Indoor Forts for your Kelowna Home | Quincy Vrecko Real Estate

Blanket Fort with Twinkling Lights

Another week of snow and sub-zero weather has the kids moving indoors looking for adventure. In an attempt to keep them off the I-pod and computer games consider building an indoor fort. There fun, creative and engaging and make a great place to read a book, play a game, turn the dog into a superhero and other fun stuff.

Here are a few ideas you might like for your indoor fort. You may even consider converting the closet under the stairs into a permanent little people hideaway. A peek-a-boo window is a good addition if you are thinking along these lines. Here are some temporary fort ideas

The Cardboard Box Fort

It is an easy stop at an appliance store to pick up a fridge box and get started. You can use these to build your main room by laying it on the side and cutting in windows and doors. Or break it open and use the cardboard to build kid-size walls in the corner of a room and create a walled-in fort for play. These long walls can quickly turn into Castles. A cardboard drawbridge is easy to do with a bit of rope and duct tape.

For Windows cut in a sideways H, add some knobs or cut round finger holes so the kids can open and closed the “shutters”.

With a few cuts and some crayon work, you’ve got the perfect brick Castle wall.  Keep the corner flaps from the end of the box attached and use these to create a return on the end of the wall. This will keep it from falling over. Use duct tape to fasten the end flaps together.

Teepee Forts

A stop at the hardware store to pick up some 1×2 finished lumber can be the beginnings of a teepee. Here is a quick plan.

  • Buy five or seven 8 foot lengths, 50ft of cord and a dozen big clothes pegs or paperclips. I like the big steel ones if you can find them.
  • Grab 2 old sheets from your closet
  • Cut the 1×2 down to 7-foot lengths
  • Tie the tops together teepee style. Loop around and over starting with 3 and add in the remaining poles. You should be able to have one section a little wider for the door.
  • Use the big heavy-duty clips to fasten your sheets to the bottom of the 1×2. You can tie the tops with a piece of cord.
  • If your floor is slippery use the cord to tie the bottoms of the 1×2 in a big loop about six feet across. The ring will stop them from sliding out.

Throw in some pillows and string up some LED Christmas light and you have the perfect indoor teepee hideaway.

Lots of quick and easy indoor fort plans can be found online. Other forts include using sheets or blankets to build walls for under the table, between couches and across the back of chairs. Use stacks of books to weigh down corners and go get the flashlights and sleeping bags for some cozy night-time fun.

Check out Pinterest for images and ideas and read other articles in our Okanagan homes and lifestyle blog.