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Work at the Horseheads treehouse site resumed Monday, and from here we take it with just a few interruptions until this pirate ship is set to sail.
The first task was to start assembling the hull, at once a simple and surprisingly challenging effort. One of the innovations we came up with to create an authentic look was to use standard pine 1×3 boards and assemble the hull one course at a time. Early June was spent priming, painting and repainting the boards until they had a thick black waterproof coat. Then the boards were custom cut to match the length and angle of the side posts, as well as the natural curve that happen when the hull pulls together at the bow. In the end, we had the look we hoped for. Our new pirate ship had a weathered hull rich in shadow lines and curved to break the waves Jack will imagine he braves on his own open sea.
Recurring summer thunderstorms and a day off at the site to mark Ed’s birthday took a bite out of the week, but the lower hull took form and a good portion of the middle layer – including the rise at front and rear and a sidestep around one of two tree branches that penetrate the cabin – was put in place. When work begins next week, it’s time to skin the cabin and start putting together the trim that will give this pirate ship its final stamp of character. Well, maybe not final stamp, since we still have two masts to set and some rigging to raise. It’s getting to be fun time. Who wouldn’t love this?
I can’t wait to hear what the neighbors say in autumn, when the tree drops its canopy and a completed pirate ship emerges from its green shroud. Jack will own the neighborhood.
On Monday, the first sheets of three-quarter inch plywood made it up into the Ithaca treehouse platform.
This treehouse is about 240 square feet, about half of which is interior space. In that area, the sub floor will be exposure-1 grade plywood to which I add an extra coat of soy-based wood sealer. Ultimately, when the treehouse is built and interior finishes are made, the floor will get another layer on top of the plywood. Until then, the plywood offers a strong platform to work on and serves as a great way to stiffen and reinforce the deck structure. The sheets, made from five layers of thinner wood cemented together with water-resistant glue, are a bit heavy to lift, but nothing a one-person operation can’t handle. Once in place, they readily define the size and shape of the interior space, something that until now has only existed in imagination and as a rope outline on the homeowner’s back lawn.
Colleen and Katie, two teenage sisters and writers who will use the Ithaca treehouse as an artists retreat, make their first visit to the deck.
The firm footing also allowed for the first trip into the platform by the girl’s who will call this treehouse a second home. As a design-builder, I’ve had the view from the platform in my mind’s eye – or in my view as I walked along beams and joists – for many months. When each girl straightened up after coming off the ladder and looked around, you could see the view finally become real in her eyes. Aside from feeding your family and getting to spend most of your time outdoors, these moments are the payoff for a life spent building things.
Tuesday and parts of Wednesday and Friday were spent applying water-repellent sealer to the Douglas firs that will make the deck surface. Although it carries only a two-year guarantee, I use Soy Guard sealer as opposed to other, stronger chemical cocktails available at most stores. Soy Guard is ultra-low in volatile organic compounds, and is non-toxic during application and use. Spread over wood under the sun, the sealer smells like a fresh batch of French fries, and it all cleans up with soap and water. It’s even made in the United States from locally grown soybeans. Although it does require an hour or so every few years to apply a recoat, the benefits of cleaner production and no environmental toxins are more than worth the modest extra effort on upkeep.
After the weekend, I head back to Horseheads for a few weeks to bring Capt. Jack’s pirate ship out of dry dock and make her ready to sail.
Although high winds and other storms roared through the area a few times and cut work in the tree off for the day – just an faint echo of the power the same storms unleashed on the Midwest — it was a good week on the Ithaca project.
With deck joists assembled above the treehouse foundation, the Ithaca project takes on a new look.
As any builder will tell you, there are times when you spend days breaking your back and nothing you do looks like much to the outside world. I spent years working for Paco Pools on New York’s Long Island doing custom in-ground swimming pool construction, and no one ever knew how much planning, sweat and polish went into the plumbing trenches we buried before we were all done. It always looked like it did before we came, except pumps, filters and computers could now move water to and from dozens of spots — not that anybody could see that while the landscapers were busy covering any hint we were there.
Conversely, there are times when everything you do jumps out as a great leap forward. They’re sweet times for a builder. All the “oohs” and “aahs” are great for the ego.
The first week of June was the first big ego boost in Ithaca. What began the week as a few tree trunks with some big hunks of wood hanging seemingly at random at different heights and angles, ended the week as a clearly defined, square and level platform in and among the tree. The two girls who will inherit this creation could walk out and point to where the bridge would land, where the deck will hang over the pond’s edge, and where their sleeping loft will soon be. The older sister admitted it was the first time she let herself believe it will all actually happen.
Of course, there are always challenges. Beyond just the weather, working in and around 11 trunks requires lots of custom measurements and careful carpentry. Patience is the key. The tree has been there a long time, and we’re asking a bit of it by putting a home in its branches. The least we can do is be patient while it explains a few details it wants added to the plan. Look, listen, learn and adapt; good advice on any project, and a survival skill when building in a living tree.
