Deck frame going up!

This weekend, a buddy of mine across the street volunteered to help with the building process. It was much appreciated (thanks, Jonathan!) as putting up the joists would have been a bear alone. He and I got plywood for the floor. I mis-calculated and was one sheet short. I had to take the kids back to HD. They are getting quite excited now that they can see the platform. Next is placing the plywood - tricky because I didn't check the diagonals on the deck frame, so I question how square it is. Hmmm...

New design - I like it

Well, after perusing the old design, I realized some limitations.

It would take a lot of bolts and braces for each tree.
it would be more complicated to build
it would necessitate a smaller tree house

I decided to deal with the size issue with increasing the support. I Added two beams each with 4x4 posts holding up either end of each beam. Yuck. Real treehouses aren't supported from the ground at all. Plus, that added to the complication expense and time, something I (and my wife) wasn't happy about.

My solution was to go with a simpler design that put one beam between the two trees and added two 4x4 posts to hold up the other end of the platform. see attached. I gave up the idea of sole support from the tree but I think it will be better.