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Big, Bad Treehouse

Thursday afternoon, I went to the lumberyard for more material, as this was the weekend to install a smaller platform in a neighboring tree in preparation for making a hanging bridge between the two. I placed my order at the front desk and drove to the yard to pick up the material. The guy in the yard saw my car and said, "Tree house guy!" :laughing The project has made an impression with him.

Over the mountains I went, with long boards protruding from the open back window. I arrived at the site around midnight and unloaded the wood so I could close my rear window. Hard experience has shown that bears will take advantage of any partially open window to get that old french fry under the passenger seat.

We had guests staying there this weekend and Friday morning I told everyone that if they wanted to go check out the tree house, they needed to do it then, as I was going to take down the ladder and rigging to work in the other tree. Six of us ended up on the platform with plenty of space left over. My wife and the other kid's mom were definitely thinking about the height. My wife used to climb and wasn't bothered by height much at the time. The perspective from the tree house is interesting and a bit alien. They all had fun though and it confirmed the sense of adventure that accompanies being high in a tree.

The rest of the day was slow going as I placed the first couple of support beams in the new tree. As before, they needed to align with each other, but they also needed to align with the main tree house, as the bridge between the two should be relatively square to them.

The new tree has a pronounced curve to the lower trunk, where it may have been pushed over by deep snow as a sapling and eventually straightened itself out. This made getting the platform level and braced interesting. By Sunday afternoon, this was the result:

IMG_1088.JPG


IMG_1087.JPG


In the upper right corner of the second photo, you can just make out the nearest edge of the main tree house. In this photo, I'm measuring the span between the two to work out how long to make the bridge. Look closely and you'll see a yellow tape stretched between the platforms.

The new platform faces the gate side of the main platform, shown here before the ladder came down:

IMG_1052.JPG


After the photos of the new platform were taken, I trimmed the overhanging boards on the diagonal corner. This platform will be roughly a quarter of an octagon, with the stairs coming up the side to my rear in the top photo and the bridge originating from the opposite parallel side, shown in the upper right of these photos.

Next weekend, I'll start on the bridge. There are still some details to work out before I'm satisfied with how I'll implement the hand rails.
 
tzrider said:
For the rest of Friday afternoon, the boys and I measured the rail spans, cut the horizontal sections and laid out the rail pieces for assembly on the ground. We knew we wanted the rail slats to be on 6" centers, so we laid a couple out that way, measured the gap between them and cut a couple of blocks to use as spacers to lay out each rail more quickly.

The guys were finally being included in the process in a much more concrete way and were really into it. They reacted to these little time saving shortcuts as if they were a big revelation and profoundly clever. Not being one to burst anyone's bubble, I just puffed out my chest and smiled.

The following morning, I hauled the assembled rails up the tree and installed them. The thing was really starting to take shape. We don't have photos of the rail installation in progress; this is what it looked like after the rails were installed and the cap boards put on:

IMG_1049.JPG
Click to expand...

It doesn't even look real in this picture... like something out of a painting... I'm just amazed at this, Andy. It's incredible!

auntiebling said:
i think Tree House isn't quite accurate.

Sky Gazebo perhaps

Or

Platform Of Awesome
Coniferous Fantasticated Decking Exercise

Command Deck

bad names:

Poop Deck
Launch Pad
Click to expand...

I vote for Platform of Awesome! :thumbup
 
tzrider said:
Traq's comment was constructive and intended that way. I read his post before the drive home last night and considered whether I want to remove the slats and install longer ones. It will remain an option and I'll look at the gap again this coming weekend.
Click to expand...

Maybe just a toeboard around the inside would be easier than redoing all the slats. Just looking at a pic like this makes it seem bigger than 4", but you're the one there measuring it, so you'd know better than an internet armchair QB! :thumbup

On one hand, there will be weaker links from a safety standpoint, such as the hanging bridge. I'll make it as safe as I can, but there will be limits to how much I can minimize gaps. On the other hand, if I can make a part of the structure safer by cutting a few boards two or three inches longer, it's worth considering.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's also a matter of how much time will be spent in each area. The rope bridge won't have as much use time if it's just for access.

In the end, I have made some assumptions about who will be using the structure and it's safe within those assumptions. It's not lost on me though that I have created an "attractive nuisance;" a structure on which a trespasser could be injured and sue. It seems to go with the territory of having an adventure with my kids.
Click to expand...

Damn lawyers.
 
Man.. really wish my Dad was as cool as you. Lucky Kids!! Hope they realize that.

You're putting together some amazing moments that will turn to great lasting memories! That's what it's all about. Bravo!!
 
tzrider said:
............, I turned and saw a chipmunk sitting on the deck three feet behind me, looking on with his head cocked as if to say, "Whatcha doin', mister?"..................................
Click to expand...


chipmunk's not dumb, he recognizes a nut when he sees one :laughing :twofinger
 
Fortunately, Andy's a good sport :hail
 
At the time I last updated you, I mentioned guests who went up to check out the tree house, but didn't have pictures. Before we get to this past weekend's progress, here are a few shots of people in the main structure:

IMG_1073.JPG


My wife and younger son are on your left, our guests are in the middle and our older son is on the right. The two younger kids wanted a belay to climb the ladder, as did both moms.

My older son wanted to climb without a belay. On one hand, this shouldn't be a big deal. On the other, this climb is about 14 feet and, while the ladder is tied securely in place, it does wiggle. The big unknown is whether a little kid will lose his cool when he gets to a certain height.

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As it turned out, he was perfectly comfortable.
 
Plenty of space up there once you look at it in context. :thumbup
 
wtf, that is so badass. It's hard to believe that something so professional looking was built around a friggin tree. Well done.

So when is the guest tree house and dog tree house being put up?
 
For this past weekend, the next steps were to install the railing on the landing platform and hang the chain and boards for the swinging bridge. I had driven up Thursday evening with our younger son Nick, while his older brother and my wife stayed behind for a stick fighting tournament. They were to join us Saturday night.

On Friday, I went out to cut and install the railing posts and horizontal stringers. Nick wanted to help with the railing, specifically cutting, drilling and mounting the vertical slats. We wouldn't be ready to do that until Saturday, so he amused himself, checking on me once in a while.

By late afternoon, he was inside and I was in the tree when it began to thunder. Within two minutes of the first thunder clap, he was at the base of the tree telling me it wasn't a great idea to be up there during an electrical storm. I came down and we went for a walk before cooking dinner.

Saturday, we were ready to make and install the rail slats. Nick and I donned work clothes and harnesses and went up the tree to take some measurements. We came down and cut a bunch of 2x4's to the correct length for the slats. We loaded the wood into the dump bed on the ATV and he drove us down to where the table saw was set up to rip the 2x4's into 2x2's.

We set up a production line, where I would start the saw, make the cut, let the saw come to a stop. Nick would pull the sawn pieces from the outfeed and stack them back into the ATV. Pretty soon, the cuts were finished and we drove the pieces back up to the tree site. Once there, we unloaded the sticks, tied them in a large bundle and connected them to a haul line. We then went up the tree and hoisted the wood up.

Since we were sitting on a small platform with no finished railing, I belayed Nick up and then tied off the rope so he could move around but not go over the side. We pre-drilled the ends of the slats and then began installing them.

Here, Nick is screwing in the top of a slat:

IMG_20120804_195042.jpg


And here, he is checking that it's plumb before screwing in the bottom:

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During the summer, I've been teaching our boys how to grill and Nick has developed a particular fondness for cheeseburgers. We went in and I formed burger patties, chopped some produce, got out the cheese and opened a beer. Nick went out and lit the grill.

With the buns laid out and condiments ready, Nick said, "Daddy, you've been working hard in the tree house all day. Sit at the picnic table and drink your beer, while I cook the burgers." Unbelievably cool.

He did a great job:

IMG_20120804_192255.jpg
 
WTF! You're making a hanging bridge?! That is BADASSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Maybe in twenty years that whole area will be like a little hanging bridges park :thumbup :laughing
 
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