A DIY Beach Dollhouse Anyone Can Make!

To make your own DIY beach dollhouse, you’ll need:

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If you want to make EXACTLY what we made, now is the time to download our DIY beach dollhouse printable PDF plans because you’ll want it to purchase supplies or take inventory and gather what you have.

It gives the specifics for the wood materials we used and includes diagrams of the house with measurements called out so you’ll know exactly where the pieces go and how they fit together.

If you’d rather NOT use the template, you can use the mockup below, then follow along to plan your own version!

How to Make a Beach Dollhouse – DIY Instructions

Sketch out a rough dollhouse plan.

If you’re going to use our template, your game plan is set and you can head right to step 2. If not, it’s helpful to make a quick drawing laying out the basic shape and elements you’d like to include. Here’s the “sketch” I put together before I started working on mine.

Gather the building materials.

Take inventory of what you have. I based the size of my dollhouse on scrap wood I had found in the garage. FYI it was NOT in great condition – it was a bit warped, had some nicks & knots and was in major need of a good rinse! Believe me, once you have sanded, painted & furnished it, no one will even notice it’s not perfect, so this is a fantastic way to use up less-than-perfect scraps.

If you’re going to shop for your supplies, be sure to make a list of what you think you’ll need before you go. Most lumberyards and box stores have a box of reduced-price lumber and plywood, and I’ve found you can usually find some fantastic deals if you ask about their scrap selection.

Cut the wood pieces of your beach dollhouse to size.

Now it’s time to start cutting everything to size. The rule of thumb when it comes to this step is measure twice, cut once! I don’t have a table saw or circular saw, so let me share a super helpful hint I’ve learned: if you ask nicely, box stores and lumberyards will usually cut larger pieces of plywood to size for you (I’ve even taken my own wood from home!) for free! If not, you can use a handsaw to cut your pieces.

If you want to put in some decorative windows and skylights (like the cutout circles I made above), now is the time to cut those out, also. I measured and made a small pencil mark indicating the center of each cut-out circle so that my “windows” would be uniformly spaced. After making pilot holes with a drill bit, I switched to a 1-inch spade bit to cut out the full circles.

Sand thoroughly with a variety of sandpaper grits.

Once your pieces are cut and drilled, it’s time to sand like crazy! Start with rough sandpaper and work your way to fine. If you have a hand-sander, that will definitely speed up the process. If not, it’s helpful to wrap the sandpaper around a small wood scrap to create your sanding block.

Finish with wood paint, stain, or wax.

The last thing you want to do before putting everything together is your painting & wood finishing. I saved this step for later and MAJORLY regretted it. As excited as you might be to start building, it is much easier to paint & finish now.

I used a non-toxic, eco-friendly white paint and then applied a clear, water-based, semi-gloss polyurethane for a bit of waterproofing. Let dry for 24-72 hours.

Assemble the pieces.

Woohoo! It’s build time! Grab a drill and some screws, and start putting this baby together! I found it helpful to pre-drill pilot holes with a very small drill bit. It keeps the wood from splintering at the edges and makes it incredibly easy to quickly get the screws through the plywood.

I measured, marked where all of my holes were going on each piece of wood, drilled the small pilot holes, then put it all together with some wood screws. If your download the complete set of printable dollhouse plans to make a replica of my house, all the guesswork is taken out of the measurements, as I’ve included EVERY measurement I made to make this part as easy as possible.

If you’re adding a “glass” sliding door like ours, you can use four pieces of square craft dowels to create a frame for your “door”. I used wood glue to glue two pieces of dowel to the floor and the underside of the roof, leaving a very narrow space in between the two to insert a piece of thin, clear plexiglass. I put 3 pieces of washi tape on the plastic to make it look like a sliding door, then slid it right between the dowels.

Adding the DIY Beach Dollhouse Landscaping

To finish up our DIY, we have a few instructions to help you make all the extra dollhouse details. These bits and bobs add so much personality to our beachy beauty! From the stylized palm trees to the miniature steel planter box, the extra accessories take this dollhouse from fab to en fuego.

None of these elements required anything more than glue and regular craft supplies to put together and can be made with precut wood items (a set of blocks, craft dowels, etc.), plus things you probably already have around the house.

As you read through, remember that you can make these exactly to my specs if you have our PDF dollhouse plans, but all of these are so simply built you can easily modify my designs to work with wood scraps or materials you may already have.

How to Make the DIY Dollhouse Planter

Although it may seem like a small touch, this planter is one of those elements I felt I had to absolutely NAIL to get the cool dollhouse vibe right. I love that it adds a little bit of natural life and sensory-pleasing play to the dollhouse.

The wheatgrass I used is so soft to the touch and provides an easy lesson in plant care for kids (lots of trimming opportunities too!) but you can easily sub out paper or faux plants for the real thing.

• STEP 1: To make this simple “planter,” I started by cutting a dowel to create the four sides of my planter box.
• STEP 2: I glued the long sides onto the base with wood glue. After they were dry enough to feel sturdy, I flipped the planter over so the base was facing up and glued two small pieces of wood to the underside to create risers and give my planter a little height. This is completely optional, I honestly just liked how it looked! As this was drying, I also glued the shorter sides to the ends to complete the planter.
• STEP 3: Once the glue is dry, you can paint or finish to suit your preference! I covered mine with a coat of silver acrylic paint to give it the look of stainless steel and add to the “modern vibe.”
• STEP 4: If you’re adding a live plant that will need to be watered, line the inside of your planter with a layer of aluminum foil to protect the wood from water, dirt, and staining. If you’re not into maintenance, air plants or paper plants would look just as cute!

What We Used For DIY Dollhouse Foliage

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this yet, but I LOVE using real plants with kids’ projects whenever I can. From the rooftop gardens of our cardboard box city neighborhoods to our magical potted unicorn garden, there’s no substitute for the real deal. Does it get messy? Maybe…probably.

Here’s what I have to say: I have found that the (minor) annoyance of cleaning up after a tiny bit of dirt, water, or plant mess is SO worth the (major!) joy kids experience taking care of their own plant babies.

I had a strong vision in mind and desperately wanted our planter to be filled with something that would look like seagrass, so I used wheatgrass to mimic a miniature version of the real deal.

Growing wheatgrass is a great “bonus” activity for kids, especially because the seeds germinate, sprout, and grow so quickly. A little side of science with the building work!

I  let my packet of wheatgrass seeds soak for a day, planted them in a small pot, and about ten days later, had enough to fill my planter. Better Homes and Gardens has a thorough but succinct tutorial for wheatgrass growing with some good tips!

You can easily substitute cardboard, paper, or faux plants for the wheatgrass I used to make our natural “ornamental grass” planter, but if you’re willing to give real plants a go, this truly couldn’t be easier. The wheatgrass takes about 4-5 days to grow from seed (that’s it!) and is a fantastic starter science experiment in addition to providing beautiful bright green foliage.

Bonus: it grows like a weed and can be trimmed every few days to be used for juicing!

How to Make the DIY Dollhouse Palm Trees

I honestly loved how these trees turned out so much, that I made a set of my own to decorate my desk! Palms seemed like a must for a fun beach house. What I love about these lovely little guys is that they are sturdy enough to be moved around, pushed over, and rearranged again & again by busy toddler hands.

• STEP 1: I started by putting together the base of my trees – a wooden craft dowel forms the tree trunk, while a building block acts as a simple base stand. Using a drill with a spade bit the same size as my craft dowel, I made a hole about three-quarters of the way through the block. Push the craft dowel in, and voila – you have your tree base! You can experiment with different lengths and widths of dowels to create a variety of trees.

• STEP 2: I created a few different palm leaf patterns, traced them onto a piece of balsa wood, then cut them out using an X-Acto knife. I’ve created a template you can download and use to simplify this step! Before moving on to the next step, ensure it fits on your dowel as expected.

• STEP 3: Time to add color!  I wanted my large palm tree to have a fun, bright graphic quality, so I painted the leaves two shades of green/blue (using just standard acrylic paint). You can use as many or as few colors as you prefer. Once the paint has dried, you can secure everything with a small dab of wood glue at each connecting piece.

After everything has dried, your trees can be added, arranged, and rearranged as you play!

How to Make the DIY Dollhouse Furniture and Miniature Decor Accessories:

How to Make Simple DIY Dollhouse Furniture

I don’t even have any DIY pictures of this bit because there was so little to it! I found a bag of unfinished wood building blocks I had purchased at a craft store and, with various block combinations, created our table, bench, and patio chaise lounge.

You can play around with blocks you have to create your own furniture items, using a thin line of wood glue to hold them together. I left mine unfinished because I liked the look, but you can paint or stain yours to your liking. That’s all there is to it!

The Easy Dollhouse Statement Rugs: 

Let’s be honest – a wood floor isn’t finished until a super sweet statement rug sits on top of it, so that was our very last addition.

We practiced our printing techniques by using a plastic fork dipped in paint to stamp a simple pattern onto a piece of card stock. If you’d rather not break out the paint, you can easily just cut a patterned piece of paper to size, or use a cool cocktail napkin like we did on our rooftop terrace! ?

The Minature Dollhouse Modern Art

One of our dollhouse “must-haves” was a gallery wall fit for a mid-century museum, so we made mini collages! This is a fantastic afternoon art project all on its own.

We painted some pieces of scrap cardstock (2″ x 2″), then cut fun simple shapes out of scrap paper, gluing them on with a glue stick to make small compositions.

A couple of dabs of craft glue later, this mid-mod art was hanging on the wall. And when you get tired of it, it’s easy to pop it right off and trade it out for new handmade treasures!

More Modern DIY Dollhouse Accessories to Add

For an adorable play accessory, visit our latest STEAM-building project to see how we turned a plastic takeout food container and cardboard box into a super chic miniature swimming pool! Or create your own set of diverse DIY peg dolls plus scrap wood toy cars and trucks for small-world play.

Or for those of you who like to give your dollhouse a sense of environment, add a row of paint-scrape surfboards, or dot your ocean view with scrap material sailboats or maybe a miniature play food truck has set up shop by the beach…!

Modern DIY Dollhouse Inspiration:

For a little modern DIY dollhouse decoration inspiration, check out this IN-CREDIBLE mini mid-mod dollhouse a couple based on their childhood homes! I could pore over the layers and layers of handmade details they added for hours. Or visit our collection of 100 DIY dollhouses made from recycled supplies, or this group of drool-worthy MCM dollhouse details from House Beautiful.

The delight is in this mid-century-inspired coastal crib’s details and simple style. This was honestly a blast to make and is a great wood project for the whole family to plan out and work on together.

If you’ve come along with us for the full dollhouse DIY, we are sending a miniature plane over our miniature beach to write “CONGRATULATIONS (*insert your name here*)” in the sky. I hope you’ve enjoyed watching our little beach dollhouse come to life (and maybe even trying out the DIY for yourself!).