How to make a paper house gift box
Paper House Gift Box: try all 12 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
A little house for one gift, such as a treat for an advent calendar. Cut a cross from one sheet of card, crease it, and fold it into a box with four walls, two gables and a roof that lifts like a lid.
- You need
- One sheet of card, 20 × 18 cm, a ruler and pencil, scissors and tape.
- Start
- Use a sheet of card, 20 × 18 cm, white side up. Across the middle mark a 5 cm square for the floor, with a 4 cm wall on each side of it and a 3.5 cm roof band beyond each wall. Above and below the floor mark a gable: a 5 cm wide rectangle 4 cm tall, topped by a triangle whose point is 2.4 cm higher and in the middle.
- Tips
- Measure the gable's slanted sides: they should match the width of a roof band exactly.
- Score every crease with a ruler and a dull pencil point first.
- Number the roofs or doors with a marker and string a row of houses along a shelf for an advent calendar.
Your model is ready
The house is closed. Tape the gables to the walls, or tie a ribbon round the middle. Lift one side of the roof to put a gift inside. The finished house box, with a gable at each end and the roof closed along its ridge.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–7
- 1
Cut away the top left corner
Cut down from the top edge at the middle to the gable's point, along its left roof line and side down to the wall's top, then left along the top of the wall to the edge. The corner lifts away.
- 2
Cut away the top right corner
Cut the right side of the top gable the same way: from the point down its right roof line and side, then right along the top of the wall to the edge.
- 3
Cut away the bottom left corner
Cut the bottom gable the same way: up from the bottom edge to its point, along its left roof line and side, and left along the bottom of the wall to the edge.
- 4
Cut away the bottom right corner
Cut the right side of the bottom gable to match. You are left with a cross: the floor, a wall and roof band on each side, and a gable above and below.
- 5
Crease the left wall
Fold the left wall up along its edge with the floor. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 6
Crease the right wall
Fold the right wall up along its edge with the floor. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 7
Crease the left roof
Fold the left roof band over along its edge with the left wall. Press the crease and open it flat.
Steps 8–12
- 8
Crease the right roof
Fold the right roof band over along its edge with the right wall. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 9
Crease the top gable
Fold the top gable forward along the top edge of the floor. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 10
Crease the bottom gable
Fold the bottom gable forward along the bottom edge of the floor. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 11
Raise the walls and lean in the roof
Stand the two walls up at right angles to the floor. Lean each roof band in over the house until the two edges meet along the ridge.
- 12
Stand the two gables
Stand each gable up at its end of the floor. Its sides meet the ends of the walls and the roof, and close the house.
- ✓
Finish
The house is closed. Tape the gables to the walls, or tie a ribbon round the middle. Lift one side of the roof to put a gift inside. The finished house box, with a gable at each end and the roof closed along its ridge.
Fold next
Masu box ↗
Fold the traditional square masu box, with upright walls and both end flaps locked onto the floor.
Masu lid ↗
A matching masu box and lid. Fold the same pattern from two different-sized squares, then turn the larger tray over and fit it onto the smaller box.
Basic box ↗
A rectangular tray with two broad folded rims. This Origami Tutor sequence opens the traditional basic-box shape while keeping its floor flat.
Letter paper box ↗
A deep rectangular box folded from one uncut sheet of letter paper, with narrow rims at both ends. This Origami Tutor sequence opens the traditional basic-box shape without cutting or glue.