Free housing

After assembly, before cleaning (hence the bottle
of 409 on the roof)

I love getting really cool free stuff! And, by the way, we are the poster children for Little Tikes

The before picture

I have been scouring Craigslist for a playhouse, but I just wasn't up to biting the bullet and paying for one of the Little Tykes playhouses. I'd even approached a neighbor, who has older kids, about getting his play gym. His wife was the holdout, so...Not so much.
Well, recently an older couple moved out of the neighborhood and apparently the bank now owns the house. The poor structure was in dire need of renovation when they moved in, so now it is being totally re-worked. There is a lot of trash to move out, and I noticed that in the rubbish truck was a beautiful (and perfectly fine) playhouse. It was in pieces, so whether or not it was complete was a bit of a gamble. I decided to chance it and ran over to ask about it.
It turns out that it was on its way to the dump. It was also a complete set complete enough. You can see it at Apartment Therapy in the before picture. It certainly needs a good scrubbing, and after seeing various makeovers I am inspired to do something with it...later. I have to finish my bathroom storage project first.
Anyway, free (in this context) is always awesome. It may require a good dose of elbow grease and a healthy helping of creativity, but I don't mind. It means the difference between toys and no toys.

Little Tikes house with picnic table inside