I believe I might have mentioned a barn door recently? Well, we didn’t do all that well documenting the door construction, but you’ll get the gist. We did get the Tractor Supply hardware we had mentioned before.

The CC basically took the same siding used on the treehouse and nailed it to a frame he built to size, so that when the door is open, it won’t cover the window strip.  Instead of using the brackets that came with the door hardware to hang the box rail, we mounted it onto our cantilevered beam that houses the bucket pulley.

The CC nailed up a couple of temporary support brackets to aid in installing the big beam that will house the hardware.

We mounted stops to keep it from sliding off into the forest….

We are still deciding about floor guides.

Having a proper door makes it feel much more cozy and homey inside…paint coming soon I hope!

Bad shot.  Inside view…a handle to slide it shut and the bottom beam wrapped in flashing….

We’ve been starting to add some more minor details to the lair……

Ahoy!!

Thing Two made his own sculpture that he wanted to incorporate into the treehouse, and by pure luck, it fit perfectly between the beams as a shelf.

Which now is home to his slingshots and ammo….

When the hammocks aren’t in use, they hang up in the corners.

We are slowly adding shelves to gain some much needed storage for the stuff they want up here.  We can’t let them keep snacks up here b/c the raccoons would break in and trash the place (our raccoons can remove bungee cords from garbage cans-crazy skills).  Bottles of water are OK though.  Games and other activities now have a place.  The fans hangs up high when not in use to keep it out of the way.

It always helps to keep track of time.

We are resisting any outer hardware for the barn door to give it more of a “secret door” feel…by putting your fingers in the grooves, you can pull open the door without hardware.

More shelves are going up, and hopefully we have time to paint inside soon before the weather turns cold.  For new readers, previous posts on the treehouse can be found here.

The hog panel railings are in, as is the handrail on the looong ladder.

We are debating the pipe finish.  I’m in the camp of letting it rust and age a bit, then clear coat to seal the patina.

So what does this milestone mean?  More than it looks like because now, I feel it’s OK for the Things to have friends come and play in the treehouse.  Without these key safety features, there had to be adult supervision for friends to climb up and check out the progress.

Railings = Freedom!

It wouldn’t be a proper structure without the bucket/pulley dealio, now would it?

Just in time for the weekend.  When their buddies come over, I’ll fill the bucket with their snacks so they can hoist them up for a feeding frenzy.

Again, the weather has been impeding our progress quite a bit, and this weekend was no exception. More rain, but we did manage a few steps forward.

There is now a proper roof in place, so we can officially stop worrying what all that rain is doing to our wood underlayment.

I think the only way I can get a decent distance shot of the treehouse roof is going to be to climb on the roof of our main house.  I think I’ll put that off until the final reveal if you don’t mind, so here’s your crummy visual obscured by foliage.  You’re welcome.

Nice clean edge with the flashing in place…oh, and did I mention we installed a skylight?  Here’s how it went down…..

While I would have preferred the cleaner look without them, structurally, the polycarbonate can’t span that long of a distance without supports…it’s too thin, so the CC notched in these aluminum support pieces.  Unobtrusive and functional.

We lined up the skylight with the window to give a sense of continuity. Another reason is simply safety.  When we enclose the bottom area, this side of the treehouse will host the ladder well, so natural light will be needed so you can see your way down into “the bunker.”

We can vouch for the performance of our new roof, as we were in the treehouse when another storm passed through, and we stayed nice and dry.

It may be noisy, but I am really enjoying the sound of rain on a metal roof.  I seriously doubt I would feel the same way in the middle of the night.

We have managed to ditch the camo cloak and get the plywood roofing finished and tar-papered…and…well, that’s about it.

The sun comes out during the week when there’s NO time to work on it…and buckets down just in time for Friday afternoon through Sunday.  Ah, Spring.

In the meantime, I try to dodge these little guys.  They like to fly right into your forehead, just to test your bladder control and ability to refrain shouting loud obscenities in front of your children.

Thing Two isn’t really bothered…this is his budding collection.

Chigger face morphed into chigger AND Poison Ivy torso…we now blame my tainted gloves.  FUN! While hunting for some new ones, I found these on sale at Target for $8.99.  They are super soft and awesome. It says out of stock online, but my local store had several pair left.

We are also thinking about all the communities along the Mississippi River who have been flooded, or will be in a few days…a link for donations to the Red Cross here.

Enter Camp Vågö.

When word got out this winter that the Ikea Vågö would be re-issued, I knew our outdoor firepit situation (version 1.0) was settled.  $25 each?  DONE and DONE.

An Atlanta trip was not in my game plan given our treehouse commitments, so we enlisted the dudes at ModernNash to do it for us.  Locals who may not be aware of this amazing service..take note…totally worth it.

While I still have visions of the CC casting a beautiful round firepit in concrete, that’s not happening right now, so a metal tree ring kit from Home Depot will have to do.  They come in sections..I got 3 to make a three foot wide ring.

I didn’t want to actually SEE this ring, so after digging out the pit, I piled river rock around the outside of it.  Since we burned through all the nice dry split wood in our log holder this winter, and we haven’t built a firewood shelter yet, (on the list) the wood that’s left is getting rained on, so we have to ring the fire with logs to dry them out a bit. At least now the ring is disguised inside and out.

Like the Things ash graffiti?

Camp Vågö was a huge hit with the whole family.  The deer came surprisingly close while we were chillin’ by the fire…we’re STILL waiting for the owl babes.  Lots of hooting, but no sighting yet.

While this area still leaves a lot to be desired….plans are to cover the fugly concrete wall with a custom built firewood wall, plus patio and pit upgrade…this was just the ticket for now, and we don’t have to wait another year to cook s’mores and the like over our crackling fire.

Cost Breakdown:

6 Ikea Vågö chairs $150

Tree Ring $19

River Rock $34

Stump Tables  FREE

The camo cloak held on through all the storms and winds..yeah, we were surprised too!

The sun did appear briefly Saturday giving us just enough time to put the front siding and window on.

First the flashing had to be installed between the house and the porch flooring.

Then, the polycarbonate window needed to be attached before the wood panels could go on.

First a bead of silicone caulk.

Then, once pilot holes are drilled so as not to split the polycarbonate, the wood panel is attached to secure the window into place.

We also got some plywood up on the roof, but did not have time to finish before the rain came again.  BTW, that plywood on the roof bit?  Biggest pain so far.  Climbing up and balancing yourself on the slant while trying to hammer?  Just plain annoying.  Almost done though.

Next steps?  After the plywood is in, there will be a layer of tar paper, then the corrugated metal roof with a polycarbonate skylight.  We are still deciding on screened window placement.  They will be installed differently, so can be done later.

I created a treehouse category, so if you’re new, you can catch up on the previous steps to this project here.

We started the weekend with our platform.  Now we needed walls…and a roof because there is more rain forecast, of COURSE.

Long way up..and down…

The walls were built on top of the platform, then tilted up and fastened/braced into place…barn-raising style.  Kinda made me feel like I should wear a funny hat and go churn some butter.

The Things stained the panels in the driveway, then we hauled them up to the platform to be nailed into the frame.  Twas a family affair.

and then there were two…..

..then three!!!  We got the third wall up Saturday afternoon late, and after the Things were asleep, we decided to have a little party for two out there, knowing we probably won’t be invited in much once it’s finished DESERVE it.

After egg hunting and other such activities, it was back to work…we needed a nice meal that wouldn’t require anyone to be in the kitchen all day, so we brought the kitchen out to us for dinner….

Now it’s time for the fourth wall, rafters, and a roof.  At least the fourth wall can have its panels nailed up vertically since we can stand on the porch section.  The frame for this last wall was assembled on the ground and hauled up.

Sorry, I can’t get good shots from a distance.  Everyday, the trees are leafing out more and more….

Then we ran out of time, so we secured a gigantic camo tarp over the whole structure to protect from the rain….it’s a classy touch that I know will be the envy of millions.  The rafters are slotted in, but not secured yet, so they are still a bit wonky.  Behold the camo cloak…….

This tarp says “Modernist, shmodernist.  This is Tennessee, dammit, and I’m here to keep it real y’all!”

We are tired and sore, but very pleased.  Weather permitting, we should be in good shape to make a lot of headway next weekend.

In between scary storms and wind events, I’ve been shoveling topsoil.  I mean, it wouldn’t be Spring at the Regal Beagle if I wasn’t shoveling something from a large pile that seems to have no bottom, now would it?  I’m leveling out some areas, and creating a few new beds for planting.

In between shoveling sessions, I help the CC with the treehouse. I’m on carry and assemble large pieces of wood duty, while he does everything else.  At one point, I felt like Thing Two, all excited that I got to finally NAIL something.

Today was all about the floor of the platform.

We were so excited about getting this bit done that we dragged a couple of chairs onto what will be the “porch” to get an idea what hanging out here will be like….we approve.

If you’re a G & T enthusiast, you might like to know that if you run out of cucumber for your beverage, parsley is a surprisingly tasty substitute…

SPRING!

Not really our fault….never is, is it?  Ha!  It’s always SOMETHING beyond your control that crops up…or, in our case, seeps in, that really makes everything just go all to hell.

Meet our hole full of water.

The ground water runs pretty close to the surface on this hill…BUT, the good news is, we can have a well here one day and be able to dig it ourselves!  Might be a nice thing to tap into for landscaping down here where hoses won’t reach.

The CC assures me this is all going to be OK from a going forward perspective…we don’t have to change sites, it’s just going to make things a much bigger pain in the ass.  Being the clever boy that he is, he devised some quick home made water bailing devices.  Below was the workhorse…

The posts were painted with roofing cement for an extra punch of protection against water and rot.

What would we do without levels?  Working on a slope for the first time was really a challenge…nothing that was level, LOOKED level….trees all bend slightly toward the sunlight and distort your sense of plumb.

Here is the portable workstation….

…that is shared by Thing Two.  There will be VERY IMPORTANT WORK done here.

We decided given the lack of large trees in the area we wanted to build, the persimmon tree was our best bet, but we decided against using it as a support post.   We are building the house so that the Persimmon is adjacent to the front “porch area” to be used for hijinks, like alternate transportation?  Not sure yet.

The view from the front of the treehouse will be this, but higher.  It will face the State Natural Area so they will feel like they are really in the wilderness…just 100 yards from the back door of home…

So what’s this place going to look like?  My previous ideas were restructured.  We decided that if we were going to make the effort, it needed to be something we could enjoy together.  Translation=adult height ceilings, and when the Things are off in college, maybe we can convert it to a pottery studio…SURELY I’ll have mastered the wheel by then!

I can only preface these images with a profuse apology.  I tried to learn Sketch Up over the holidays and got annoyed and walked away.  I tried again last night with the tree house and this was the best I could pull off so far.

I need to spend days on those tutorials to learn what I’m supposed to be doing rather than trying to wing it by instinct.  So, there is no grade of the hill here, or windows/ventilation yet, but I will try and work on it…there’s just not time right now, and our crazy drawings on graph paper are getting us through.  Our cost cutting inspiration was Stephen Atkinson‘s approach to designing his parents’ cabin…all standard lengths/widths to minimize waste and cutting.

We’ll see how we go…but, IT HAS BEGUN.

photos via Jenn Ski

Wexler House via Housepet via PSMod

Housepet’s patio, image by Housepet

I think a circular firepit should be worked into the plan as well, no?

What do we think Billy?

Will it Go Round in Circles?