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Big, Bad Treehouse

tzrider said:
Thanks for the appreciation, everybody. It's safe to say I've had a fit of inspiration this summer and it's been fun to share this with you a bit. EjGlows' comment below reminds me of a related story.



During the weekend of the Perseid meteor shower, when I went to the hot spring, I ran into a couple who had the same idea to soak in the spring while soaking up the show. The fellow was a pretty interesting guy, who is a biologist working in Yosemite presently.

Somewhere in the conversation, I had mentioned the tree house and we had also talked about music and improvisation. He told me that some years ago he lived on Hawaii (can't recall which island) and lived with a Swede in a hut in the jungle. There was a tree house nearby, very high on a slope, with a killer view of the ocean. He and the Swede used to climb up there and each bring a drum. Perhaps some herbal creativity supplements were involved too. He said they drummed for eight hours, each feeding off the other in an extended improvisational dialog.

Being someone who very much loves improvisational music, I could relate. It sounded like a pretty incredible experiences and the guy himself described it as in the top five experiences of his life.
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BARF JAM SESSION IN THE TREE HOUSE!!!! Who's in??? :teeth

Squidly McSmearstain said:
Virgin BARFettes? :confused
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I know, right? :laughing
That'd be like starving to death at a free all you can eat buffet... not gonna happen! :teeth
 
This thread is getting better and better :thumbup
Look at the work, there is a lot of passion in it. :)
 
I wish to visit the tree house. :hail
 
Construction Done!

"I love it when a plan comes together."

More than one person has observed that this project was taking on qualities of the Winchester Mystery House. In the sense of what I had originally intended to do this year, that is true. We had always talked about a second platform, a bridge and stairs to the ground, but we moved up the time table on these features when it became clear that the height of the main platform was a bit challenging for many people.

So, as you've seen, there is a second platform, a bridge and stairs. The remaining tasks as of the last update were to install railing on the staircase and a gate at the bottom that can be locked. I went up this weekend and finished those things. Finally, the construction phase is done for this year!

As there was adequate time to complete these tasks and I was down to the details, I took a little extra care with fitting a few pieces with intricate cuts so they could interlock with other features. The most vivid example was a short piece of rail cap that needed to be installed next to a stair rail. The path of the stair rail extends through part of the space that the rail cap would occupy. The simple approach would be to rip the rail cap to a narrower dimension, but I wanted to keep it the same width as the rest of the railing, so I cut out a void where the stair rail was.

Here are the two posts that need a rail between them. Note how the star rail terminates right next to them:

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This is the piece I cut to fit in there, alongside the tool I used to make the cut:

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Nice flush fit Andy! I have seen those little saws on some tv shows, but have not wielded one myself. Looks like it is very good in tiny quarters and odd angles. Awesome project, very well done :thumbup
 
By Saturday evening, the railing for the upper staircase was complete. Sunday morning, I started on the railing for the landing and lower staircase. In the early afternoon, I had a pleasant break in the routine when Dale and Karin stopped by for a visit.

They walked up to the work site with me, picked their way through the construction debris and climbed up to the tree house. We visited for a while and then I resumed working as we chatted. Right before they had arrived I had sawn the slats for the stair rails and merely needed to lay them out and screw them on, so it was nice to visit while doing that. Karin saw the trail I had roughed in to access the staircase and asked if I wanted to line it with fallen branches to define the path. That sounded good to me and she busied herself with doing that and wearing in the path a bit more. Dale kept me supplied with slats as I needed them and we caught up while our hands were on autopilot.

After a time, they needed to get back on the road. By then, the rails were finished and I began working on the gate. By dusk, the gate was completed. Following is a series of shots showing the approach to the gate and the ascent up the stairs, into the tree house:

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:wow

Would you please come to my house, and fix my back porch so I don't fall through it? After your tree house, I would expect you could knock mine out in about 15 minutes.
Jes' sayin'...

There would be beer...


And seriously, Andy, that's absolutely incredible. I can't even articulate how impressed I am!!! :thumbup :hail :applause
 
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Before winter sets in, there is a bit of sanding to do, a little more rope work and then I'll apply a finish. As far as the construction goes, everything that will be done this year is done. Next year, I'll set my sights on the roof, which should be comparatively simple.
 
SalCal said:
Nice flush fit Andy! I have seen those little saws on some tv shows, but have not wielded one myself. Looks like it is very good in tiny quarters and odd angles. Awesome project, very well done :thumbup
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Thanks, Sallie.

That tool is one of those things that you look at and think it probably wouldn't work very well. Don't be fooled; the thing is amazing.
 
tzrider said:
Next year, I'll set my sights on the roof, which should be comparatively simple.
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just a multi gabled victorian / arts and crafts hybrid, interlocking with no fasteners, oh, and a skylight - - - a day or so's work


I kid - this structure is awesomely crafted
 
Have you been keeping a running tally of materials cost? Or is that TMI to ask...sometimes I have trouble with that. :laughing
 
Traq said:
Have you been keeping a running tally of materials cost? Or is that TMI to ask...sometimes I have trouble with that. :laughing
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Not to the penny, but I have a pretty good idea. I could confirm with receipts, but part of me doesn't want to know. :laughing

Lumber costs aren't too bad, but I have a heart attack every time I buy anything made of steel.
 
Knowing Andy, he's probably got a saw mill in the parts of these pictures that you can't see. He's out there chopping the trees down by hand (chainsaws are for pussies, right? :teeth ) and milling them himself. :laughing
 
tzrider said:
Not to the penny, but I have a pretty good idea. I could confirm with receipts, but part of me doesn't want to know. :laughing

Lumber costs aren't too bad, but I have a heart attack every time I buy anything made of steel.
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I was hoping you wouldn't answer that as a yes or no! :p
 
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