Mock Houses Mean a Lot in Real Life

For three years, HomeAid--a nonprofit agency that builds and renovates shelters for people who recently lost their homes--has raised funds by auctioning mock houses built by professional builders.

An English Tudor-style flower shop, a lifeguard post, contemporary storybook cottages and riverboats designed for children’s use will be auctioned off Nov. 11 at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Typically, playhouses sell from $1,500 to $27,000. The playhouse auction is HomeAid’s main fund-raiser, an organizer said. HomeAid hopes to raise $100,000 this year.

After putting the finishing touches on a playhouse they built, schoolchildren estimated how much their house would bring in at an auction to raise money for Orange County’s homeless.

“It could sell for $20,000,” guessed Emily Hudson, 9, one of 28 students ages 8 to 12 from the UCI Farm School who helped design and build what they dubbed “Fun Zone.”