For today’s project, we’re building a PVC tent with Nan, who works at our Lake Union store. This DIY PVC tent is designed to give kids a place to play indoors, as the winter months get colder and rainier.
Nan was inspired to build the PVC tent from her own childhood memories, playing in similar tents with her brother and sister. Nan shared,“We had a big backyard, so we would set up the tents in multiple places and we would run from one to another. We had a little neighborhood, connecting all the tents with paths of leaves.”
As parents know too well, most indoor playsets are clunky and hard to store. This PVC tent is easy to break down, store away, and put together again.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Cut PVC pipes
Cut list:
- Twenty (20) PVC pieces at 24”
- Six (6) PVC pieces at 40”
To get started grab the six ½ inch 10’ long PVC pipes, your pipe cutters (or saw), measuring tape, and marker.
First, measure and mark sections of 24” on four ½ inch PVC pipes. Next use your pipe cutter and cut the PVC. This will give you 20 PVC pieces at 24”.
Next, you’ll cut the two remaining ½ inch PVC pipes, which will become the curved pieces of your PVC tent. Mark your PVC with sections that are 40” long, then cut with your pipe cutters. Once you're done, there should be six pieces.
Step 2: Build the jig to curve the PVC pieces
The next step is to build a jig that we’ll use to curve the PVC pipe pieces. The jig will ensure each pipe is consistent in size.
Part 1: Measure and mark
Grab your ½ inch plywood, which will form the base of your jig. Measure and mark a 30” x 30” square on the plywood. From there, use your saw to make the cut.
With a measuring tape and black marker, measure three inches from the square’s edge towards the middle. Using your measuring tape, mark a line at the 3” mark, and do this on all four sides. The lines should all connect, forming a 24” x 24” square.
Finally, label each corner of the square as follows:
- Upper left: A
- Upper right: B
- Lower left: C
- Lower right: D
Part 2: Create arch mold with screws
Now that the plywood is marked, it’s time to create an arch shape using screws— this will secure the PVC pipe as you curve the pipe with your heat gun.
For this part, you’ll need your drill, 2” screws, string, measuring tape, and both black and red markers.
Place a piece of scrap board as a backer under the 30” x 30” piece, then drill a hole and insert a screw into Corner D. Tie a piece of string to the screw, and measure 24” from the screw at corner D. Then tie the other end of the string to the red marker using a slip knot (this will make it easier to adjust the length).
Next, place the tip of your red marker on corner C. Keeping even tension on the string and holding the marker perpendicular to the board, bring the marker towards corner B, drawing an arched line from corner C to B, which will serve as a guide for the top tent arch. When finished, remove the screw and the string.
Using the black marker, make a row of dots ½” inside of the red line, and another row of dots that are ½” outside of the arch. The dots should be about 2” apart from each other along the length of the line.
With your driver in hand, insert the 2” screws on the dots along the inner arch, and for now just one screw at the start of the outer arch.
Step 3: Create PVC tent arches
One at a time, lay one end of the 40" pipe between the inner arch. Leave about 1” sticking out beyond the first screws.
Using the heat gun, heat the section of the pipe that is about two inches past the two starting screws. Try to evenly heat one section of the pipe at a time, about two to four inches long for each section. Gently pull on the long end of the pipe while heating it to get it to bend around the next screw in line.
When the pipe is bent, remove heat and insert a screw on the outer arch screw opposite from the inner arch. Continue doing this along the length of the pipe until you reach the last eight inches of the arch. Be careful not to overheat the sections of pipe as it will kink or stretch if the material gets too hot.
As you get to the last eight inches of the 40” PVC pipe, attach a PVC connector to the side of the arch piece that is not screwed to the jig and connect another pipe. This will give you more leverage and grip and keep your hands safely away from the heat.
Now that you have a better grip on the end of the pipe, continue to curve the entire arch piece. Once your piece is curved, remove the screws on the outer arch, starting at the cooled end.
Repeat this step on each of the 40” long pieces.
Step 4: Assemble PVC tent
Now it’s time to see the fruits of your labor and assemble the PVC tent.
Lay out the tent base in the shape of a square using eight 24” pipe pieces (two pieces on each side of the square). Then use your T-connectors, to connect the PVC pieces on two sides of the square. Make sure the sides of the square you connect with the T-connectors run parallel to each other.
Next, attach the pipe pieces of the other two sides of the square with straight connectors. To connect all four sides of the square, attach four 90-degree side outlet elbow connectors to the square’s four corners.
Once the base of your tent is secure, grab six of your 24” pipe pieces. Place two of the 24” pipe pieces vertically into the two T-connectors in the middle of the square’s base. Then connect four 24” pieces vertically to the four elbow connectors on each of the square's corners.
You should now have six 24” pipes standing vertically on the base of the tent, serving as the tent’s legs. Next, attach four T-connectors to the four corner legs of the tent. Then attach a cross connector to the two middle legs. To finish off the walls of the tent, connect four of the 24” pieces, parallel to the base pipes, from the corner elbow connectors to the cross connectors on the middle legs.
Now let’s finish things off with the roof. Starting in the middle of the tent, take two of your arched 40” pipes and connect to the top of the two middle leg’s cross connectors. Then connect the two pipes at the center of the arch with a cross connector.
With your first arch in place, attach two 24” pieces to each side of the cross connector so they stick out horizontally. This will form the spine of the curved roof.
Then connect the two remaining arches the same way you did with the middle arch (with two 40” pipes for each arch), both connected by a T-connector. Lastly, connect the two 24” pieces running horizontally on the top of the tent to the T-connectors on the left and right arches.
And finally, place the canvas drop cloth over the frame and use beach towel clips to pull back the canvas where you want the tent to open.
There you have it - your very own PVC tent! And now that your tent is built, you can get creative and fill the space with cozy pillows, blankets, and toys.
For more kid’s DIY projects, check out these DIY wooden animal blocks and our DIY dollhouse.
