That space would be very small as a playroom. How many kids do you have? How many are likely to use the playroom on a regular basis (e.g. friends, cousins, etc.)? Their ages? I have two boys and our basement playroom that's 11 by 28 feet is not at all huge. If you'll have a basement, you'll get a lot more for your money by having the playroom down there (much less expensive space to finish than main level space). If your kids are small and that is the reason you want a main level playroom, I'll just say that FWIW, they grow quickly and you may realize that in only 2 or 3 years, you would have been better off with a basement level play room.

One more thought -- we had our contractor put in bead board panel as a wainscot in our playroom. Very good at keeping the drywall from getting dinged constantly.

good luck.

No, no basements in our neck of the woods...The Deep South! Might could fit it upstairs but it would make their bedrooms really small. We might just have to give a little on the sq. footage to make it a functional space. I had thought about using the bead board, thanks for the reccomendation!
Two Kids and probably one more!

our playroom will be 16x20 (over the garage) and i think it's definitely too small for our two kids (ages 4 & 5) but we plan to finish the basement after we're done. i think you'll be very disappointed with a 10 x 12 space. since there's no basement i would try to make it bigger if you can at all manage. good luck!

We currently have a 12x10 playroom for 2 kids on the main level. It is a glorified closet. The kids never actually play in there. It is really too small to do much of anything, although it is starting to feel bigger now that the youngest is growing out of the large toys that took up lots of floor space. We just recently gave away the train table. The other problem that I have with it being on the first floor is that unless I am the one always cleaning it I need to keep the door shut so I don't have to see the mess.

On the positive side the kids bedrooms are usually pretty clean since they keep minimal toys in there.

In the house we are currently building we will not have a playroom, but we do have a bonus room and a walk-up attic that the kids can use.

Our four kids have a playroom in a room that is 11x 10.5, and it is just great! Just plan the space well-- love the idea of a loft, our ceilings are way too low for that. You can do a lot. Check out ikea-usa.com for some great ideas!

You can do more than you think with lots and lots of pre-planning. Since you can have a loft, I think it's very do-able. You must have that loft, though! Utilize built-ins and do a fold-down table top. If an adjoining room is appropriate for the kids to pop into, a "secret" door--big enough to crawl comfortably through--is a fun use of wall space and takes up no floor space.

Our son always had a playroom in our current house. When he was uder 6 it was on the main floor in a 9X12 room that is now our office. That was plenty of space for him. When he got older we moved him to the basement which only resulted in him pickig a toy or toys and bringing them to the living room. At 6 he wasn't willing to play way down in the basement unless we were in the rec room.

I think you can make it work if you play carefully. The loft sounds really cool. We're having a loft in our so's bedroom ths time and he's thrilled. He's 10 now and there won't be a playroom in the new house but he'll have space in the rec room/craft room if he wants it.

There are a couple ways you can do it (well probably many ways) but here are a few ideas. It might be a good idea to built the loft independantly so you don't always have a loft inthat room. Someday you'll want the space as a den or computer room when the kids are bigger just like we did.

{{gwi:1401235}}

Definitely do a loft! My daughter's class room has a loft and she loves it.

Lots of great ideas. We have three preschoolers and also want a mainfloor playspace in the short term for our new build - are opting for using the dining room as a play room, with basement for run around/ride-ons. When they are old enough to be out of sight, there is a larger room over the garage and by then maybe life will be civilized enough to warrant a formal dining room anyway...

And yes, we are going with some lovely [durable] panelling on the playroom/dining room walls as well as doors we can close on toy-chaos and later intimate dinner parties!!

Good luck,
PB