International property prices plunging? I don’t think so. Real estate downturn at the best addresses in England and the United States? Not likely. If you are thinking that ‘added extras’ such as flower boxes and a doorbell on your kid’s cubby was going over the top, brace yourself for the extreme. Preschoolers with a mortgage – they might need one if they pick out their dream playhouse from one of the amazing cubby houses at Posh Tots.

Take a peek at the US$21,000 Oakmont Manor (above). For aspiring southern belles who want their very own ‘Tara’, Oakmont Manor with its colonial mouldings, simulated hardwood floors and quaint dormer windows will surely suit.

All lovely, but the standout at Posh Tots is the Victorian ‘cottage’. The description reads like blue-ribbon real estate – cedar-shingled gabled roof, scrollwork accents, cable, running water, electricity, central air, a wireless communications system, interior details such as customised window treatments, furnishings and flooring including wood, marble or Mexican tile… it actually seems like a snip at US$23,400 and I wish it was suitable for my family of six!

 

For something more at home in the British Isles, this delightful Tudor ‘Wendy house’ should blend in perfectly in the backyard. At £25,000, the Tudor house features handcrafted oak staircases and floors and two storeys for twice the cubby house fun.

If your child needs something a touch more stately, the Queen Anne Manor, built from brick at a cost of £24,995 or the Kensington Townhouse (POA) should impress kindergarten playmates. These cubbies come with opening sash windows, solid oak doors, a slate roof and internal heating and lighting. With things this good in the backyard, I’d be worried my kids would never come inside again!

And lastly, for something a little more ‘rustic,’ the windmill house by Wood Wizards is truly amazing.

And to think my kids are satisfied with a cardboard box and blankets draped across furniture as a cubby!