Every 2 years, Rebuilding Together Peninsula partners with 15 local architects and Barbara Butler to create unique, one-of-a-kind, theme playhouses. These playhouses are displayed at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, CA, for 3 weeks and then auctioned to the highest bidder during the "Dreams Happen" Gala event.  100% of the proceeds raised from auctioning the playhouses are donated to Rebuilding Together Peninsula, an organization that builds volunteer partnerships to rehabilitate homes & community facilities for low-income, elderly and/or disabled people. Barbara Butler Artist-Builder Inc. has participated in this wonderful playhouse auction for the past 10 years.  

Hillside Hamlet played a starring role in House Beautiful TV's episode entitled "Kids Live Here Too." One of Barbara's most ambitious projects, the Hillside Hamlet’s four Towers and four connecting Bridges nestle into an ivy-covered hill. The unusual black, white, and gray color scheme of this luxury play structure gives it serenity and complements the classic palette of the client's home and guest house.

Appropriately named  Castleland by the children, this elegant play structure looks like a magical castle amidst the beautiful gardens.  Cross-over the arched bridge to enjoy lunch at the custom picnic table with curved benches, then spend the afternoon swinging, climbing, sliding or just reading in a quiet corner.

Zig Zag is a wooden play fort designed to pack a lot of play into a condensed space with 3 Towers, 2 Bridges, a Drawbridge Ramp and multiple Play Features.

Mill Valley Victorian glows at the edge of a Redwood grove in blues, greens and a rainbow of accent colors. The Octagon Tower is the heart of the fun, with 2 magnificent Bridges fanning out on either side. Built on the side of a hill, this dynamic play structure is designed to incorporate multi-tiered retaining walls as part of the play space. 

The Wild Oasis Playhouse was displayed at the Stanford Mall in Palo Alto, CA for 3 weeks along with 12 other exceptional playhouses designed & built by local Architects and Builders.  On June 4th, 2005, the playhouses were auctioned at the Gala "Dreams Happen" event, with all proceeds donated to Rebuilding Together, a non-profit, non-denomoninational organization that builds volunteer partnerships to rehabilitate homes & community facilities of low-income, elderly and/or disabled neighbors so they can live in warmth, safety and independence.   The Wild Oasis sold for $45,000 to one lucky high bidder!

"Playhouses that unlock the imagination of children can make dreams happen for others."  Visit www.rebuildingtogetherpeninsula.org for more information about this exceptional organization. 

Malibu Lighthouse was built atop an existing stone guesthouse that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. This wooden play fort brings together images of lighthouse, sea waves, and driftwood. The Malibu Lighthouse is a delightful mixture of wrap-around decks, spiral ramps, porthole windows, hand-hewn boards, copper roof panels and artistically shaped railings.

TreeTop Bungalow sits high on a mountainside, offering magnificent views of the surrounding California landscape. This custom-designed playstructure was built as a series of terraces. The level changes accommodate the landscape design, which makes use of multi-tiered retaining walls to carve flat play space out of the mountainside.

The Napa Valley Chalets were designed to provide "different but equal" Playhouses for 2 pre-teen siblings.  Each luxury Playhouse has a fully finished interior, glass doors and windows, electricity, built-in furniture and, best of all, great play features like the connecting Bridge-over-Swings.

Everyone can have some down home fun in one of Barbara's custom-designed play forts, the Kid's Barn, with board and batten siding, Rock Climbing all around and swings.

If you like to hear the laughter of kids at play, this is the backyard Play Fort for you.

Castle Cottage perches on stilts, a charming wooden playhouse in a dappled courtyard. Tucked into a previously unused part of the courtyard, Castle Cottage has filled the visual void of the neighboring large blank wall. A 2-Story Lookout Tower expands the play area and is reached by a Rung Ladder inside. The Main Playhouse segment has an L-shaped Loft under the Gable Roof of colorful cedar shingles.

This great Play Fort stands guardian at the gates and provides a ton of fun, with the massive 6-sided Rock Climbing Tower, an Arched Bridge-over-Swings and a moat …swimming with alligators… or is that just my imagination?

This redwood Play Structure (also known as Disney Lookout Tower) was commissioned by Walt Disney for the film "Bicentennial Man", starring Robin Williams. On location for over 2 months (and now residing at a northern California home), the beautiful Bicentennial Towers is complete in every detail filling  every kid's dream!

Count Rococo's Castle will inspire everyone to play outside! Who could resist play acting at rescuing damsels in distress, fighting dragons, or being crowned King & Queen in this whimsical redwood play structure. The Count's castle will also inspire lots of physical activity with four separate 2-story Towers, inside catwalks and lots of climbing.

This colorful Fort-by-the-Sea has an Octagon and a Stacking Fort connected by a Fortress Bridge-over-Swings. Speaking tubes run between the 2 Towers, allowing for whispered conversations. A Ship's Wheel and Captain's Bell are great fun for the nautically inclined shivering the timbers of this Play Fort.

Pirate's Haunt is a delightful combination of Play Fort (where Pirates hang out when ashore) and Pirate's Ship with Crow's Nest Lookout.  What better than to connect the 2 playstructures with a swinging bridge. 

Fort Bridget is a series of "step-ups" from the Lookout Tower to the Bridge-over-Swings to the Main Fort.  Hidden behind the Main Fort of this play structure,  deep in the shadows of the trees, is another bridge off the back, leading to a well-hidden Tree Perch.