Parents Surprise Daughters with Life-Size, European-Themed DIY Playhouse in Their Basement (Exclusive)
For the past few years, Elise Hunter and her husband Scott have built their two daughters' Christmas presents
Elise Hunter and her husband Scott have built their two daughters' Christmas presents for the past few years
This year, the Utah couple decided to make their daughters a European-inspired playhouse in their basement
Throughout the building process, Elise documented the process on TikTok, where many of her videos went viral, amassing millions of views
For the past few years, Elise Hunter and her husband Scott have built their two daughters' Christmas presents, and this year was no different.
In the Utah couple's previous home, they had built their girls, ages 6 and 8, a playhouse under the stairs to their basement. When the family moved this past summer, the kids were sad to leave their playhouse behind. So, the parents knew they wanted to make them another one in their new home.
"We moved in mid-August, and since they grow up so fast, we decided we wanted the playhouse to be the first big project in the new house," Elise, a 33-year-old DIY and home content creator who goes by @huntersofhappiness on social media, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "The idea to do three playhouses instead of just one came because the space we decided to use at the end of the basement was too big for just one."
"With three playhouses, they could have so much more imaginative play. I studied abroad in London in college and have always loved European architecture, so that’s where the idea to make them European-inspired came from," she adds.
Leading up to the holiday, the parents closed off the basement to keep the surprise from their kids. and 20 days later, on the Dec. 23, the project was complete. Throughout the building process, Elise documented the process on TikTok and Instagram, where many of her videos went viral, amassing millions of views.
"It was so fun to read through all of the comments," she says. "Also, people gave so many fun ideas for things we should do or add and it was really helpful and encouraging!"
"I just hope people feel some joy and Christmas magic," she adds. "Maybe even someone could be inspired to build their kids a gift themselves! There is an amazing sense of gratification that come with hand making a gift."
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For the project, Elise says the couple mainly used 2x4’s, plywood, nails and a lot of paint. She adds how her one "must-have" for the design was including a second story in one of the playhouses, as it was something her kids had dreamed about.
Along with this, Elise also wanted to build a little awning after visiting Paris this summer and seeing all the charming outdoor cafés. Another part of the room she and Scott designed and built was a foam pit.
"I usually make a 3D mockup in a software called SketchUp first and then we use the measurements there to make a plan on how we will build it and what materials we will use," Elise says. "Then we make a trip to the hardware store and buy all the materials. We usually make a couple more million trips for things we didn’t think of needing, too."
"I think the biggest challenge in designing was that we have a door with access to our basement in the corner, and we didn’t want to have to walk through a playhouse door if we needed to use it," Elise adds. "So we designed the whole wall of that last playhouse (the green one) to swing open."
When Elise and Scott, a 38-year-old entrepreneur, surprised their daughters with the final results, the girls were speechless. Elise shared a video of the kids' reactions on TikTok, which has since gone viral, amassing more than 750,000 views.
"Their reactions were amazing and made all the hard work and late nights so so worth it," Elise says. "They were so grateful and have played in it nonstop!"
"We haven’t done the final calculations on total price, but it was definitely an investment," she continues. "But we know it will bring fun for years to come not only for our girls but for the neighborhood kids, family and friends."
Looking toward the future, Elise says that the playhouse is "there to stay."
"It was so much fun to do," she says. "My husband and I made so many fun memories together building this. It’s so much work and we want to sleep for a month now but we’d happily do it again."
"Maybe even our grandkids will play with it one day," she adds. "We also will be working on making over the inside of the playhouses to match the outsides!"
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