Everyone Loves A Treehouse!

A repeat client of mine asked if I could build her kids a "treehouse" but without the tree….. ? So I went to work imagining what a treehouse without a tree might look like. The customer is an attorney for the National Humane Society and wanted to use as much reclaimed material as possible. Low environmental impact!!! This was priority #1. As I am a project manager for a restoration company I have access to loads of reclaimed material mostly from barns ranging from the mid 18th through the end of the 19th century. I also had some 2x4's I salvaged from a dumpster that came out of an office building in Lowell built in the 1980's. I also utilized some saplings and maple branches that were headed for a wood chipper to make the rails and purchased some rough sawed 2x10 for the platform as there was to be no pressure treated. I bought some rough 1" from the local mill for the roof decking to save having to put seams in the roof boards.the lumber was harvested and milled less than 15 miles from the our building site. The deck frame is reclaimed log joists from an early 1800's new England Barn. The floor joists are reclaimed rafters circa 1780. The fabricated bents are the 2x4's from the good ole 1980's wrapped with reclaimed barn board. The siding/sheathing is mostly old roof sheathing from several old structures. "the bark wouldn't even be stripped as these were to be covered by the shingles. Back before building codes farmers used every scrap of every tree. -There is a trap door in the floor. -A little dumb-waiter for hoisting up picnic lunches. -There is room to add a slide or cargo net for climbing. With some nicely placed landscape this little reclaimed getaway is still supporting life and growth with wood that is older than our constitution……the kids don't really know but mom and dad sneak out to hang out in the magic little hut after bed time. EVERYONE LOVES A TREEHOUSE!