Be Prepared: Start Before Your Cubby Arrives

If you've ordered a ground cubby, it needs a home to sit on. If you haven't already built your base or prepared your site, now is the time! Don't wait until your boxes arrive to start thinking about where it's going to go. Get that base sorted and have everything ready so when your delivery arrives, you can hit the ground running.

A little preparation now means a lot less stress later, and a much happier Christmas for everyone (including whoever gets roped into helping with the build).

Why Does My Ground Cubby Need a Base?

Great question! Your ground cubby needs a base to sit on because of moisture. Grass gets wet, morning dew settles, rain happens, and you don't want your beautiful cubby sitting in water. Over time, that moisture can cause real problems for the timber.

The good news is, your base doesn't need to be fancy or a full deck. Simply grab some timber sleepers and create a solid base for your cubby to sit on. It just needs to lift the cubby off the ground and keep it away from moisture. Nothing elaborate required.

A few things to avoid: pavers, bricks, pallets, rocks and the like. While they might seem like easy options, none of these provide a solid, stable base. They have too much movement and can shift over time, which will throw your cubby out of level.

Forts don't need a base as they're elevated on legs, but please don't use mulch around those legs. We know it looks lovely, but mulch holds moisture, and moisture is not your fort's friend. Keep the area around those legs clear and dry.

Your Base Must Be Level and Square

We really can't stress this enough: your base and floor must be level and square. This is the foundation of your entire build, and if it's not right, nothing else will be either.

If your base is even slightly out of level or not perfectly square, you'll find that panels don't line up properly, doors and windows won't sit right, and your roof won't go on smoothly. It can turn what should be a fun project into a frustrating puzzle where nothing seems to fit, and it's almost never the panels that are the problem.

Before you start assembling, grab a spirit level and a square, and take the time to check (and double check!) that your base is spot on. Measure your diagonals to make sure everything is square. If something seems off during assembly, come back to the base first. Nine times out of ten, that's where the issue lies.

A few extra minutes getting this right at the start will save you hours of head-scratching later. Promise!

First Things First: Inspect Your Delivery

We know it's tempting to leave those boxes stacked neatly in the garage until you're ready to build, but please, channel your inner detective and inspect everything as soon as it arrives. Start by counting your boxes. Your order confirmation will tell you how many to expect, so make sure they're all accounted for. Then open each box, have a good look at your panels, and make sure nothing has been damaged in transit. Freight companies are wonderful, but occasionally things get a little bumpy along the way (or a box decides to go on its own adventure).

If you're missing a box or spot any damage, please let us know immediately. Take some photos and send them through via the chat button on our website. We'll sort it out faster than you can say "Santa's on his way."

The Great Perspex Window Mystery

Here's a fun fact: your perspex windows ARE in your box. We promise. They're tucked in there with your screws and panels, because every single box is carefully packed and ticked off before it leaves us.

We cannot stress this enough: please triple check before you contact us about a missing part. Unpack everything completely. Check inside the packaging. Look in that corner of the box you thought was empty. It is incredibly rare for parts to actually be missing because every single item is checked off as it's packed. Nine times out of ten, that "missing" piece is just playing hide and seek (pun absolutely intended).

Those cheeky windows and sneaky screws are definitely in there somewhere!

"This Part Doesn't Fit!"

Here's something that happens more often than you'd think: you're mid-build, you pick up a panel, and you're absolutely convinced it's been cut wrong. It just won't fit. You've tried everything. Surely this piece is faulty?

Take a breath. We promise you, it fits.

Every single panel and part is cut in batches, meaning your cubby's pieces were cut at the same time as dozens of others from the exact same template. If your part was wrong, everyone's would be wrong, and we'd know about it very quickly! So if something isn't fitting, it's not because it's been cut incorrectly.

Usually, it just needs to be flipped, rotated, or approached from a different angle. It's like a puzzle: sometimes you're just trying to put the piece in upside down. Step back, have another look at the instructions, maybe rotate that panel 180 degrees, and we bet it'll click right into place.

A Hot Tip for Fort Builders

If you're building a fort, grab a lead pencil and lightly write the part number on each piece before you paint. Trust us on this one. Once everything is the same gorgeous colour, you'll be grateful you can still tell Panel A from Panel B. Future you will thank present you.

Painting: Give Yourself Time

Let's talk about painting, because this is where a lot of people get caught out. Painting takes time. More time than you think.

We highly recommend (okay, we're basically begging you) to do two coats of undercoat and two coats of topcoat. Yes, that's four coats. We know it sounds like a lot, but please don't try to cut corners here. It's really not worth it. Skipping coats or rushing the process might save you a few hours now, but you'll pay for it later with peeling, fading, or patchy coverage. Your cubby is going to live outside in the Australian elements, and proper painting is what protects it for years to come.

Between priming, drying, and all those topcoats, you're looking at a decent chunk of your schedule. Please don't leave painting until the last minute and then rush through it just to get it done. A hurried paint job shows, and you'll be looking at that cubby for years to come. Give yourself the time to do it properly. Your future self (and your cubby) will thank you.

And when you are painting, please don't leave your panels baking in the Australian sun. Heat can cause them to warp, and nobody wants wobbly walls. Find a shady spot, take your time, and maybe reward yourself with a cold drink while you're at it.

Installing Your Perspex Windows

When it comes time to pop your perspex windows in, take it slow and be gentle. Sometimes when you paint your cubby, paint can build up in the window track and make it tricky to slide the perspex in. If it's feeling a bit tight, don't force it! Grab a flathead screwdriver or something similar and gently run it along the track to clear out any paint buildup. That should do the trick.

Windows and Doors Not Closing?

If your windows or doors aren't closing the way they should, check your magnets! It's a common one. Sometimes paint gets over the magnets during the painting process, and that extra layer stops them from clicking shut properly. A quick scrape or sand of the paint off the magnets and you'll be back in business.

Assembly: A Little Planning Goes a Long Way

Before you dive in, grab a cuppa and read through your instructions. Make a plan. Know what you're getting into. The goal is a fun family project, not a stressed-out midnight building session fuelled by frustration and regret.

Work out when you're going to build, who's helping, and how long you realistically need. Christmas is busy enough without adding an unexpected all-nighter to the mix!

And if you lose your instructions, never fear: jump on our website and you'll find them there!

Easy Does It With the Drill

When you're assembling your cubby or fort, please don't overtighten your screws. We know it's tempting to give them that extra bit of oomph with the drill, but overtightening can cause hairline cracks in the timber. Snug is good. White-knuckle tight is not! Take it easy and your panels will thank you.

A Word on Christmas Eve Builds

Let's be real for a moment: if you're building a fort, please don't leave the bulk of the work until Christmas Eve. Forts are bigger, more complex, and take more time. Give yourself (and your helpers!) the gift of starting earlier. You'll enjoy the process so much more when you're not racing the clock. Trust us, a relaxed build is a happy build... and a happy build makes for a happy household!

Cubbies, on the other hand, are much more Christmas Eve-friendly, provided they're already painted and ready to go. If you've done the prep work, assembling a cubby on Christmas Eve is absolutely doable. For smaller builds like the Marlie Cubby or Kids Shack, you might even consider having the frame assembled ahead of time and just doing the finishing touches on the night. That way, you get the magic of a Christmas morning reveal without the stress.

If the Roof Won't Go On...

Deep breath. If your roof is being difficult, it's almost always because your base isn't quite level. Every panel is precision-cut in batches, so it's not the panel. It's the foundation. Check your levels, make some adjustments, and you'll be right.

If you're really stuck and things aren't coming together, stop and reach out to us before you proceed. We sell hundreds of cubbies and forts every year, and installation issues are genuinely rare. We're always here to help if you need us.