Backyard cubby houses of the grandest designs up for auction for Victorian homeless charity fundraising

By most backyard cubby house standards, they are gigantic and of rather grand designs. Be they snail shells, enchanted trees or giant homes.

Or the very trendy looking cubby house – dubbed the Zimmer – by Porter Davis Homes aimed at bringing out the big kid in all of us. Almost something you'd image the next generation of Tyler Brule's or Nick Tobias's enjoying in their childhood.

All are architect-designed and constructed by master builders, including one by the Grand Designs Australia host Peter Maddison, who based his cubby house on the 1968 novel by Ted Hughes of The Iron Man.

The five cubby houses (pictured below) will be on display at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show until March 24.

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They will be auctioned on Sunday to raise money for not-for-profit organisation Kids Under Cover.

Maddison wanted his cubby to have a fantasy element, telling Fairfax Media that the giant in the The Iron Man was perfect.

The cubby was actually auctioned last year, but the winners have handed it back.

"I wanted to do something that related to my childhood," he told Fairfax Media.

"My first cubby house was a tiny space in a tree. It was made from old fence palings scavenged from neighbours' fences that had fallen off – or we helped fall off."

The not-for-profit charity places studio homes in backyards of families in need. Over their 15-year lifespan, the demountable buildings are passed on to up to four families.

Kids Under Cover's national CEO Jo Swift says since 2009 the scheme has raised $125,000.

"We all want a cubby when we are kids, but the reality is not everybody gets that opportunity and not everybody has a happy childhood," Swift says.

Almost 45,000 young people are homeless or at risk; a figure that has doubled over the past five years. "It's quite challenging to learn about these problems in your own backyard," she says.

Kids Under Cover's Cubby House Challenge, Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, March 20-24, Carlton Gardens & Royal Exhibition Building, Auction March 24 at 3pm; raffle tickets can also be bought from cubbyhousechallenge2013. gofundraise.com.au

Homeless Young People by State per Night:

It was 1989 when car dealer Ken Morgan decided to form Kids Under Cover. In the past 21 years Kids Under Cover has continued to grow and establish themselves as a driving force in the fight against youth homelessness.

In 2009 Hocking Stuart become Kids Under Cover's first key business partner.