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5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 4 and 5

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 4 and 5

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Fun-Fun-Fun
Fun-Fun-Fun

After snow and rain delays, our project has morphed into a nearly complete Tree House.

Our fourth step was to complete the building part with walls, supports to make it tight and strong and adding a ladder that anyone from toddlers to grandmas are able to use.  It’s been tested by both and declared “cool”.

Our fifth step was to select the right camo netting that allows the breeze to come through, adds a place to hide, and keeps the littlest ones from falling out.   Then we ordered the slide and waited for it to be shipped.  We went with the 8ft. model to get a good slope and a good ride on the slide.  This slide comes with a hose adapter and place to drill a hole to attach a hose and turn it into a Water slide.  The kids are really excited about that.

Supply Delivery System
Supply Delivery System

Also, we installed a pulley system to deliver treats from the house into the tree house.  We’ll have an old cowboy style dinner bell (the cast iron triangle kind) for them to ring when they need something.  Yes, they’re spoiled.

Interior Decorating
Interior Decorating

Our local grand daughter has already started her interior decorating.  I’m sure every grand child will add their own touch after they arrive this summer. We bought old wooden ammo boxes to store wood scraps (for building and hammering) and they’ve filled one with different size balls (ie. golf balls, a softball).

We’ve told the kids it’s up to them to paint and decorate and add accessories.  Can’t wait to see what they come up with.

It’s been fun planning and building and adapting as it was built.  Now, let’s hope it was worth it.  Although, I’m sure it was.  I got to channel my 10 yr old fort and tree house builder.  We’ll never see it on Tree House Masters TV (that was never the intention), but it will be featured often in family photos.

Thanks for asking for the updates and photos.  Hope you enjoyed coming along with us for the ride.  Thanks, John

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 3, part 2

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 3, part 2

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Building the Floor
Building the Floor

The Tree House now has floors.  Notice we cut a generous opening around the tree as it continues to grow and we want to give it lots of room.  Several 2×4 braces are underneath for strength, to prevent sagging and for all around support from wobbling. Don’t want the floors moving like there’s an earthquake when the grand kids are up there. We have braces between the upright 4×4’s and the frame the floor is resting on.

The Walls are going up
The Walls are going up

There will be walls on two sides.  We’ll cut small “port holes and windows” in them so the shorter/younger kids can peak out.  We’ll let them decide what shape and where they are as we want to get them involved as much as possible. The other sides will be camo mesh netting (we’re testing it, left of the ladder) that doesn’t stretch, we can see threw, and will keep them from falling off the edge.

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1st Porthole
1st Porthole

As with any new project or new build it’s important to get customer and user input along the way to a finished Tree House.  Below, is the first test by our users.  We know we passed all expectation we one of them said, “Grandpa, this is the best tree house in the WORLD!” And to think it’s not even done, lots more little things coming before it’s finished.  Now I’m motivate to make it even better.  We’re working on a slide, and a Supplies (food, treats and tows) Delivery System (SDS), and a cowboy dinner bell. The wooden crate or box with the green splash of paint actually a military surplus ammo box, one of three I got for $4 each.

User Testing
User Testing

Next we’ll add the camo mesh netting, more bracing, a ladder, a bench or two, hopefully a telescope, and the slide (a hose can be connected to make a water slide, shhhsh, don’t tell the kids yet) and more.

Stand by for more, thanks for stopping by, hope it gives you some ideas, thanks, John

 

 

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 3, part 1

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 3, part 1

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No Grand kids allowed, yet.
No Grand kids allowed, yet.

Welcome back to our tree house building “documentary” Step 3, Part 1.

The Layout
The Layout

We’ve done all the planning and measuring, now it’s time to begin the work.  First, you want to layout the basic shape to the measurements you made.  We put the pier blocks where the corners are to be and temporarily laid the wood frame.

Pier Blocks
Pier Blocks

We set the pier blocks in sand and leveled them then screwed on our 4×4 s.

Support Posts
Support Posts

This is how we attached the 4x4s for to hold up the floor.

The Frame in Place
The Frame is in Place

Here’s a view looking down on the entire frame for the floor.

The next post will be about installing the floors, then the walls, then the steps or ladder.

Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy, John

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 2

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 2

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The Planning Stage
The Planning Stage

Step 2 Planning Stage – This is one of your most important stage.  As I mentioned, for a fun, usable and successful tree house build, many elements need to be considered in the planning stage.  Such as, is it the right tree, will the tree support a structure up in the tree?  If not, you’ll need to build it from the ground and sort of lifting it into the tree.  Also, consider how much room you have, how close are you to your boundry line, how close to the house or property next door, what age and size of people will be using it, what activities do they want to do in it?  Play, spy on things outside of it, have tea parties, play “army”, will they want to camp out and sleep in it, read books, have quiet time, how high off the ground, safety features, how will they get in and out, do you want a slide, a firemans’ pole, a ladder, a ships steering wheel, a periscope, a basket on a pulley to lift things, ie. lunch, into the tree,  a chalkboard, benches, a desk, shelves, a bird house or two, peep holes, port holes, windows -open, plastic, glass.

This would be a good time to choose a theme, such as Pirate, Fairy House, Combat Bunker, Explorers Lookout, Fort, Harry Potter, a Disney movie, or Boys/Girls Club house, Airplane cockpit, Sailing Ship Crows Nest or just about any theme you can imagine or want.

Consider the structure and how it will be built.  What materials will you use?  How strong and sturdy do you want it? Who is going to help you with the heavy lifting? How much will it cost.  And, don’t for get to check local building ordinances for building restrictions.

My first step in Planning was to search the web for tree house examples.  I looked at the type and size of trees used, whether it was built with the ground as the base or was it up in the tree.  I looked at how to get in and out, material used and designs.

Once I had a good idea of what I wanted, I photographed my tree and printed it out.

Tree Photo Drawing
Tree Photo Drawing

Then I was able to draw my design (either on the print with pens, etc. or in a drawing program like Paper 53 for the iPad) right on the photo to see what it will look like.  This made it feel like a real project and I was able to make changes until it was what I wanted.  When it was drawn I was able to show it to family and ask for suggestions and what they thought it should look like.  This was very helpful.  Below, is my first, initial plan.  I’ve made changes since then and expect to make more.

Initial Plan
Initial Plan

After making the initial plan and drawing  I went out to the tree and measured where the structure will actually be.  Then I got out the graph paper and plotted everything out.

Detailed Plan
Detailed Plan

Once the family and everyone agrees as best they can, it’s time to start a budget and supply list, go shopping and get to work.

After that, it’s time to begin the actual building.  Let the fun begin!!

My next post will be about Building It with lots of photos.

Thanks for stopping by, John

 

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 1

5 Steps to Building a Tree House – Step 1

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Family Maple Tree - Winter
Family Maple Tree – Winter

A great activity for vintage Baby Boomers and Boomer Grandpas is to design and build a Tree House with your kids, grand kids and other family members.  It’s a awesome bonding and teaching experience.  I plan on having the little kids do the painting and accessories when it’s time.  That way everyone can be involved.  When it’s finished we’ll have something for the family to use and have fun with for a lifetime.  Here’s my story, sort of a documentation of how we are building it.  Each stage will be a separate post.

Our family is blessed with a beautiful Maple tree in our back yard.  It’s part of our kids’ heritage and memories from growing up around it.  There have been hundreds of picnics, barbecues, tea parties, games of tag, birthday parties, and celebrations under our tree and in its cooling shade in the hot summers.  It shares it’s beauty in each season.  Summer is big green leaves and lots of comforting shade.  Fall is the only season when our tree requires our work or maintenance.  As fall progresses the big green leaves turn orange and then yellow, finally dropping from the branches, landing on the grass.  Here’s where the work comes in, someone, as in Me or our Kids.  I choose the kids for this job as they need to learn to work and care for what we are blessed with, right?  Hear that kids?

You see our tree above after the last snowfall of this winter.

All the snow has melted now and it’s time to build a Tree House

Step 1 Choosing your tree –  In our case we have only one tree to choose from.  By tree house standards this is a small tree which won’t really support much of a structure up in the tree.  So, we decided to build around the tree rather than in the tree.  You’ll need to choose a good strong tree, the right tree, then build the right tree house in or around it.  The formation or structure of the tree will determine the size and elements you will be able to have in your tree house.

That’s Stage 1.  Hope it gives you some ideas to build your own tree house.  Stay tuned for the next stage, Planning Your Tree House coming soon.

Thanks for stopping by, John