Extravagant playhouses exceed imaginations
A multi-purpose sports court might also help parents score points.
The next time your kids complain about being bored, you might want to assure them that can be a good thing. Former landscaper- turned-carpenter Tyson Leavitt credits boredom with inspiring him to create a 27- foot- tall Rapunzel tower that launched a booming luxury playhouse business.
“It captured the hearts of a lot of people,” says Leavitt, CEO, craftsman and builder at Charmed Playhouses in Lethbridge, Alta., of his first creation. “We all want to be taken back to a childhood we had or wish we had — one where we can use our imaginations and play with our friends in our treehouses or playhouses.”
While working as a landscaper, Leavitt noticed most yards lacked spaces that kids could enjoy. His fantastical creations remedy that problem and include a whimsical hobbit hole, a pirate ship, and a 400- square- foot Harry Potter-themed creation that took him two months to build.
Singer Joe Jonas, professional golfer Jason Day, and actors Ali Landry and Alana de la Garza are among numerous celebrities whose kids enjoy one of Leavitt’s creations. NBA MVP Steph Curry commissioned a 140-squarefoot pony-themed playhouse for his daughter, Riley.
Charmed Playhouses typically range in price from $ 20,000 to $ 200,000 USD apiece, and can include electricity, air conditioning, heating and even a working kitchen and fireplace. The cost depends on size and design, but also the material used in construction, the work required to prepare the site where it will sit, along with shipping and installation.
If your kids are sportier, you might prefer to take a page out of Drake’s playbook. The rapper’s “castle” on the Bridle Path in Toronto features an indoor Nba-sized basketball court. Other perhaps more manageable options include transforming your backyard into a multi-sport court that can easily be converted into a rink when the mercury drops.
“Parents often call us after the kids have outgrown the playground equipment and want a court,” says Ian Lintott, president of Total Sport Solutions, an indoor and outdoor sports flooring and equipment company in Oakville.
Courts are multi-purpose, but almost all residential courts are installed with a basketball hoop. “Basketball is surging in Ontario and across Canada largely due to the Raptors,” he says. “People use their court for hockey, pickleball, badminton and volleyball. Kids can ride a tricycle on it or skateboard if they want.”
The court surface is an open mesh, modular tile system that snaps together, and installed on a concrete pad. Containment netting keeps errant shots on the court and there’s no need to worry about the impact of harsh winters. “The harshest environment for our court surface is the sun… so courts in Canada actually survive a lot better than those in places like Arizona,” Leavitt says.
Demand for residential cour ts has grown dramatically amid the pandemic. “Families are looking for ways to keep the kids active, off their devices and out of the house yet safe. The backyard is that space,” he says. No space is too small. “A 12- year- old isn’t going to go into the backyard and play on a 20by- 30 patch of grass, but if you create a basketball court there and they like basketball, they’ ll be up there for hours.”