood from the cubby, while the pantry station and pen holders were bought in Kmart and spray painted.

‘All up, I reckon we spent around $2,000,’ Harmony said.

‘This sounds expensive, but considering that you can buy a cubby house from another business for the same price that hasn’t been painted or decorated with beautiful products, I think this was a good deal.

‘A few family members contributed to the cubby for his birthday as they asked what they could get him and we decided that instead of getting rubbish plastic toys, this could be his one and only present.

‘He absolutely loves it. Yes, he is spoilt, but it was worth it.’

Lastly, Harmony shared her tips for other parents who might want to take on their own DIY project for their kids.

‘You always need to have a cost margin, even if you’re only doing a small project,’ she said.

‘You should also start earlier than you think, as you’ll always need more time.’

She recommends searching around and hunting high and low for what you want, rather than going for the first and most convenient item you come across.

‘Often, if you look, you can find the same item you want for cheaper online or second-hand elsewhere,’ she said. 

She also said it’s worth thinking about your colour scheme before you start so that you can ‘link in all of the various elements effortlessly’.

‘Have fun with it, go with it and embrace the mistakes,’ she said.

‘You are getting creative and building something entirely custom-made to what you want. There are going to be a few hiccoughs!’

When Harmony shared the results of her work online, thousands were hugely impressed with Kadel’s cubby:

‘His cubby is better than my house!’ one woman posted.

‘This is a next level designer cubby house,’ another added.

Others said Harmony is a ‘Wonder Woman’ and they would ‘live in it’ if they could. 

To read more from Harmony, you can visit her blog here. You can also follow her on Instagram here.