Window For Play House

Project:
Building a small window for my children's play house

Difficulty Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane):
Easy

Process:
We've wanted to install a carpet in the upper level of the play house. However, since the window was just an open hole, on a windy and rainy day it would blow the rain into the upper level so before installing a carpet I'd have to be able to close the upstairs window.

I was thinking about a couple of different ways of doing it and ended up deciding against the traditional way (opening horizontally) because the chances of the window being left open was pretty big. I decided to put the hinges at the top so that the window could be pushed out and up but that it would naturally close again without having to remember to close it.

The frame was a 1-1/2" piece of fence board (3/4" thick) with a groove cut on the table saw for the lexan and cut at an angle on the mitre saw. Once it was all cut to size, I used a rubber mallet to gently tap the lexan into the groove of the frame pieces, used some polyurethane glue in the mitred corners and finally put two 1-1/2" staples in each corner.

After screwing the two hinges (I cut two 4" pieces off a 6' lengh of piano hinge) to the frame, all I had to do is screw the window to the play house window frame and it was ready for the carpet

Pictures:

The piece of lexan

The 1-1/2" strips of 3/4" fence boards

The frame pieces cut up and grooved

Marking out the final size of the window

The window dry-fitted

Close-up of the grooves

The finished window

After the window was installed

Another view

Tools:
Table saw
Chop saw
Cordless drill

Materials:
17" x 21" piece of 3/16" lexan
8' of 1-1/2" fence boards
Two 4" pieces of piano hinge
Four #6 x 3/4" wood screws
Four #6 x 1-1/2" wood screws

Cost:
$25.00

Time:
2 hrs

Savings:
Not sure, probably $50 bucks

Conclusion:
It works great