The New York Daily News features our playhouses and treehouses with a photo of our clients, the Ventura family, photographed in front of their custom built treehouse: Settled in their dream houses after the home-buying boom, parents are shelling out big bucks to give their children their own backyard estates — complete with working kitchens, rock-climbing walls and satellite TV. The bill for these customized luxury forts and playhouses, which are a far cry from the typical treehouse of slapped-together two-by-fours, can easily top $30,000. But in addition to giving their kids enviable places to play, parents who buy into the concept may also be helping themselves — by boosting the value of their property. While putting in a deck or a pool may be a better way to ensure a financial return on your investment, fancy forts, playstructures and treehouses can help capture the attention of would-be buyers and their young offspring, real estate agents said. A playhouse can help enhance a home's "curb appeal," said Rhett Mitchell, principal broker with Merritt Realty. With all these "people will pay more, or it will enhance their purchase." For homeowners, these lavish structures provide an immediate investment return. "It feels like having another room in our house," said Sarah Hall, who spent a total of about $50,000 to erect "Fort Woodstock" behind her family's weekend home in upstate New York. The two-story fort with swings, net ladders and a fire pole was built by Barbara Butler, whose San Francisco-based company has been designing custom playstructures for 18 years. Hall's three children — Ethan, 5, Esme, 3, and Hayden, 5 months — have already gotten a lot of use out of it, and Hall, who runs her own publicity company, said she thinks it may lure potential buyers, as well. "It would definitely be a draw for a family with children," she said. Butler, whose playhouses start at about $3,800, said her clients are people who like spending time at home with their children. "They love the idea of having the neighborhood kids come over and being at the center of playdates." Butler's creations include the custom-made "Castle Dragon Theater," which has more space than a typical Manhattan studio apartment, a bridge, a second-floor clubhouse, a maze and a stage — as well as a $200,000 price tag. The Dragon Theater, Butler's most expensive creation, cost the same as the median price for an existing home nationwide in February — $209,000. Three years ago, Tia Sinclair decided she wanted a playspace for her son Khalis, who's now 9 years old, that would become part of the landscape behind her new home. Sinclair, who works as a manager for her husband, Ronald (Khalis) Bell of the band Kool & The Gang, had Butler build two castles with an adjoining bridge and a water canon. This year, she plans to add a zip line between two trees. "It took a little while to get over the sticker shock," Sinclair said. "But it's definitely been worth it." See declined to reveal the cost. Butler's playhouses usually cost about $1,000 a year in upkeep, and owners often call her in for touch-ups when they're preparing the property for sale. Some playhouses are mini-mansions. New York-based The Well Appointed House offers the "Summer Cottage Child's Playhouse," which starts at $23,400 and has eight-foot-high ceilings, hardwood floors, bay windows and wooden shutters. At Custom Playhouses a tailor-made kid-sized replica of a cottage or Victorian-style house costs on average $25,000. For $35,000, the company designed a family in Wisconsin a playhouse built like a Spanish cottage, complete with 10-foot ceilings, stucco walls, an arched doorway, a turret with clover-leaf windows and a copper finial, an electric fireplace and working miniature kitchen. A luxury playhouse "is going to add a lot of value to the right buyer," said Amy Mosbacher, who is on the sales staff at Westwood Metes & Bounds Realty. She warned, though, that few home improvements give a seller dollar-for-dollar return on an investment. And before you start pounding boards together, make sure any structure you put on your property is in compliance with city building and zoning codes, or you could run into a load of trouble when you go to sell. While you shouldn't expect a fancy jungle gym to boost your home's selling price significantly, it can be a good investment if it looks nice, you're in a good school district and your children will use it, Saatchi said. "If it's enjoyable for your kids, it's likely going to be enjoyable for the next." |