# Tree house



## KaptJaq (May 19, 2012)

The boys have been asking for a tree house for a couple of years.  Finally felt they were ready for one.

Attached is an image a month ago as it neared completion and today as it disappears into the leaves.

KaptJaq


----------



## Jack Straw (May 19, 2012)

Wow! That's way cool.


----------



## Wooderson (May 19, 2012)

Great job building memories.  They will love it I'm sure


----------



## tfdchief (May 19, 2012)

That's the best!  Good job Dad.  That will be great fun and great memories.


----------



## DexterDay (May 19, 2012)

That is way cool.... I remember my Tree house. Lots of memories up there. 

You did an awesome job and they will remember it there entire lives. Good job Dad. 

My Son is 10 and he has been asking... Might be time. How high up did you go??


----------



## KaptJaq (May 19, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> My Son is 10 and he has been asking... Might be time. How high up did you go??


 
My boys are twins and will turn 9 this summer.  The treehouse is located in a gully on the side of a hill.  The ladder side is about 8 feet high, the other side about 11 feet.  Due to the steep slope, looking out from one side it appears to them to be a mile high...

KaptJaq


----------



## DexterDay (May 19, 2012)

KaptJaq said:


> My boys are twins and will turn 9 this summer.  The treehouse is located in a gully on the side of a hill.  The ladder side is about 8 feet high, the other side about 11 feet.  Due to the steep slope, looking out from one side it appears to them to be a mile high...
> 
> KaptJaq



The pics make it look Much Higher.... Very Nice job. Mine was about 10 ft.. Seems like a mile when your young... !!


----------



## ScotO (May 20, 2012)

I built my kids a "tree house" last summer (its UNDER the tree, not in it!)  The deck is 9' off of the ground, with a ladder on one end,  a bridge leading to the cabin, and a spiral slide out of the cabin.  Still have to make some screens for the windows and install the door, so they can sleep out in it without getting slaughtered by mosquitos!   Great job Kap,  they'll have many memories of that cabin when the get older!


----------



## smoke show (May 20, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> I remember my Tree house. Lots of memories up there.


 
If walls could talk...  

Looking good KaptJaq. Wanna be my Dad?


----------



## KaptJaq (May 20, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> ...The deck is 9' off of the ground, with a ladder on one end, a bridge leading to the cabin, and a spiral slide out of the cabin. Still have to make some screens for the windows and install the door, so they can sleep out in it without getting slaughtered by mosquitos! ...


 
Scotty,

     Would love to see some pictures of your creation.  My guys want a "zip line" exit but the boss doesn't think it is a good idea just yet.  A slide sounds like a good compromise.

KaptJaq


----------



## ScotO (May 20, 2012)

KaptJaq said:


> Scotty,
> 
> Would love to see some pictures of your creation.  My guys want a "zip line" exit but the boss doesn't think it is a good idea just yet.  A slide sounds like a good compromise.
> 
> KaptJaq


Kap, if I had room for a zipline, my kids would be in HEAVEN!   Here's some pics of our cabin/playset.  I had to put an extra piece onto the spiral slide because the deck was too tall, luckily I found them on Craigslist for a decent price.   The beam hanging out on the one end will be home to this summers addition,  a tire swing.


----------



## Eatonpcat (May 20, 2012)

Lucky kids...I had to build my own treehouse!  That's where I hid my Playboys...


----------



## ColdNH (May 21, 2012)

Eatonpcat said:


> Lucky kids...I had to build my own treehouse! That's where I hid my Playboys...


 
Ha, me too, and my firework collection.


----------



## cptoneleg (May 21, 2012)

Yep Lucky Kids nice


----------



## Crane Stoves (May 21, 2012)

great job and very wise decision to base the house in one tree (prevents alot issues in years to come with different growth rates as well as wind/sway problems), may i ask how you obtained the first photo from what seems like an aerial photo? did you climb a 100" tree and snap that shot LOL?


----------



## Jags (May 21, 2012)

I wanna play.  Whats the weight capacity on that slide??


----------



## ScotO (May 21, 2012)

Jags said:


> I wanna play.  Whats the weight capacity on that slide??


Don't tell anyone, but I weigh 203lbs and it supports me!   I go down that slide from time to time (just to test it for safety reasons, of course!)


----------



## Jags (May 21, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Don't tell anyone, but I weigh 203lbs and it supports me!  I go down that slide from time to time (just to test it for safety reasons, of course!)


 
Ummm...its gonna need to hold quite a bit more, if I am gonna slide down.


----------



## KaptJaq (May 21, 2012)

doug crane said:


> great job and very wise decision to base the house in one tree (prevents alot issues in years to come with different growth rates as well as wind/sway problems), may i ask how you obtained the first photo from what seems like an aerial photo? did you climb a 100" tree and snap that shot LOL?


 
There were three trees growing in a perfect equilateral triangle that the boys felt we should make the treehouse between. They were all oaks so the growth rate would be about the same. To show them why I didn't want to build it there I tied some rope between the three trees and hung some old cow bells from it. I also put a 10 ft 2x4 between two of them. When the wind started blowing that night the bells started ringing. The trees were swaying every which way. The next morning the 2x4 was on the ground with the ends split to shreds. The boys understood that the treehouse would not last long under those conditions. Sometimes show & tell comes in handy.

Both pictures are taken from the deck of our house. We are on the edge of a ridge looking down on our property. From the lowest point to the highest is about 120 feet vertical and 250 feet horizontal.

KaptJaq


----------



## Crane Stoves (May 21, 2012)

KaptJaq said:


> There were three trees growing in a perfect equilateral triangle that the boys felt we should make the treehouse between. They were all oaks so the growth rate would be about the same. To show them why I didn't want to build it there I tied some rope between the three trees and hung some old cow bells from it. I also put a 10 ft 2x4 between two of them. When the wind started blowing that night the bells started ringing. The trees were swaying every which way. The next morning the 2x4 was on the ground with the ends split to shreds. The boys understood that the treehouse would not last long under those conditions. Sometimes show & tell comes in handy.
> 
> Both pictures are taken from the deck of our house. We are on the edge of a ridge looking down on our property. From the lowest point to the highest is about 120 feet vertical and 250 feet horizontal.
> 
> KaptJaq


 
that was some pure genius thinking to make sure you tested with a 2x4 first (i wish i had done the same) LOL , ill post some pics when i get a chance of my second try (a much better result) LOL


----------



## Crane Stoves (May 23, 2012)

here are some pics of my 3 tree design which has held up good over a 10 year period. NOTE: that dumb azz homedepot commercial showing the dad in the treehouse with his kids prolly forced a million treehouses to be built that year HaHaHa


----------



## Gasifier (May 23, 2012)

Nice escapes for the kids guys. They bring back the memories of my younger years. I am going to have to build one for the kids, but the littlest one is too small yet. I will wait another year I think.


----------



## firefighterjake (May 23, 2012)

These tree houses certainly don't look anything like the 
ones I built in my childhood. My treehouses were built with
cast off 2 x 4s, nothing was level and it's a wonder my
siblings and I didn't fall off the side or through the floor
and end up in the ER . . . they certainly were not this fancy . . . or safe.


----------



## ScotO (May 23, 2012)

Gasifier said:


> Nice escapes for the kids guys. They bring back the memories of my younger years. I am going to have to build one for the kids, but the littlest one is too small yet. I will wait another year I think.


       When I built that thing the kids (and the wife, even) were in tears with excitement.  Neither her nor I had anything like that when we were kids, and it was great to be able to fulfill one of my childhood wishes for my kids to enjoy.  Definitely worth every penny and every drop of sweat I have invested for it (drove over two hours away to get the slide)!  They use it almost every day


----------



## KaptJaq (May 23, 2012)

firefighterjake said:


> These tree houses certainly don't look anything like the
> ones I built in my childhood. My treehouses were built with
> cast off 2 x 4s, nothing was level and it's a wonder my
> siblings and I didn't fall off the side or through the floor
> and end up in the ER . . . they certainly were not this fancy . . . or safe.


 
Same here. There was a building boom in the area so we had unlimited supplies. Not one treehouse lasted more than one summer but each year they got bigger and more creative. By Thanksgiving my father would help us rip it down before it fell down under the weight of the snow... The worst injuries I can remember were some splinters and a few bashed fingers as we learned how to hang from the branches and build the initial platform. Size was limited to the length of what we scrounged but additions were always added as friends joined the club...

KaptJaq


----------



## btuser (May 23, 2012)

We had to pull off pieces/nails from the house+shed to make the roof weather tight. 

I will never forget the sound my father made when he discovered what we were up to.....


----------



## GAMMA RAY (May 23, 2012)

Brings back good memories. Me and my bro used to build tree houses...but we called them "forts."

They were no where near as cool as the tree houses in this thread but we thought they were the chit.

My bro used to steal the kitchen "throw rugs" to bring to the fort as well as some other odds and ends.

He threatened me with my life not to tell...and I never did tell where those friggin rugs went. 
Mother was pi$$ed let me tell ya.

I can still see the remnants of the old fort in the woods when I go to my parents house....makes me smile....
	

		
			
		

		
	




Good times....


----------



## Delta-T (May 23, 2012)

my brother and I built our tree fort on someone else's property...hehe. it was a big property at the time, and Old Mr. Robinson isn't the type to go walking around his property edge (he's still alive today, and he was Old Mr. Robinson then...now he must be Real Old Mr. Robinson). He has since sub-divided his land and a few houses were built on it, one in the place of our old fort. It was unsafe, 2 decker. Top floor about 20' up with a "crows nest" in one of the trees that was close to 45' up. I never went up there. 2 nails through a 1x2 don't make for what I call "a safe ladder". We used to put on safety goggles and shoot bent nails at each other from home made zip guns utilizing those big red packing elastics. Those were fun, and stung a bit. Agreed Gamma....good times.

Super nice job on all structures displayed here folks.....super nice. High 5!


----------



## Crane Stoves (May 24, 2012)

thats funny, i can remember too about my old tree forts were old cut off 2x4's and such things haphazardly nailed across a different levels of branches and it is truly  amazing we live to tell this story LOL,

Little did i know when building this more elaborate tree house that later in my kids years this thing would be used to lauch paintballs and BB's at the world and stash girls into with hidden booooze  LOL (this is why you see the steps ripped out and no ladder access) LOL


----------



## Crane Stoves (May 24, 2012)

Delta-T said:


> my brother and I built our tree fort on someone else's property...hehe. it was a big property at the time, and Old Mr. Robinson isn't the type to go walking around his property edge (he's still alive today, and he was Old Mr. Robinson then...now he must be Real Old Mr. Robinson). He has since sub-divided his land and a few houses were built on it, one in the place of our old fort. It was unsafe, 2 decker. Top floor about 20' up with a "crows nest" in one of the trees that was close to 45' up. I never went up there. 2 nails through a 1x2 don't make for what I call "a safe ladder". We used to put on safety goggles and shoot bent nails at each other from home made zip guns utilizing those big red packing elastics. Those were fun, and stung a bit. Agreed Gamma....good times.
> 
> Super nice job on all structures displayed here folks.....super nice. High 5!


 
sounds like you guys were buncha hellions LOL ....all poor Ole' Mr. Robinson could see is a lawsuit coming down the pike watching you! LOL


----------



## certified106 (May 24, 2012)

The tree house looks awesome!

My daughter is wanting me to build her one and I promised I would this spring.......Then my work put me on mandatory 60 hour work weeks and that was the end of me getting anything done around the house for awhile!


----------



## bfunk13 (May 25, 2012)

Great job to all!


----------

