Drigot John - Build a treehouse!: 12 treetop retreats for your kids

BLACK&DECKER
The Complete Guide

Philip Schmidt

Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.creativepub.com

Copyright 2007
Creative Publishing international, Inc.
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
1-800-328-3895
www.creativepub.com
All rights reserved

Printed in China

Digital edition: 978-1-6167-3315-5.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress
Cataloging in Publication on file

President/CEO: Ken Fund

Home Improvement Group

Publisher: Bryan Trandem
Senior Editor: MarkJohanson
Managing Editor: Tracy Stanley

Senior Design Manager: Brad Springer
Design Managers: Jon Simpson, Mary Rohl
Production Artist: Dave Schelitzche

Director of Photography: Tim Himsel
Lead Photographer: Steve Galvin
Photo Coordinators: Julie Caruso, Joanne Wawra
Shop Manager: Randy Austin

Production Managers: Laura Hokkanen, Linda Halls

Author: Philip Schmidt
Project Designer: John Drigot
Page Layout Artist: Kari Johnston
Illustration: Jon Simpson
Photographer: Joel Schnell

THE COMPLETE GUIDE - BUILD YOUR KIDS A TREEHOUSE
Created by: The Editors of Creative Publishing international, Inc., in cooperation with Black & Decker.
Black & Decker is a trademark of The Black & Decker Corporation and is used under license.

NOTICE TO READERS

For safety, use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described in this book. The publisher and Black & Decker cannot assume responsibility for any damage to property or injury to persons as a result of misuse of the information provided. The techniques shown in this book are general techniques for various applications. In some instances, additional techniques not shown in this book may be required. Always follow manufacturers safety warnings and instructions included with products. Deviation from the directions may create injury exposure and void warranties. The projects in this book vary widely as to skill levels required. Some may not be appropriate for all do-it-yourselfers, and some may require professional help. Consult your local building department for information on building permits, codes, and other laws as they apply to your project.

Contents

Humans are instinctively domestic. From the first months of life we begin building our own special places for play and hiding out. Starting with blankets hung from furniture, you work up to a decorated refrigerator box, then on to outdoor forts made of scrap wood and tarps. Next thing you know, your secret lair for hunkering down is a centrally heated great room with cream carpeting. Comfy, sure, but not the kind of environment that stirs the imagination. And definitely not a treehouse.

A treehouse is the ultimate un-house. For kids, its a room that never has to be cleaned. A place for muddy shoes and bug jars and a pock-etknife stuck into the wall. A house that you can paint whenever and however you want, without gaining approval. For adults, its a room that never has to be cleaned, a place for muddy shoes and...well, you get the idea. But best of all a treehouse is up in a tree. And thats just cool.

Theres a unique feeling you get simply being off the ground supported by a natural structure that grew there. It brings out your animal senses and makes you satisfied just listening to the breezes or studying an insect making its way up the bark. You are lord over all you survey, yet you are welcome to nap at your leisure. Perched and secluded, you are free of terrestrial cares, answering only to the open sky.

Sound good? Then lets get started. This book walks you through the whole process. First youll select a tree (or trees). Dont worry if your yard isnt blessed with the perfect specimen; theres help for the arbore-ally challenged. Moving on to the design phase, youll consider the optionsgiving the tree a healthy saythen scratch your head and forge your dreams into a workable plan. Then, after a brief safety lesson, youll harness up, tie off, and start swinging hammers (not saws). Soon your dream house will be under your feet, or above your head, depending on your position.

Dont forget that building a treehouse is a great project for sharing with kids, no matter who plans to use the finished product. Kids are also more likely to enjoy a house if they helped with creating it. In todays hands-off world of outsourcing, its a great opportunity for them to learn some basic construction skills.

So, what are you waiting for? Get up there!

Special bonus: Six complete treehouse plans. See .

Portfolio of Treehouses

Just as no two trees are exactly alike, no two treehouses are precisely the same in every detail. In fact, youll find as much if not more variety among houses in trees as youll find among the trees themselves. This diversity of design has a lot to do with diversity of builders. Treehouses tend to inspire our innate creativity and grant us license to have fun in a way that terrestrial houses and garages dont. On the following few pages youll find a stunning portfolio that is a testament to the diversity and creativity that surround the treehouse. From bright and whimsical to subdued and relaxed, youll find a wealth of themes, motifs, styles and ideas that will inform and inspire you in your treehouse pursuit.

The bigger the tree the more options youll have for designing and attaching a treehouse. Here, a colorful lookout tower with a ramp and climbing net simply piggybacks onto one side of a mature oak tree.

Vibrant colors and fun shapes add whimsy and playfulness to this treehouse, which also features a unique limb penetration through a sidewall

Treehouses and spaceships often share some design features, contributing to the out-of-this-world appeal of a fort in the trees. Despite appearances, the structure beneath this treehouse is a shed, not an outhouse. (But if it were an outhouse, note that the builder sited it, appropriately, beneath the treehouse, not above it.)