Posted: January 12th, 2012 | Filed under: DIY, Just for fun, Our Projects, Treehouse | Tags: Blog birthday, diy treehouse, master bedroom, Modern treehouse | 4 Comments »
As promised, I’ll try and summarize what happened around the ranch this past year and see where we’re headed for 2012.
Recaps for previous years here: Year One, Year Two
Around the house:
We got rid of the dining room chair rail.
I built a temporary patio/firepit.
I made an ass for myself.
Hosted a huge Halloween Party.
We’re always switching things around in the furniture department.
I seemed to cook a lot of food this year.
We contemplated chickens, but opted instead for a puppy.
I talked about my bedroom wishes (NOT THOSE) but didn’t follow up. I did indeed buy that Home Depot drop cloth after all, so now my mattress on the floor issue is gone. Yay for $30 solutions! I also got new night tables off Craigslist I never showed you.
Otto has decided he must be the supermodel of all my interior shots….every time I’d try and take a photo, he’d settle himself right into the shot.
Yes, that is the Monopoly Man trophy you see. I NEVER win, but managed to pull one out over the holidays so it’s finally my turn to proudly house the trophy…until I lose the next game.
Elsewhere:
We had a big travel year, and while in New England, I had my heart broken at Brimfield. I seem to have better luck within my budget on my local flea excursions.
We hit up the local Rennaisance Fayre.
Had a big sale.
Doesn’t look like we got a whole lot done compared to past years. But it felt like a busy year…oh yeah, WE BUILT A TREEHOUSE!!!! And it took a long time.
We still haven’t painted the interior, and are beginning to wonder if we really need to. I realized after the leaves fell that I could finally get some decent shots of it so you can see how it relates to the house a bit better.
In summer, the treehouse is almost completely obscured by foliage….but now, it’s quite naked!
The sleeping bunker/level two building plans are on hold to address some more pressing needs around the ranch. Namely a pantry, to keep the dog out of the foodstuffs, and if all goes well, a real bathtub. I always thought we’d do the half bath first, but the lack of proper bathtub in the house is starting to become more and more important to both of us. The CC has been playing soccer on weekends and as he limps home stiff and sore…he’s starting to want a good soak as badly as I do. Time and money will tell. I’ve been pinning ideas for it here.
As for which outlet I should choose to sell my finds? There’s pros and cons to all of them and if I can manage it, a hybrid of the options might be best. Maybe an Etsy shop for smalls and E-bay for big pieces? We’ll see…I’ve actually been pretty busy this winter redoing some dining chair sets for other people. Once I get my last set finished and out the door..it’s time to start selling again. Hope everyone is looking forward to a good 2012…I love the optimism January’s clean slate can bring.
Posted: September 21st, 2011 | Filed under: Building Materials, DIY, Our Projects, Treehouse | Tags: diy barn door, DIY modern treehouse, T-111 sliding door | 3 Comments »
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.
Posted: September 18th, 2011 | Filed under: DIY, Lighting, Our Projects, Treehouse | Tags: DIY paper pendant light, fishscale pendant light, paper disco ball | 7 Comments »
I wanted to make an inexpensive pendant for the treehouse to give it a little extra special umph. While I liked the look of these projects, I wanted them to be slightly tweaked….
via Zipper 8 Lighting
Same principle here, but too feminine for my Things.
So I thought smaller, tighter circles might give it more of a fishscale over floral vibe…so I punched out LOTS of little circles…this was just the beginning.
Gluing. Small circles. For FIVE AND A HALF HOURS. Taking into account the breaks taken to feed people and other tasks…it took me WAY longer than I thought it would. Just as well I love these little people.
Speaking of, Thing One helped me with the design. He requested a stripe scenario with the silver at “the equator” of our globe, so I like to think I took direction well.
I might have opted for a solid, or an ombre effect, but this is their lamp and I want them to have input and ownership over their space, so stripe it is! I started to worry that using card stock would block too much light, but I wanted the stiffness of the heavier paper and decided to risk it.
Well, once I hung it…it looks kinda like a disco ball! Oops…or not!? Hey-o! Things like to disco!
It is not really bright enough for general lighting, but it is really great mood lighting/nightlight which might work out perfectly here. There are other lanterns and such in here….
Of course, right when I finished, SFAS aired and I saw Orb-lando’s DIY wire pendant and well, that would look so much better in here. THANKS Orlando. I was happily discoed for a few hours. We’ll see what the Things say on the matter.
BTW, I am really digging season 2…loving her vintage choices, and well, everything else. I’m so pleased to see a show like hers doing well. Long may it last.
Where was I? Yes. We have a lamp that looks like a disco ball!
Next on the horizon? Well, things are heating up around here….barn door installation, The Flea next weekend, and THE SALE…and all the prep leading up to said event. I’ve got to start shooting items for your previewing pleasure!
Posted: June 17th, 2011 | Filed under: Building Materials, DIY, Our Projects, Treehouse | Tags: diy treehouse, hog panel railings, Modern treehouse, plumbing pipe railings | 8 Comments »
Safety first kids….er, um, in our case, almost dead last. At least we got there, right? RIGHT.
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.
Posted: June 8th, 2011 | Filed under: DIY, Our Projects, Treehouse | Tags: diy treehouse, Modern treehouse, shed roof treehouse | 25 Comments »
I know, I’ve been super lame-o with posting, but what else is new? School is finally out and all that craziness leading up to the big LAST DAY had us a bit busy.
We worked really hard over Memorial Day weekend to get the treehouse in sleepover condition, and we did it. Barely. This does not mean we are finished by ANY means, but it does mean that you can hang out in there without getting attacked by cicadas and mosquitoes. The last steps in bug proofing were to screen the ventilation gaps between the roof supports and the dormer over the screened door.
The CC then added weather stripping all around the screened door, and started caulking every. single. join. Don’t believe me? Check the fastidiousness of his entomophobic work.
He’s not done yet, but he managed to finish the most important places. I was rendered speechless when I realized why it was taking him so long to caulk the ventilation area. Dude is serious.
Come sleepover time, it was a tight squeeze, but all 4 of us managed to get some air mattress space on the floor with just enough clearance for the door to open. We don’t want to build bunks up here since we’ll have the “sleeping bunker” once the bottom is done. When it’s just the 2 of them, they have hammocks they can choose to sleep in, or just use for lounging.
We even decided to get a fan going to keep us more comfortable. We hung it in front of the window to bring in the cooler night air. When the Things saw our new addition, they said “Cool! Air conditioning!” Not quite kiddies, but this is glamping after all.
Given the floor is a bit mucky from all the dirt, despite multiple sweepings, I threw down a canvas drop cloth as some sloppy wall to wall carpeting to keep our stuff clean.
What’s left to do? A lot more than you’d think.
Porch railings. We have some hog panel left that we will use. We plan to have a barn door that will slide and lock over the screened one. We’ll just get some inexpensive hardware from Tractor Supply.
I also plan to re-do the screen door so that it has horizontal slats going all the way up over the dormer to the top. This is the way it came off the shelf. Blech.
Add trim around the inside windows, build shelves in between the studs for both structural support and general usefulness. The CC has to finish that anal caulking…and paint! LOTS of paint. Part of me is fine leaving it natural inside, but it will be easier to keep clean if it’s painted. We won’t start to build the bottom level until it cools off in the fall. It’s officially sticky out now. We’re getting there though.
Posted: May 24th, 2011 | Filed under: Landscaping, Our Projects, Treehouse | Tags: diy treehouse, Modern treehouse, treehouse landscape | Comments Off
I created a path leading to the front of the treehouse this weekend….it required VERY CAREFUL bushwacking with lots of repellent and immediate showering with copious amounts of tea tree soap.
Until now, we have taken a short cut coming in from the left, but it’s steep there and a bit hazardous when muddy. We are used to it, but our future visitors might be annoyed. Nothing like biting it on a muddy slope to brighten your day….
I need to cut through the old railroad tie to create an official opening from the main trail, but I’m skeered of chainsaws, so I have to wait for the CC on that one. I have found my appendages to be quite useful over the years…I know, so selfish.
