Workin' on the rail...

We had a family project the other day. With the invaluable help of my wife and kids, we were able to build and paint the handrails on the deck. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun with my daughter screwing down the railing and my wife and son painting the rails. here is the result!

Back again

No I haven't been in hibernation since January. I have been occupied by many work and life experiences till now. During the summer, my father passed away after a long illness. I feel that the treehouse is a gift now to my kids so I can show them that I enjoy them as much as I enjoyed my dad.

During the spring I put on the roof with the help of my neighbor and Buddy, Johnathan across the street. we did it without breaking anything and a minimum of bruises. I then crawled up on the roof and laid out the tar paper. It was wobbly up there, so I will install the cedar shingles when i finish installing the siding on the walls.

Tree Party

The treehouse had some real action on Sunday. My son was turning six and we had a party for his friends at our house. After a time of sledding in our backyard, the kids repaired to the treehouse and busied themselves running back and forth, throwing snow around, going up and down the stairs and hauling things up and down in the bucket. It was great to see them using the treehouse as I had hoped!

treehouse in snow

We got five inches of snow last night, so after I cleared the cars and woked n the driveway with my wife, my daughter and I checked out the treehouse (still standing!) I shoveled off some snow to take the strain off. Here ae some pictures. y daughter's in the 1st one. Boy, are we cold!

All decked out...

Thanks to a VERY generous contribution by my in-laws Mr. and Mrs. Schubert (thanks Bo and Blythe!), I was able to get my deck built. After much hemming and hawing, I went for Trex planks (made of recycled plastic and sawdust). They may be more expensive, but they are more durable than regular wood (25-year guarantee) and don't produce toxic splinters like pressure-treated wood. I took the precaution of finishing a temporary railing all around the deck.

Installing it was an ordeal. The packaging recommended screwing it directly into place with special screws. After stripping four screws, I started pre drilling the holes with two bits (a long one for the shaft and a short one for the countersink). I then proceded to drop the chuck key into the leaves under the deck. After two trips to the hardware store (the first time the chuck key I bought was too small), I was back on the deck. The only other mishap was when I slipped on a piece of temporary deck flooring and started to fall through! Fortunately I grabbed the temporary railing and stayed aboard! Anyway, here are some pix of the deck.

First, you have to get IN the treehouse...

Just a note on the steps. So far, the steps have been the trickiest part of the treehouse building process. My first version was badly slanted and not especially secure (a fact I found up when I began hauling equipement up them). I tried re-do some of the stairs. Not that it easy to do, as the ladder weighs a ton and wrestling it into position is dicey with that weight.

After doing some quick web research, I decided the easiest approach was to build them in place. So, I tore down the old one and installed two slanted 2x8" lengths of PT wood (beveled on the feet). Once in place, it was a simple matter to cut the trends to fit and place them singly. (although I noticed when I was done that the bottom tread is inch and a 1/4" wider than the top tread, so much for parallel sides!)

Now we are getting somewhere!

After conferring with my wife and kids. I tweaked my building plan to allow safe access to the treehouse. I did this by nailing up 2 x4s inside the house to form temporary railings. I also closed off the deck portion for now (no decking) and re-built the ladder not once but twice! I also added a pulley and bucket for the kids. They like it so far. Check out the pictures.