Playhouse building competition raises $40K for longstanding, well-known Bay Area non-profit

DALY CITY, Calif. - It was like a Santa's workshop on Thursday at the Cow Palace in Daly City, where dozens of volunteers were busy building playhouses to benefit a longstanding, well-known Bay Area non-profit.

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco hosted its first-ever Deck the Walls playhouse build competition, raising $40,000 for the non-profit.

The group, which has been serving the community since 1989, seeks to build and preserve homeownership across San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties.

What we know:

The inaugural Deck the Walls event brought together more than 75 corporate and community volunteers. 

Teams constructed eight custom playhouses that will be donated to preschools, families, and community organizations around the Bay Area.

"It's just fun to see ordinary people coming out, chipping in, everyone has fun, people are learning how to use a drill or a hammer. But in the end, we get it all together and it's beautiful, handmade. Lots of love and attention goes into this," said volunteer Rolf Mortenson.

Dig deeper:

The festive and friendly competition was designed to serve as something similar to a major donor event.

Eight different companies were represented: Prologis, Tenaya Therapeutics, AppFolio, City National Bank, Clark Pest Control, and Salesforce. 

Habitat officials said the companies all contributed funds to cover the cost of the supplies and support the non-profit's work in the region. 

"They bring their teams out and they each get a playhouse kit, and then they have a certain time that they have to get these playhouses done, get them painted, get them decorated, get them put together. They're actually constructing the playhouses as well," said Maureen Sedonaen, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, adding, "We're really, really happy to have them out here." 

Winning playhouse 

The house made by team members from San Francisco real estate investment trust Prologis won the competition. 

With a nature-inspired, outdoorsy motif, the team carried out the theme of the playhouse's design, which was camping trip. 

Organizers said at the beginning of the competition, each team was given a theme, based on the most popular styles requested by kids and local organizations. 

See also: Holiday Heroes: 49ers bring magic to hundreds of Bay Area kids at Oracle Park

What's next:

The winning playhouse will be showcased at the Winter Walk in San Francisco Union Square from Dec. 13-24, Habitat officials said. 

It will then be donated to the YMCA in the city's Mission District.