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Every project has milestones, those little moments that are naturally followed by a silent glance and broad smile as a complex system becomes a single complete unit.
Fully installed and trimmed, the rear deck of the treehouse looks ready for Adirondack chairs and iced tea.
Such is the case with the treehouse platform. While the signature of the professionally built treehouse is often the creativity and whimsy that shines from the structure, some of the most challenging and unique work occurs before house, rails and bridges are ever formed. The treehouse platform is, literally, the foundation of the entire project; and that foundation is utterly unlike anything any other builder faces. The platform must be sound, must be solid enough not to make occupants dive for something to hold on to, and must be engineered to handle all the forces that gravity and wind can deliver. More bolts and more attachments are not always an option, and everything from the first design sketch to the final saw cut must reflect that we are in a living host – one that must continue to thrive or all our dreams tumble to the ground.
The portion of the platform covered with exterior-grade plywood will be inside the future treehouse.
For a relatively modest treehouse in terms of square footage, the Ithaca treehouse platform offered some grand challenges. Twelve trunks that vary from 8 inches to 20-plus inches in diameter at platform height had to be worked with and around. Some of those trunks have considerable lean, and all black willow trunks have a natural eagerness to shed wind by bending in the breeze. We had to deliver the size and the spaces the girls who will inherit this place dreamed of, and we had to make sure everyone – girls and tree – will grow together as partners for years to come.
So Wednesday, when it was time for that silent glance and broad smile, the silence and the smile lasted a little longer than usual.
Deck boards are carefully trimmed to allow trunks and cables to pass through.
The platform, about 240 square feet including interior and outdoor deck space, was balanced, strong and beautiful. The two-tiered support system recommended by project engineer Charlie Greenwood showed all the strength and flexibility we will need, and was pretty neat to look at when you walk up to the site. Glulam girders from nearby Unalam Products and those black locust beams we got from the Locust Lumber Co. look unstrained by the deck structure above. The platform surface, particularly the Douglas fir boards that make up the exterior decking, feels strong to the feet and looks light to the eyes, a good formula for relaxation in a treehouse. All of this, of course, is riding atop a combination of industry-standard Garnier limbs purchased from the master Michael Garnier himself, and some heavy-duty GLs produced by fellow treehouse builder Dan Wright.
One fringe benefit of a well-designed treehouse platform -- they're pretty neat to look at from below.
As a designer/builder, it’s just wonderful to stand there and see it all work together so well. As a person, it’s even more wonderful to stand on the platform and think of none of it – just enjoy the breeze and the view and begin to feel the magic that only sweeps in when we come off the ground to meet it.
After a few days for office, design and purchasing work, it will be time to create the treehouse itself. Walls will be constructed on the ground and lifted into place, the latter being perhaps the most exciting day of any treehouse project.
Stay tuned.
When builders and designers talk about load, it’s usually in terms of pounds and how it can be borne. Rarely will a phone call change the math.
A local extension specialist and the project arborist agree, a fungus -- venturia saliciperda -- behind some leaf and shoot loss represents no long-term threat to our host tree.
But that’s just what happened Thursday, when a phone call from the local Cooperative Extension office reached the job site and took a big load off our minds.
After some examination and lab testing, the culprit causing the browning willow leaves and blackened shoot tips turned out to be a fungus – venturia saliciperda. Our guest can be an aesthetic annoyance for sure, but offers no threat to tree structure or long-term health. Turns out the extension has been watching a few related funguses this year, some of which affect fruit crops. This spring’s mild temperatures and damp weather were perfect for getting the spores aloft at just the right time, so a number of area tree species are showing some mild ill effects. It’s an atypical outbreak, the extension specialist said, and dry weather next year could put the fungus back in its usual under-the-radar place.
There are some ways we can help, and we’ll be working with ISA certified project arborist Mark Scibilia-Carver to put together a strategy for maximum tree health. Steps will include a thorough raking of the area this fall to remove infected leaves, a careful pruning of any dead or dying branches to reduce exposure for the tree next spring, and possibly special feeding for the tree to promote strong growth next season.
As for now, construction continues, and we all feel a little lighter today.
After days of drawing and examining, it was nice to break out the saws and the screwdrivers again.
Tools, trees and lots of sunshine. This is the life.
Although planning for the house itself occupied the first part of the week, there’s still some decking to lay down before the platform can be called complete.
Decking, as most carpenters can attest, is a game for strong backs and good knees. Most builders mitigate the strain by doing lots of cut work at an ergonomic prefab station, and by using special equipment or hordes of young helpers to secure the decking in place. When working 15 feet off the ground – not to mention working a herringbone deck around lots of tree trunks – those strategies are of limited use. A good number of the deck boards required careful custom cuts, so success means investing some sweat to do the job.
Deck boards are given a rough cut as they fit around trunks that pass through the treehouse platform. A pass with a jig saw will clean these edges and insure enough space for tree growth and movement.
Friday and Saturday were days of investment, but the dividends are easy to see. As the Douglas fir deck wraps around trunks, support cables and treehouse corners, it’s pink-orange glow and long diagonal lines transform the mood and the view. What once looked like a perch now feels like a floor. Pond, wildflowers and woods once removed from the platform now appear to be greeted and invited in by a herringbone pattern that makes a modest 12-foot wide rear deck feel much wider. The view off the rear deck will alone be worth the whole effort, and a Doug fir and stainless steel cable rail system that will be installed later will make it a safe and an easy view to see.
With some of the day Friday dedicated to office business matters, I extended the week into a good working Saturday. Progress is careful, and at times slow, but the product is what matters most. With some additional work on the deck early next week, including a fresh coat of sealer to protect it from whatever fungus is annoying the tree, this phase will come to a close. After that, it’s time to purchase materials and start building the walls that will be hoisted into place to form the treehouse itself.
This really is a fun job.
This may sound silly to some, but when I begin planning for a treehouse I make a deal with the host: If it will be so patient and generous as to carry this new load, we’ll offer it lots of joy and our sincere dedication. That last one means we become committed to the tree’s overall health – both in how we design the treehouse and how we react when it faces challenges, even if we didn’t raise them.
Thursday, nature called our hand.
Leaves and shoots on our host black willow have developed brown and black spots. ISA arborist Mark Scibilia-Carver has been called in to help, and tests to determine the nature of the blight should be back in a few days.
Returning to the site for work for the first time since early July, it was easy to notice something was out of place. Even though August temperatures hovered around 85 at midday, the ground was covered with dry brown leaves. Many still on our host black willow, as well as four others nearby, showed brown and black spots. Small green shoots, the kind willows love to send out everywhere, where curled and black at the end. Even the exposed plywood subfloor, which had been treated and sealed to prevent water penetration, had turned black. The tree looked otherwise fine, and still had lots of green leaves, but it was no time for assumptions about health. It was time to honor our commitment.
Shortly after 1 p.m. I called the ISA certified arborist who is working with me on this project, Mark Scibilia-Carver of Treetops Tree Service. He was at the site by 4:30 p.m., taking leaf and shoot samples and inspecting the tree. After heading home to consult some reference materials, he called me around dinnertime and said he had a theory. Unusually damp summer weather had triggered a fungus attack, although exactly which one and exactly what course of treatment might be needed will need some lab work. The good news, Mark said, is that the tree looks healthy and most blights of this type tend to be seasonal maladies that offer no long-term threat to the tree.
At Mark’s suggestion, I brought some samples to the local Cornell Cooperative Extension office. As the state’s Ag college, Cornell offers a broad menu of services, including analysis of tree blights. We’re hoping for word back early this coming week. We’ll figure out what we need to do, if anything, after we get the verdict of science.
As attention returned to the Ithaca treehouse project, it was time to re-examine some of our early decisions based on a range of new options available to us.
As originally conceived, the Ithaca treehouse platform included a small outdoor deck on one side (lower side here) and a house that extended slightly beyond two trunks on the opposite side.
Early design sketches, as all good treehouse plans, were based first upon what the tree would allow. Careful measurements were taken, basic engineering assumptions were factored in, and then that range of options was presented to the girls who will occupy this retreat for the soul. What came out in the end was a mix of all those factors, and had all the hallmarks of a wonderful retreat above the ground.
One thing did change, however, since those original ideas were formulated – Charley Greenwood worked his magic.
After review and recommendation from treehouse engineer Charley Greenwood, the platform could expand slightly on the deck and house sides, as well as wrap around the trunks on both sides that now carry support girders.
Charley, an engineer and developer of everything from unconventional vehicles to his own house in the trees of the Pacific Northwest, became a pioneer in treehouse engineering thanks to his association with treehouse legend Michael Garnier. When a fabulous treehouse went up at Michael’s Out-n-About resort in Takilma, Oregon a few decades ago, some local officials balked. Too much was simply unquantified and therefore, to planners and inspectors, unknown about treehouses. In stepped Charley, who brought an engineer’s mind and an artist’s soul to the problem and began a career that spawned materials (including the now famous Garnier Limb), procedures and guidelines that helped create the modern treehouse movement.
To my great pleasure, Charley is the consulting engineer on all new Peacemaker Treehouses projects.
Charley’s review of the Ithaca treehouse plans added several structural reinforcements and safety features. He also added a trio of support girders under the original planned platform beams which opened up all sorts of new design possibilities. By bringing two new trunks into the support system and shortening the clear span of the existing planned beams, the treehouse could now cantilever slightly more at front and rear, and expand to wrap around trunks on both sides that used to be outside the scope of the foundation. The added deck space meant the treehouse could not just have a little more room, but a radically different entrance and some extra elbowroom in the second-floor sleeping loft.
The old design featured two shed-style roofs for a modern mood, and lots of sit-outs - including one for the cats - to boost interior space.
A quick drawing shows how an expanded second floor, a new roofline and the elimination of all but one sit-out can add space and alter the feel without increasing the structure significantly.
With these new options on the table, I set to building the new, stronger and roomier foundation Charley suggested while Katie and Colleen let their imaginations work wonders. When the ladies and I were done talking and sketching, gone was the floor entrance, and in came a front entrance and small deck landing on the southwest side of the treehouse. Gone went the kneeling-room-only sleeping loft, and in came a taller and slightly wider second floor that extends past the first floor on one side and will have enough room for a fold-out bed. The added width on the second floor and extra room the expanded platform offered triggered a review of the roof shape and style, as well as an abandonment of several window “sit outs” that were being used to create a larger interior feel. That switch, as well as a switch to vertically oriented windows that fit between studs, significantly strengthens the treehouse against shear forces. All the changes now increase the overall vertical feel of the treehouse, a feel we’ll now work to accentuate with siding materials and trim styles rather than moderate with longer rooflines and horizontal elements.
Yes, it was a fun few days filled with energy and eraser dust.
In the end we did a few quick drawings to show outlines; did a driving tour to scout colors, materials and textures; and took a site tour to get a good look at how it all fits in with the tree. By Wednesday, the revamped Ithaca treehouse was a shared dream. Now, it’s time to make that dream real.
Treehouses are hard to keep quiet. Whether through word of mouth or mass media, people love to share the news of something that’s at once so loved and yet so uncommon.
Capt. Jack Bond smiles as he enters his treehouse and thousands of area homes on the cover of Elmira's Star-Gazette.
Since work started in Ithaca and Horseheads shortly after Peacemaker Treehouses was created, neighbors and passers-by have been stopping at the job sites for a closer look. In Ithaca, one man with deep roots in the neighborhood has taken to bringing visitors over for guided progress updates — with the blessing of the family, of course. In Horseheads, dog walkers and other curious folks used to stop along the street to watch construction and talk about the ship in the tree a few hundred feet away. The spring bloom put and end to that, for now, but community interest in the Bond’s pirate ship treehouse stayed strong all summer.
In late July and early August, that community interest reached a peak with a front-page story in the local Gannett newspaper. Veteran reporter and columnist Jim Pfiffer of the Elmira Star-Gazette wrote about the boy who will captain this tree-borne pirate ship, and the boy inside the journalist who wishes he had his own place in the trees. Jim captured the spirit nicely, and the July 30 publication in Gannett’s first newspaper triggered the busiest day for my Web site, www.peacemakertreehouses.com, and for this blog. A few days later, on Aug. 3, the Star-Gazette featured Jim’s column and some great photos on the cover of its Southern Finger Lakes free weekly publication. Web and blog activity spiked again.
To read Jim Pfiffer’s column, click here
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The only thing better than one front-page story, is two.
Thanks to Jim and the Star-Gazette for helping spread the word, and to all of you who’ve shared these projects with me through the Web site and this blog. Treehouses are almost as fun to write about as they are to build, and I’m happy to be able to offer some words and images to help take you all along for the ride.
Be well, and check back often as the Ithaca treehouse continues to grow, new projects develop and Peacemaker Treehouses continues to make the news.
For those of you following along, the Horseheads project — a wonderful pirate ship treehouse designed to fulfill a father’s promise to his son — is now complete.
After a few days of office work, and some redesign exploration to see if we can add a few square feet to the sleeping loft, work on the Ithaca treehouse resumes later this week. Check back for more blog entries and lots of photos as this project shifts into high gear.
The sound of drills, saws and hammers stopped at the Bond’s treehouse site mid last week, but the activity is just getting started.
The Bond's pirate ship treehouse has set sail for adventure.
On Sunday I stopped by to get a round of final pictures for the pirate ship treehouse photo gallery (you can see the entire Horseheads treehouse photo gallery by clicking here, or by going through my Web site, www.peacemakertreehouses.com) and the new addition to the backyard maple tree already looks like part of the family fabric. Jack, the 9-year-old force behind the project, has added a few of his own touches – from a hammock in the captain’s cabin to a bucket on a rope tied to the rail to make hauling water balloons up to the deck a little easier. Ed finished the rigging and made some adjustment to the rope ladder, while the whole clan works on getting the mulch ground cover in place.
I hung around for a while, and tried to make myself as inconspicuous as a man on a 24-foot ladder can be. It was great to see the treehouse we all dreamed up now real, and becoming a very real part of a very wonderful family. Good luck to you all, and I’ll see you next spring for our annual inspection.
John
P.S.: Those of you who can’t get enough treehouse building magic, just jump over to the Ithaca treehouse blog. After a few days in the office and some design modifications, work begins there later this week. — jc
Well, it’s a little more than a year since I stood out under their maple tree in a steady downpour, but the Bond’s treehouse is done.
Cue the cherubs.
Morning sunlight filters through the maple tree canopy and passes by the bow of the Bond's pirate ship treehouse at the start of the final day of work at the site.
This week on site has been all about scratching items off the punch list. Cannon ports. Check. Block and tackle for side rigging. Check. Custom mounts for solar lanterns. Check. Fresh paint on all cut trim edges. Check. And so it goes.
By Wednesday morning the only task of great consequence that remained was installing the water-resistant collar and shroud around the tree branch that penetrates the roof of the cabin. The wooden collar was fashioned in advance from three layers of three-quarter inch exterior plywood. The oval ring was about 1 1/2-inches thick and 2 1/4-inches tall, and completely waterproofed for action. Putting this task to the end of the list was done as I searched for alternatives to the standard truck tire inner tube shroud that most treehouse builders rely upon. In the end I found an interesting option; a commercial-grade HVAC unit cover made from a translucent gray material. Manufactured to cover drum-shaped roof cooling units, it was easy to modify to fit around the tree branch and anchor to the custom-made roof collar. While it doesn’t allow a view of the leaves above, it does let light glow through and help the interior of the cabin feel warmer.
Capt. Jack Bond told a local newspaper reporter that he named his pirate ship treehouse "Serpent Slayer" because it had a bow sharp enough to slice through the mythical beast.
With the roof system finalized, all that remained were the “ups,” namely touch-ups and clean-up. Gold and red trim were given an inspection, and all cut ends or construction scratches were tickled with a wet brush. A few late steps in the project – namely Jack’s requested emergency cabin exit and some upper rail extensions made necessary by our mid-winter expansion of the upper cabin – required a little extra time. Still, in a few hours the lid was slapped down on the can of black paint and the last nail head had been drown. Work on the treehouse was over.
That other up, clean up, was next.
As I work I save every potentially usable scrap. As the project progresses, I make sure I take full advantage of the resource, whether as a replacement for new supplies or as an addition to the project that adds a special touch. A case in point this week, when Ed brought home a box of solar lights and asked if they could be mounted to the treehouse cabin, we didn’t have to go back out for wood or hardware. A small stack of five-quarter “off cuts” provided the lumber, and some screws backed out of temporary boards used in the construction process took care of the rest. A little cutting, routing and drilling and we were there — with less cost and more efficient use of our materials.
The view out from under the treehouse shows just how completely the maple tree surrounds this pirate ship.
Being committed to using scrap means work often ends with a world of wood still hanging around in piles.
Here, Ed jumped in to help things along. Buoyed by his work helping with various parts of this project, Ed has decided to tackle a few smaller tasks around his home with his son, Jack. Even scraps that could be used for anything as small as model building now had a new value. I sorted the scrap stack and moved it inside the Bond’s garage (really Amy, that’s where Ed told me to put it), and used a snow shovel to scoop up the rest into a few heavy-duty bags. A few big toads we found in the scrap pile were escorted back under a nearby deck, and we were done.
With the end of work on Aug. 13, the Bond's pirate ship treehouse project came to a close. The good times for Capt. Jack, Liam and the clan, however, are just beginning.
With the treehouse site cleaned up, the work area swept and all the tools packed into my truck, it was time to say goodbye. For more than 12 months, the Bonds and their maple tree played host to this designer and builder, and always with grace. I’ll head back in a few days for some pictures (remember to check the photo gallery for those images), but then it will be time to leave a good family to the great treehouse they helped create. I’ll see them every spring during Peacemaker Treehouses annual inspection –- that’s a free service included on every project — and I hope they have lots of stories, pictures and memories to share of good times the entire clan found in the peace of the trees.
This was, to put it simply, a very good week for the Bond’s pirate ship treehouse.
With bow and main masts set, windows in place and siding fully installed, only a few small details remain before the Bond's pirate ship treehouse is complete.
Lots of loose ends were tied, and lots of dreamed-about details came to life – several even better than we had hoped. We even had the first days of unbridled play in the tree, and that is what it’s all about.
On Monday, my good friends at Rick’s Rental World in Ithaca once again made my day. Their store can be hard to find, tucked just off Route 13 along Ithaca’s waterfront, but it’s worth a little hunting. They run their shop the way I imagine I run my life – short on unnecessary cosmetics and long on hard work and honesty. Every tool I’ve rented from Rick’s exceeds expectations and surprises my accountant (in a good way), and this was no exception. This week, with just a little siding still left to be done, a one-day compressor rental fit the bill nicely. Thanks to this sturdy job site addition, by the end of the day all the siding in all those hard to reach places was in place. With a little by-hand work on Tuesday morning, the ship and cabin were almost fully sided, with just a little space on the cabin’s face made to wait for a few new boards to be painted.
Like the tower on a tall building, the bow mast of the Bond's treehouse reaches for the sky.
While homeowner and eager project volunteer Ed Bond turned once again to painting new materials, work turned to installing and trimming the bow mast.
First, a question: How do you raise an 8-foot mast with two 4-foot support arms more than 15 feet off the ground, and keep it in place under the ship’s upper bow rail so it can be attached?
The answer sits atop the Chrysler Building.
I once saw a PBS documentary on the great heyday of New York City skyscraper building. As the story went, competition and secrecy were so intense as these spires rose into the sky that developers sometimes pulled tricks or hid details from each other and the world. In the case of the Chrysler Building, the tower that sits at its peak was built inside the upper floors to conceal its size, then raised through the roof and locked into place — making the final structure a surprise to those watching from below.
While the bow mast is more horizontal than vertical -– it rises at a modest 10 degrees, a matching angle to the rise in the cabin’s roof at the rear of the ship –- the same slide-it-out-from-the-inside method worked like a charm here. A small wooden jig was attached over the top of the bow’s upper point, and the first part of the mast base was added to the underside of the upper rail about two feet back. The mast assembly was then carefully guided out, its weight being carried by the jig. As it got further out, the balance tipped and the rear of the mast rose and locked right into the base. Once it was trued and bolted to the double 2×6 upper rails, the remainder of the base was installed and the bow mast could now stand on its own. A lower brace and spindle rod were added below the mast assembly, preserving the view and the light under the bow’s upper rail but making sure no one could slide a head out of the hole. Water balloons, of course, are another matter.
The bow beam was extended from below to catch and support the mast, and some gold and red trim were added to finish the bow’s exterior look. The final detail, running a rope through an eye lag at the end of the bow, provided a real-world field test of the structure’s strength. If it can hold a builder on a ladder at its tip, the bow mast will likely handle anything wind and rain will toss its way.
With Ed’s paintwork done, work Thursday turned to final assembly of the windows and door. Thursday also saw the return of my daughter to the job site, and she once again proved herself an asset. In addition to taking lots of pictures, her natural patience and sense for details made her a wiz at priming and touching up trim boards cut for the various window parts. Her good nature also easily diffused any of the otherwise routine frustrations of a day on any job site. This time, I even remembered to bring spoons for the yogurt I packed for lunch. Checking the expiration date on the applesauce, well, that’s another story.
One design freedom custom windows allowed was this special exit by our host maple tree.
By day’s end, seven windows and the main door were assembled and waiting to be brought into the treehouse. My favorite of them all might be the east side cabin window, which has a custom-cut curved lower half that follows the contours of three branches that emerge from the treehouse at that spot. Letting the tree come out through the window – rather than moving the window or entertaining the unthinkable and making unnecessary cuts to the tree – was a fun touch during the design phase, and it worked just as well come building time. The plastic shatter-resistant glass took the curve cut well, and a whole lot of branches and leaves survived to keep making our host tree stronger. Working with and around the tree just makes the effort more legitimate, and it’s one of the details that separate a well-built treehouse from a shed in the air.
This busy Thursday brought Ed out of the paint shop as well. This time, he switched on his Boy Scout hat, and spent the morning in the treehouse working through all the spacing and other details needed to sort out rope rigging for the masts. With three types of rope and more than a few knot designs kicking around, you could see Ed was in his element. With his young son Liam in the treehouse offering encouragement, and a little inspiration for us all, Ed set most of the rigging in place. He even wisely added slipknots were needed to keep the ambitious from climbing the rigging for a better view. Pull with more than a few pounds of force and all the vertical ropes slip out and fall to the deck. Knowing that should slow a few potential first mates, and having to ask dad to reset the rigging should make the few who still try quickly learn the error of their ways.
Homeowner and proud ex-scout Ed Bond works on rigging the main mast as son Liam enjoys the view.
Friday saw the windows and door installed in the cabin. The door and front window, which sit entirely over the treehouse deck, open fully. Side windows, which look down to the ground 14 feet or so below, are screwed in place and sealed tight. In order to keep air moving in the cabin, the bank of four rear windows was created as a compromise; they open, but only so far. The windows sit tight inside the outside trim, with an added inside trim piece placed at the base so they cannot be pulled in at the bottom. Latches were added to the top to allow them to be tilted in, but stop blocks screwed to the wall studs keep that tilt to no more than a few inches. Plenty of space for air, nowhere near enough space for a human of any age to venture out. It’s unlikely even water balloons could fit through that gap, although I’m sure that assumption will be put to the test. The bottoms of the windows can be unlocked and the entire sash lifted upward by an adult, should a few birds get the best of the glazing and tarnish the view of the tree’s canopy. With windows, as with all design, safety is in the details.
By week's end, siding, door and windows were in place and rigging was nearly complete.
A rare Saturday on site allowed for some loose ends to be tied up, including some window trim installation and that last patch of front cabin siding. The gold inlaid siding boards were added to the upper rear of the cabin, and the red lower braces were attached to the lower rear. Lastly, half a dozen plywood squares were cut and offered to Ed for paint – his second to last paint job of the project. These will be the inner rings of six cannon ports that will be added to the side of the pirate ship treehouse. Here, water balloons are welcome. In fact, sizing was determined by the measure of Jack’s hand as he holds his favorite style of water balloon. My advice to all who venture to the Bond’s yard: Treat Jack well or steer well clear of his treehouse.
Ahead are just a few final details, some touch-up and some clean up. Then it’s all over but the laughter. Let’s hope that never ends.
