The Playhouse

Back in the early 'sixties, my Dad worked at the Awnair company. They manufactured and installed their own specially-designed awnings. They had a proprietary configuration that incorporated tubular white loops as part of the bottom edge trim that made them distinctive.

Dad also installed aluminum storm doors. After putting in the new doors, he'd take away the old ones. I think he said he got $5 a door.

They also handled aluminum storm windows.

One day there were some old, small "sample windows" that were being thrown out in favor of the new model samples. My Dad saw that the old ones were being discarded and a plan emerged.
Why not build a small house around these small windows?

He glommed onto the windows and a pile of discarded storm doors and brought them home in his truck.

He built a small plywood floor in the corner of our back yard.

He then screwed the old storm doors together into panels that he used to frame in the walls.

I think he made the roof out of storm doors, too. I'll have to ask.

With the tiny windows in place, he bought a "square" of brown aluminum siding and slapped that up on the frame.

One more discarded screen door was installed as the actual door and, voila, we had a play house!

In the picture on the left, you can see one of the tiny windows on the left side of the house. (Click to enlarge. That's Sheila Flanagan, neighborhood kid, in the photo.)

The photo on the right shows me and my brother, Scott, by the main entrance. That's probably my Dad's reflection in the upper pane of glass.

We moved at the end of September, 1964 and the playhouse was left behind. I think the next owners used it as a tool shed before replacing it with a bigger, commercial shed. The fools!

We kids had a pretty neat club house for a while there, though, courtesy of my Father's imagination and resourcefulness.

Thanks, Dad!