[No kit required] Introducing an easy and fun way to make a DIY cardboard house!
Why not turn used shipping boxes into a sturdy cardboard playhouse you can actually climb into and play in?
In this article, we introduce plenty of DIY cardboard house ideas you can make without any special kits.
We’ve picked ideas that are perfect for adults who once dreamed of secret hideouts and kids who long for a space of their own—projects you can enjoy together from assembly to playtime.
It’s packed with beginner-friendly methods for first-time cardboard house builders, so be sure to check it out!
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[No kit required] Easy and fun DIY cardboard house tutorial! (1–10)
cardboard house with a door
Here’s an idea for a cardboard house with a proper door that opens and closes! Once you shape a large cardboard box into a house, cut out the door section with a utility knife.
You’ll use the cut-out piece as the door, so make a clean cut.
After cutting it out, punch holes along one side of the door with an awl.
Make matching holes in the house, then secure them with zip ties, and your door is done! This version features a big bay window; if you turn the bay window into a counter, kids can even play pretend shop!
Foldable cardboard house
Let me show you how to make a simple cardboard house using cardboard.
Prepare a large box and lay it on its side, then cut off the top side panel and the flaps.
Reinforce the cut edges and corners with vinyl tape or similar, and attach a roof made from two pieces of cardboard joined together down the middle.
That completes the house, but if you want to make it foldable, make cuts in the bottom of the house, the side panel that will be at the very back, and along the edges where these two panels meet.
After making the cuts in the side and bottom panels, tape over them from the outside.
You don’t need to tape the corner cuts!
A cardboard house that can also be separated
If the kids keep fighting over a single cardboard house, how about this idea? Amazingly, one house can separate into two! The basic method is to cut parts from cardboard and assemble them into a house shape, but first, make two houses.
Then, so they connect on the inside, cut large openings in the side walls of both houses and use hook-and-loop fasteners so you can attach and detach the houses.
If the openings bother you when the houses are separated, you could add curtains or some kind of cover to hide them.
[No Kit Needed] Easy and Fun DIY Cardboard House Tutorial! (11–20)
Dollhouse-style cardboard house
Dollhouses are just so cute, aren’t they? If you’re a girl, you’ve probably thought at least once, “I’d love to live in a house like this.” So let’s recreate a doll’s house using cardboard! After assembling the house out of cardboard, paint it pink, and make the door and windows heart-shaped.
Once you add a long staircase, the next step is to put floral curtains on the windows.
And guess what—the doorknob is shaped like a flower! It’s a cardboard house idea packed with everything a girl finds “cute,” so feel free to use it as inspiration and give it a try.
cardboard share house
Let’s try building a share house out of cardboard! First, create a communal living room in the center, then add personal rooms, wet areas, and hobby rooms around it.
The fun will be in how well you express the differences between each room! Build the shared spaces by brainstorming together.
You’ll likely have a great time even after the cardboard house is finished—chatting in the living room or inviting people into your own room.
This idea will require quite a lot of cardboard for partitions, so make sure to gather plenty in advance!
Cardboard house with 3 bedrooms
In this idea, we’re making a cardboard house with a structure where, as you go down a tunnel-like hallway, you can access three rooms.
While a tunnel hallway might be tough for adults, kids would probably love it because it feels like a secret hideout.
It’s also fun that, after you pass through the tunnel, there’s a spacious, open-feeling room.
You’ll need quite a lot of cardboard to build it, but if you’ve just moved and have plenty on hand, why not give it a try?
A stylish cardboard house made with wallpaper sheets
I made a cardboard house, but it doesn’t look very cute… In that case, why not try using wallpaper sheets? As more people are getting into DIY, a variety of wallpaper sheets are now available even at 100-yen shops.
Simply applying wallpaper sheets can make it stylish and turn it into a more realistic little home, so give it a try.
If you want to boost the style even more, decorating the window frames with tile stickers or using faux greenery as interior decor is also recommended.
Add a little extra touch to your cardboard house!