Monster House

Cost Under $10

Skill: Beginner

Time: two evenings or a weekend

 

 Materials:

Corrugated Box, for body of house. The dimensions here are for the one I made, so you will need to adjust for a larger child or adult. The one here is about 9 inches deep, 27 inches tall and 18 inches wide. You will select one based on the size of person to wear the costume. I like them to hit just above the knee to allow for easy movement. My box was slightly bigger; I trimmed it down and used the trim pieces to create the porch. I had already finished this before I saw your contest, so I don’t really have any during photos to share, sorry!

 

Corrugated Box, to be the roof, a shoe box can work here. This one was 9 inches top to bottom, 7 inches inside, and 12 inches across.

 

Corrugated box, to make window, about 4 inches deep, 5 1/2 inches tall, 2 ½ inches across.

 

Gray Paint, I do not skimp on paint, buy a good primer, about $4 for a pint. Just one pint will do for this size

 

Black Paint, small bottle of craft paint will do, about 50 cents, to paint details

 

Yellow Paint, for windows and behind door, small bottle of craft paint will do, about 50 cents

 

Red Paint, for door, small bottle of craft paint will do, about 50 cents

 

Red felt, for carpet tongue, about 20 cents’

Brown felt, to cut decorations for the carpet

 

Masking Tape and or glue gun, to attach porch to main box

 

Shingles or black glitter felt to create them for roof. I used real ones, downside, they are heavy.

 

Paint brushes, ribbon for tying on roof, ruler, pencil

 

Optional, Plastic, clear plastic from a merchandise display box, paint yellow for windows. Can just paint a yellow window directly on the box.

 

Optional, small flashlight for inside of boxed out window.’

 

Optional, we used Fantastic Four shoe covers that make sounds like breaking glass when you step down, $4 on clearance.

 

To wear under it, we went with black turtle neck and black leggings.

 

This really doesn’t take much time, but you do need to let the paint dry, so I would call it a two evening project. Assemble items needed. Determine where to cut your arm holes on each side, and head opening. Mine are 3 ½ by 3 ½ inches for the arms and 7 by 7 inches for the head. An adult should do all cutting. Paint the entire box gray.

 

Paint the roof box black. If you want, add some corrugated board to make the ends come down at an angle instead of straight down, to look more like a hip roof. Add a chimney, this one is 3 inches, just corrugated board folded into a box and glued on. Paint the chimney gray.

 

Paint the plastic yellow, you will need enough for two window, mine were about 2inx3in. each.

 

Cut a door from the corrugated board, paint red, add details with black paint when it dries. 2 by 9 inches.

 

Cut carpet from red felt, about 1 ½ inches wide, 11 inches long. Cut diamonds from other felt, glue on to make designs.

 

While that is drying, take your extra corrugated board and cut out a rectangle to act as the roof, under it, you will need a triangle at each end to support the roof at an angle. My rectangle was 7 ½ inches by 18 in, as that was the width of my box.  Our triangles were 4x4x5 inches. Cut out a rectangle the same size as the front of the box, to go less than half way up, cut spindles for the porch from this. My roof was attached at 14 inches over the bottom, my rectangle was 11 inches tall. Cut a rectangle to be the floor. About 3 inches by the width of the box. Tape or glue these pieces together. Paint them gray. You will also need a spindle or two for each side of the porch. Attach to the house when it is dry. Paint a door opening yellow. Attach door over this area. Glue the felt rug to the bottom of the door opening.

 

Cut a 2x3 inch rectangle in the small window box, to be the window. Cut a piece of the plastic to fit inside with some overlap to allow for taping it in place. Add a black window sash if you’d like. When dry, tape in place.

 

Place the small window box on the front right side of the larger box, near the top, trace around it, you will cut this out. Place the window box inside. (You may cut an opening in the back first to allow for a flashlight to light up the window.) Cut window on left side of house box, put in plastic. Or just paint a yellow window on the box.

 

Add shingles to roof, cut squares to be. Remember, it’s a haunted house, so they are not on straight, and they are missing here and there! Fit the roof/hat on the person, stuffing the sides with floral foam or corrugated cardboard until you get the right size. Or use a bike helmet inside to keep it on. Add straps if necessary.

 

Use black paint to create the boards on the house, touch up any other paint and you are done!

 

Optional, we took scraps of corrugated board and made the nose of the house by bending them and gluing them in place, now you have the face, the windows are the eyes, the door the mouth, rug the tongue and broken boards are the nose, just like in the movie.

 

We made this for some daytime parties, but if you want to use it at night, add some reflective tape to help keep safe.

{Coletta says:  WOW! Ü }