FREEBORN — Sixty-nine-year-old Quentin Stenzel has an extraordinary talent of taking some wood and some ordinary tools and turning them into something magical.

Drive on Freeborn County Road 29 near the line for Freeborn and Faribault counties and you’ll see what’s got some people talking.

To the west of his home, sitting in the grass, is a two-story custom playhouse fitted with the works.

Not only does it have steel siding, a front porch and a balcony, but it also has running water, space heaters, electricity, hardwood floors, a loft and even a spiral staircase.

It started out as a gift to his granddaughter and has since expanded into something that he gets asked about at least weekly.

Stenzel, who grew up across the street as a child, said he’s built things his whole life. He grew up building things with his father and uncle, so when his granddaughter Andrea asked him to build a playhouse for her, he agreed. She was 4 at the time.

The first playhouse he made was 8 feet by 8 feet with a porch.

Then he built the larger playhouse, 14 feet by 20 feet. His granddaughter, now 10, still plays in it and comes down to her grandparents’ home almost every weekend to play in the house with her sister and cousins.

Stenzel said he had a picture he found in a book that illustrated his idea for the house, but he mostly took that picture and ran with it, using his own creativity to fill in the gaps. He didn’t draw any plans out ahead of time but just put to action what he brainstormed.

He said he built the house in his work shed and then transferred it outside.

Stenzel said different people drive by his house, see the playhouse, and then stop by and ask him to build one for them. He noted he doesn’t know how much it would cost to build one from all brand-new materials. He was lucky to build his mostly with recycled materials.

When talking about the play house, Stenzel seems proud of his work, yet he doesn’t want to become the center of attention.

Building small sheds and storage buildings for friends and family, he said it’s just what he enjoys doing. Plus, it gives him something to do in the winter, when he does most of his work.

During the summer months he can be found outside gardening. He built a greenhouse one year and was able to have tomatoes by the Fourth of July.

He said people come to him each year to buy some of his tomatoes.