They call it the "Fish House," but the charming child-sized structure next to Will and C.J. Klaus' Buckhead home can be many places in the course of a day.

"It represents a lot of different things," said Crissy Klaus, mother of Will, 7, and C.J., 5. "Sometimes it's a pirate ship, sometimes it's a clubhouse and sometimes it's a cave. It helps their imagination."

Hyosub Shin / hshin@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

C.J. Klaus (left), 5, and his brother Will, 7, are shown in the Project Playhouse structure in their yard from an earlier auction. Premier metro builders and architects create playhouses that are displayed and sold to raise money for housing for the homeless.

RELATED LINKS: • More photos of an upscale playhouse PROJECT PLAYHOUSE Designers and builders from the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association created the playhouses to benefit HomeAid Atlanta, a nonprofit foundation that builds transitional housing for homeless families and individuals. Themed, upscale playhouses created by some of metro Atlanta's top designers and builders will be on display at Lenox Square from Sept. 13 to Oct. 4. On Oct. 4, an auction will be held for the playhouses at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. One playhouse will be raffled. Individual raffle tickets are $3, discounts for multiple-ticket purchases. For more information: Call HomeAid Atlanta, 678-775-1401; e-mail homeaid@atlantahomebuilders.com; or visit their Web site, http://www.homeaidatlanta.org. LIVING Latest Headlines: Secluded Georgia refuge takes in misfit gorillas  Decatur First Baptist keeps woman in the pulpit  Zoo Atlanta's gorillas include numerous old-timers  Atlanta conference examines institution of marriage  World's oldest polar bear dies at Canadian zoo  • More Living Stories • Living photo galleries • Georgia Aquarium news and photos • Zoo Atlanta news and photos

Klaus, owner and founder of FIO360, the new environmentally sensitive child center at Atlantic Station, bought the Fish House three years ago when she and husband, Chris, went to the Project Playhouse auction at Perimeter Mall.

Her children were just toddlers then, but Klaus knew how important a dedicated play space would be to her sons as they grew. And as impressed as she was by the quality of the playhouses displayed and auctioned by HomeAid Atlanta, she was even more deeply moved by the work her purchase would fund in the metro Atlanta community.

Now in its fifth year, Project Playhouse helps HomeAid Atlanta create transitional housing for homeless families and individuals in the metro area. A philanthropic initiative of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, HomeAid Atlanta has built eight transitional housing compounds since it was founded in 2001. Four more are under development, said Anne Carey, HomeAid's executive director.

This year's playhouse display will be held on weekends at Lenox Square from Sept. 13 until Oct. 4. The child-sized fantasy homes are designed and built by volunteers from the region's premier home design, development and construction firms.

Robert Entenza, an architect with Bill Harrison Designs, is working on the Oxford playhouse with Affinity Fine Homes for this year's auction.

"In the back of my mind, I'm always a kid at heart," Entenza said. "I think about all the things I would have thought were cool when I was a kid and try to incorporate those things."

Playhouses have to be scaled down, not just in size but also in the proportions of the materials, Entenza said. They have to be light and movable as well as built with good ventilation and safety in mind, he added.

Like the "Fish House," which emulates a beachside cabin, each of the playhouses incorporates a theme.

Marietta real estate agent Stacie Williams bought one of the playhouses that was raffled off from its winning ticket-holder.

The mother of three daughters, she was charmed by its Tudor styling with a cedar-shake roof, eyebrow windows and wide-plank hardwood floors. Her girls, she said, play in it every day.

"It's the focal point of our backyard," Williams said.

The playhouses are built on platforms in other locations and transported to the mall display sites by forklift and truck. Finishing touches such as interior accessories and exterior finishes are applied after they are placed for display.

This year's offerings include an "Eco-House" featuring a rain barrel, tin roof and reclaimed wood floors. It will be lit by energy from a solar panel with a backup battery and decorated with organic materials and low-VOC (or volatile organic compound) finishes.

The finished version will be stocked with a child's library of nature manuals, said Jeff Dinkle, president of Eco Custom Homes, the builder. "A lot of it is really educational," Dinkle said.

Every dollar raised by Project Playhouse will produce two dollars of materials, labor and design for HomeAid Atlanta's projects, Carey said. Past auctions have seen the playhouses sell for $8,000 to $36,000.

Raffle tickets for the playhouse giveaway, available at the display site, cost $3. The playhouse auction will take place Oct. 4 at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead.