Hoisting the first beam

The heaviest beam went up first- 14 feet overall. The double section was needed because of the tree shapes- a straight beam would not have worked. You can see one of the tree brackets attached to the tree already.

Second beam being attached

The lefrt corner of the platform would be free-standing once completed. For now, a 4x4 post to the ground would be needed to hold up that corner of the platform.

Third beam in place.

Taking a break before the fourth beam goes up.

Fourth beam gets bolted into place.

Now that the platform is getting more stable, I will let Alex help. Hey- it IS his treehouse after all.

Walls and roof are up

The windows all came from the scrap yards of various window & door companies locally. Recycling materials helped keep the costs more reasonable.

Side view- note the unique roof slope.

The roof begins with a 12-12 pitch at one end, sloping to 12-3 at the other end. This made for a very "unique" roof slope. It also meant that each rafter had to be measured and cut individually.

Porch end view

The first exterior finish work is completed. The siding used was recycled cedar shingles- weathered, moss covered and a perfect siding material. A local roofing contractor delivered a whole dump truck full for free.

This is what its all about.

Kendall shows her approval for the work to date. Railings are in now on the porch, and the staircase is as well.

Side view with shingle siding.

Notice how well this blends in with the trees.

A few changes made along the way.

A smaller window was found for this side, and framing revised accordingly. This also shows the suspension cable that holds up the free-standing corner of the building.

Suspension cable detail

The cable is 3/8 inch 1x19 stainless steel cable from a sailboat rigging shop. Rated breaking load is 17,000 pounds- well above our load. The heavy green rope is a 2 inch ship docking line I picked up at a nearby building salvage yard.

Electrical connection detail

Waterproof flex conduit was used to connect the treehouse to a nearby outbuilding. One 20 amp breaker was added to the wellhouse panel and the line run up inside the flex conduit.

Stair case view

Picture taken from a convenient perch on the scaffolding.

Another staircase view...

this one from the porch.

Distance shot.

Nearing completion of the exterior.

Closeup from the same angle.

Look closely in the bottom right corner. The straight section of the stairs floats here on a platform tied to the next tree that the rest of the staircase spirals around.

Another side view.

This side (south) got a garden window. It fit neatly under the eaves and gives a great view to the south. All windows are double pane and open for summer ventilation.

Garden window from the inside.

You can see some of the framing details here. No the lens distortion isn't that great- the wall really are that crooked- on purpose. Each wall is out of plumb by at least 6 inches and half are also warped by the same 6 inches. This makes framing rather difficult, but not impossible as you can see.

View out the door.

Notice that he framing here changed from the original opening. We found a different door in the "boneyard" and so the change was made. While the wall is out of plumb, the door is not, so that it would swing correctly. The switches are for inside and outside lights.