Are prestige cubby houses the next big thing?

Kids’ cubby houses are not what they used to be.

You can now buy your offspring a scaled-down two-storey mansion, which might the next best thing to buying them an actual house. 

North American company Little Cottage Co offers several variations of cubby mansions. 

While they are only a fraction of the price of Australia’s prestige property, the entry price of $US5496 ($7641) ensures that these are not your average plastic cubbies. 

The “Grand Portico Mansion” pictured above has 15 square metres of “living space” and costs $US11,160.

Though it has only one bedroom, it does have 22 windows with safety glass and screens, four romanesque columns and 10 flower boxes.

It also has a loft with ladder and an adult-sized French door.

The cubbies are delivered to customers on the back of a truck, but for the adventurous a DIY option is also available. 

There are Victorian-style mansions to choose from in pink or green, and if you’re not content to stop at one cubby there’s a whole village up for grabs.

The village includes a police station, theatre, general store, courthouse and dentist office.

At the moment these couture cubbies are available only in America. However, they aren’t the most expensive kids’ playhouses ever built – that title belongs to a $US230,000 Swiss chalet. 

Commissioned by a Swiss millionaire for his children, the little house has double glazing, underfloor heating, four rooms, including a large living room with a chimney illuminated by LED lights, and a fully-fitted kitchen. 

This begs the question: is it awkward if your kid’s playhouse is nicer than your actual house?

It certainly is one way to help your children enter the market.