Helping with a treehouse

[Forrest747]

The youngest twin and his best friend have expressed a strong desire to build a treehouse. odd since we dont have a tree. however he also wants to make it mobile so that it can go between our home and his best friend about 3/4 of a mile away. so i told him oh you want to build your own Charlie. talked about frame and wheels and jack stands bunks closets and snack areas. tons of ideas not really grounded in reality.
so in talking to him i basically told him yes you can build a platform along the back fence. no walls, you can have a roof, it needs to be 8x8 and the deck level with the top of the fence about 5 1/2 feet above ground. needs to be put in 3 foot holes with pressure treaties lumber. needs to have a railing so that i can look onto the platform at anytime.
well i kindof crushed his dream. i think he plans on building it. but trying to keep his idea more grounded. he asked if he could put a big window in. i asked him where is he going to get the window and pay for it.
so i designed the treehouse or more to the point told him what will be accepted. also told him two ladders so that he can go into the field behind the house without letting the dog out.
he is a good kid but has a hard time follow through and gets bored so easily. he doesn't see all the little things that need to be done; and with me out with the knee i cant help other than advice. so what did you build for your kids and did you take over or let them have all the fun.

[Woodbutcher]

Sounds like a good way to connect with your son. I only have one daughter. See never wanted to build anything, but see did want me to build her several things. When she was three I built her a wooden kitchen, that we still have today. She is 32 now and a few years ago I built her a full kitchen for their new home. So if you do it right when they are young they will keep asking ! Have fun with your kids!

[Mightydog]

We have trees, but they're too tall to build a tree house/fort in.

Our daughters wanted something, so we built a play house in the back yard. It's long since fallen down. they had a great time painting it and making it their own.

When I was a kid, my friend and I built a fort in his apple tree. It had sides and a door and a ladder and everything. I think I fell out of it once or twice. It was great to get away from parents. I think that's where we stored our supply of "found" girlie magazines...but I think I've shared enough for one thread.

[Forrest747]

apple tree here as a kid too. complete with flight simulator and ski ramp. we used carpet for walls one year did ladt very long due to smell. had my first kiss in the treehouse. i wonder if he will want to quit building after the first post hole. youngest daughter and i built a combination bird house and bat cave, right before the accident. she finished it while i was in the hospital.

[mandy]

How are you feeling Forest? I hope your knee is on the mend.

What no Tweenkie closet?

When I was a kid I used things from around the house to build a Tree/Play house. It was nothing but couple of pieces of plywood and some well placed 2 X 4's, and some nails than we pulled out of old boards. It wasn't much but to us kids it was a castle.

[Forrest747]

knee is getting better. still using a walker and crutches.

i would think a twinkie cooler to protect them from the heat.

[dh]

Just wait till the dog learns to climb the ladder, then back down , and off into the field of freedom.

[hotrod]

http://www.cedarcreekdulcimers.com/catalog1.htm
built allison one of these., the dulci lin, backpacker, not too tough.. she messes with it some I find it addicting and want to build a nicer/bigger one this winter when things slow down....

[Miriam C.]

http://www.ecotecture.com/library_eco/s ... ch_1a.html

Perhaps your son would like a Tee Pee that can be taken down and put up.... If he had a portable platform it would work and not be too heavy for a couple of kids to move around. You could even do something with pedal power.

http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/www_teepee.html

[Forrest747]

took the family to home depot to get wood plugs and brushes for Charlie. took him to the lumber section to price out pressure treated lumber. he was shocked at the price; i was too. anyhow he tells me he still needs four walls and now electricy so he ahd bff can have a tv out there. told him no. he has a tv in the family room. what's next a hot tub. i am going to let him build a platform with a four foot railing. i agree leviticus may learn to climb ladders, however she has a hard enough time wanting to get into charlie. i hate to keep killing his dream but i need to keep it simple and this is going to be tough with me not being able to give anything other than armchair advice. need to build something that he may actually finish.

[Corwin C]

As a builder of many "tree houses," many years ago, it appears to me like your young one is interested in building a space of their own (just like you're doing.) My Dad was a contractor and put scraps into two separate piles (one for me, one for himself.) I built every structure known to man in some fashion or another, mostly out of short pieces of 2x4's and odd shaped miscellaneous plywood, cardboard, bits of rope & string, and so on. Our poor apple tree probably had a hundred pounds of nails put into it (I pity the soul that tries to cut it down.) Later on I graduated up to power tools, the arc welder, full sheets of ply, fiberglass and epoxy, and any lumber that I could afford.

If it were my situation, I think I would encourage it if for no other reason than there's a lot of learning going on there (design, economics, structures, hand tools, etc.) These are life skills that they will find useful in their futures. A few basic materials (nothing wrong with cardboard and duct tape to start) and some simple tools and fasteners can go a long way to encouraging this creativity. Make sure they help with the bottom line and don't let them build anything dangerous.

Mobility? Perhaps one of those yard carts with the bicycle wheels. It would teach them how to build light and strong.

As far as electricity goes, nothing wrong w/ battery powered, low voltage DC. AC would definitely be off limits in my book. Help them re-wire a flash light or a solar yard light (no batteries!) Door bells, morse code relays, etc. can all be fun.

Good luck!

[Kelleyaynn]

As a science teacher who teaches a unit on design technology to fifth graders, I wholeheartedly agree with Corwin. Giving them the opportunity to solve this "problem" on their own (with some help, of course, for safety) would be a true gift - and they will learn lessons they take with them forever. Not just mechanical and technical, but also personal. Be sure to take pictures for posterity!!

[dh]

I couldn't sleep last night and was watching the re-run channle at 5:30 this morning, and Leave it to Beaver came on. Long story short, somewhare in the story Wally and the Beaver were going to build a raft, and asked thier dad if he wanted to help, which he declined. His wife asked why he declined, and he said that if he helped they would probably buiuld a raft that would work, and that wouldn't be any fun.

[Forrest747]

for the tree house growing up there was plenty of used wood from the homes being under construction. midnight runs to the trash bin. i figure since i am buying the lumber i get a say in how the platform is built. then they can modify how they want within reason.

[rebapuck]

I would let him start with just the basic platform. If he finishes it, talk about the roof. One step at a time.

Just talking to you about it is polishing his negogiating skills.