Cubby at last!

We've been promising DD a cubby since we moved, and finally, here it is!

It took a LOT of searching around before I found a company I was happy with. Nearly every cubby company out there makes their cubbies out of some sort of treated timber. Even the few that have cedar cubbies still have treated frames, and I just wasn't happy with that. CCA (copper, cadmium, arsenic) treatment is no longer allowable for use in children's play equipment, but I'm not convinced that they new treatments they're offering are safe either. For our peace of mind, untreated timber was a must. I finally stumbled upon TimberPlay, who specifically state that all of their cubbies are built from untreated timber. They have a cypress pine frame, and cedar cladding. DD has specified that she wants a pink cubby, so some time in the coming weeks, we will paint it with low emission paint for her.

They came out this morning and put it up. Cost us a little extra, but worth it to avoid the hassle. DH has a slipped disk in his back that is finally improving, and we don't want to damage it again. Not to mention neither of us being very good at building.

It is in the area directly opposite the shed and also close to the house, so it will be easy to keep an eye on her while we're doing other things. Until she is a little bigger though, we'll stay pretty close, as the ladder is quite a challenge to climb. She is picking it up quickly though, and being very careful. The barbeque is nearby, and our new outdoor table that DH's parents no longer want, so we're building up quite an outdoor entertaining table.

In the next few years, we'll probably add a swing out this side and a deck on the other side to make a real playground for her. Underneath will be a sandpit as soon as we get some sand.

While all this is going on, our house is still progressing. There was nothing for a week and a half, then just days after the new foreman told us that we probably wouldn't have the bricks on before Easter, they turned up and started. They're going on a little slower than I expected, this is after 3 days of bricklaying, although of course there is more on the sides and front that you can't see in this picture. Today (Saturday!) the next lot of contractors also turned up and began putting up the cladding on the interior walls. They've just left now, and I'm off to have a look and see what it's like inside!