Having a dad who knows his way around a set of tools is a dream for some kids. Imagine having someone who can build you anything your imagination can think up! You can have your very own dream playhouse, no matter what the inspiration is.
Two kids in the UK know they’re extremely lucky after their dad built them their dream playhouse: a McDonald’s drive-thru. Of course, it would be better if it came with real deal Mickey D’s fries, but it’s still cool to get to play in your favorite restaurant. And he has advice for fellow parents about how to be handy so you can DIY your kids’ dreams.
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It helps that the dad knows how to build.
Single dad Daniel Mills got the idea to make his two sons their own McDonald’s after he began working as an architectural assistant for a franchise of the popular fast food chain.
“As a single dad, it is often challenging to keep them occupied,” he told What’s the Jam. “But then I spotted my shed, which needed some major TLC — and I had an idea.”
He made the playhouse on a tight budget.
Mills, who is described as a “DIY fanatic,” used wood from a neighbor’s fence that had been blown down. He started to search for other abandoned materials wherever he could, including a roof that he found at a building site. For the base of the structure, he used old IKEA bed slats.
The total cost for the project was the equivalent of around $50.
The dad paid attention to the details.
It wasn’t enough to simply build the drive-thru, it had to look accurate, too. He printed out signs to hang on the playhouse, and recycled old McDonald’s cups and Happy Meal boxes for the build. Overall, it took him about three days to build.
“When they saw it, they went mad with excitement,” he shared. “I covered it in sheets, ripped them off and immediately, they asked if they could have breakfast there.”
While they “played with it constantly” for a while, eventually, the novelty wore off, as it usually does with kids. So Mills decided to sell it.
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People went absolutely wild when they saw it, and he sold it for a good price.
The dad put the playhouse up on Facebook Marketplace, and received 26,000 inquiries about it. Ultimately, he sold it for $315, which means he turned a healthy profit on it.
“I was told by many it was too cheap and some offered much, much more,” he said. “It didn’t cost me anything really, so win-win. It was unbelievable, though, friends and family said I should make more.”
He decided to try his luck again, repurposing an old playhouse into a traditional English pub for the kids.
He has tips for fellow DIY parents.
If you want to try your hand at a DIY playhouse, Mills has some suggestions.
“You’ve got to repurpose and see objects differently,” he explained. Things like pallets, old sheds, and broken furniture can come in handy and not hurt your wallet. “If you’re patient and willing to search around, you could probably build something for next to nothing,” he said.
He always says to prepare to sell the creation once your kids are done with it. “You still keep the memories for free, but a few hundred [bucks] in your pocket to take your kids on a day trip is a nice bonus,” he advised.
