How to Make a Fake House

How to Make a Fake House
Written By
Erin Ringwald
Erin Ringwald
Published: Nov 17, 2010
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
2 minute read

Things You Will Need

  • Cardboard box
  • Packing tape
  • Ruler
  • Straight edge
  • Scissors
  • Black marker
  • Hot glue
  • Paint
  • Crayons
  • Markers
  • Stickers
  • Stamps

Although there are other ways to make a fake house, you can build a simple cardboard one with little time or effort.

  1. Seal the bottom of a cardboard box using packing tape. This sealed end will be the floor of your house. The size of the box is up to you. Leave the top of the box open with flaps up so that top of the box is open. The four flaps will be used to make the roof of your house.

  2. Measure the width of one of the wider roof flaps and mark the center with an "A". Add a second "A" directly below the first "A" along the bottom of the flap. Measure the distance between the bottom "A" and the edge of the flap. Mark the center of this measurement with a "B". Do the same thing on the other side of the bottom "A" and mark the center with a "C". Draw a line from the top "A" to "B" and a line from the top "A" to the "C". These lines will be diagonal. Use a straight edge to ensure the lines are straight. Cut along the diagonal lines with scissors or a utility knife and discard the cut-off pieces. You will now have a triangle.

  3. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the flap opposite, drawing straight lines and cutting them out when you are done. You should now have two triangles opposite one another.

  4. Measure the width of the other two flaps and mark the center with an "A". Use a straight edge to draw a diagonal line from the "A" to each of the bottom corners of the flaps. Then cut along the diagonal lines to create two more triangles.

  5. Draw windows around your house where you want them located. Add a door on the front of the house. Outline them all with black marker. Use your utility knife to cut out the windows you drew and discard the cut outs. For the door, cut along both short sides of the door and one of the long sides. Open the door outwards to crease it and then press it closed again.

  6. Press the four roof triangles in towards one another. Apply hot glue along the edges where the triangles meet. This will create your roof.

  7. Decorate the outside of your house as desired, using paint, crayons, markers, stickers or stamps.

Photo Credits

Martin Poole/Lifesize/Getty Images

Martin Poole/Lifesize/Getty Images

Erin Ringwald

Erin Ringwald began writing in 1998. She runs her own party planning business and helps with her husband's photography business. She's working on her Master of Education with a focus on elementary education and child development. Ringwald…

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