AIBU to spend money on something I know is temporary

[thegreenlight]

Just need to ask the wisdom of the hive mind. We currently have a 3x5m wooden playhouse at the end of our garden which DH is insisting we rip down ASAP as he has discovered mice 🙄. We are planning in the long run to have a home office built there (which will cost quite a bit as it’s so big). Our DSs are only 18 month and 6 so we were thinking about putting a play space down there until we can afford to build the office. However a proper play space with decent equipment and surfacing will probably cost upwards of £1500/£2000. Is that a waste of money? Our house has a park across from it but DS wants a trampoline etc. Is it a waste to spend that money or shall we do it and wait until the boys are bigger to build the office? Please help! I’m rubbish at making descisions!

Field mice won't be that bothered about coming into the house - certainly not at this time of the year as it gets warmer - and tbh if mice do decide to move in they don't need to wait for the bifold doors to be open (unless they are mutant giant mice of course). If they were planning on coming in they'd be in by now.

www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/01/types-of-uk-mice/

I'd get them out of the playhouse for hygiene reasons but he seems to be advocating a scorched earth policy - bit of an over-reaction.

We had a mouse in one of our previous houses. We didn't have a shed. They come in from the fields.

From experience and this is a bit of an aside the rubber chipping stuff stains knees etc is a bitch to get out of clothes, get a couple of rolls of artificial turf.

My ds has had years of use from trampoline but your kids are a bit young yet. At their age my kids usually had things like sandpits with cover which was a huge hit.

We had an outdoor storage box massive ugly thing bought in garden centre, with things like a pop up tent, football goals, water pistols etc but we had less space than you describe.

We decided not to go with swing as it was a favourite in the park and we didn't want the park to loose all appeal, i'd be thinking spend less on stuff that's age appropriate and then you can replace with something else in a couple of years. Problem is you don't want to give yourself a major head ache in 18 months, wondering if a three year old has got himself doing something he shouldn't at same time a slide suitable for 3 year old wont occupy an 8 year old for very long.

I personally wouldn't spend that much money on something which is not only temporary, but going to be a ballache to disassemble and sell in the not too distant future. Also, a couple of families we know spent a fortune on large "adventure playground" wooden structures which I assume you mean, and after one summer, they were caked in cobwebs, needed the wood re painting/staining to protect it, and the kids didn't actually want to play on them for fear of giant spiders falling from the roof 🤣! Both families have said they hugely regret them as they require upkeep, and most of the year aren't getting much use anyway. We have a relatively small garden and bought a simple plastic smoby playhouse, smoby slide, and sturdy mud kitchen, and all my dds friends always ask to come to ours to play because our garden (quote one of them...) "is the best". We have a huge box of garden toys, bubble blower, paddling pool, sand pit, balls, buckets etc, that we can get out on nice days and hide away in the shed most of the year, and it makes it all the more exciting for them on days we can use the garden. From experience a static structure that is permanently in view for the kids soon becomes boring and forgotten about. IF we had the space I would get a trampoline though as I think they'd love it. I'd take the play house down, whack some bark over the area and get some basic play equipment. That £2000 could be a nice family holiday, that's the way I'd look at it x

or yes, some cheap rolls of artificial turf (you can even get brightly coloured stuff for obvious play areas now) would work well.

Completely unrelated to the subject but this thread has just given me a light bulb moment about something that's been puzzling me.

Just realised why my dog has recently started spending hours in the garden sniffing and sticking her nose into the mud and all the corners; mice. Makes perfect sense.

He does know the mice will love a proper garden office even more, doesn't he?

We have mice under our shed --except when TwatCat brings them in half chewed for more entertainment where it's warmer-. Its called LIVING outside a sterile bubble.