DIY dad converts basement staircase into cottage playhouse

— -- A DIY-loving Georgia dad converted his cluttered basement staircase into a cottage-style playhouse.

Robert Miller, of Canton, said he spent four weeks building the playhouse with his 4-year-old daughter, Cadence.

It was his ultimate father-daughter project that included teaching his little protégé how to use a chop saw and drill press, square angles and measure the 8 x 5 shingles on the front by hand. He chose a quaint design, different from rest of the family's house.

"I kind of modeled it after a coastal-Northeast-looking cottage with the shingles," Miller, 29, told ABC News about his design inspiration. "Our main house has vinyl siding so I wanted this to look cottagey. My daughter chose the door color."

Miller said his family has been in their home for about six years and the staircase area in their finished basement was only being used as "junk storage."

His wife, Casey Miller, is pregnant with their third little one and the couple agreed it would be smart to have a designated play area where toys could be "out of sight, out of mind," even if that meant turning his drumming space into "a princess playroom."

The entire makeover cost about $400 in materials, but, Miller said, "There are some things you can’t measure in price."

"If in five to six years it’s not usable, then so be it," he continued. "It’s making them happy now."

As soon as the playhouse was finished, the proud dad said Cadence couldn’t wait to fill it with her toys.

"I said, 'Hey Cadence, make sure you don’t put too much in here. You don’t want it to be cluttered,'" he told his daughter. "She looked at me confused, with her hands on her hips, and said, 'Well, it’s our house.' And she proceeded to get the rest of her toys."

Now Cadence and her 1-year-old brother, Cannon, can’t wait to share "their house" with their soon-to-be baby brother or sister, due next month.