Treehouse

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The Treehouse

By John Goodwin

When I was around eleven years old I began building a treehouse in my backyard. None of my building was planned out or even thought out that well. I built it all from whatever scrap wood and nails I could get my hands on. When it was all said and done it was a flimsy treehouse with ghetto, discolored wood. Some would say it was “jimmy-rigged”. However I loved it and had some great childhood memories in it. This treehouse was a good beginner project, and at the time I had no idea I would someday build an even bigger treehouse which would dwarf my first one.

One afternoon I was playing around in the backyard, half messing around half building things. After awhile I fatigued and decided to go inside and relax. I laid down on the couch and the gears in my head started turning. I began thinking of awesome things to build, ways to improve my treehouse and fun things to do. After awhile I started thinking about how amazing it would be if I made an actual treehouse—a house in a tree. I was only around thirteen years old so of course I could not build an actual house, but I was considering maybe a small room, supported by some trees in my backyard. I mentioned the idea to my dad who shrugged it aside and disregarded it. I was not going to give up that easily. I headed back outside and looked at the trees in my backyard. I noticed I had four strong trees in a rectangular position. These would be the support of my treehouse.

One day I sat down with my dad, some books, a pencil and paper. We started learning from previous treehouses in books and planned out mine. We went to the lumber store and bought the necessary supplies. Once we got home, we began by screwing some enormous 2x6’s into one tree and the other ends into the other tree across from it so that they laid horizontally. We did the same with the other pair of trees so that the four 2x6’s ran parallel to each other. On top of these, we perpendicularly laid about eight 2x4’s—one every foot or so. Once we secured the 2x4’s with the appropriate brackets, we laid down some quarter-inch thick plywood for the floor. It seemed like a strong setup so my dad and I decided to test its structural integrity by jumping up and down repeatedly on top of it. The floorboards held securely but the trees started shaking a bit too much for our liking. We decided to mount eight crossbeams underneath the treehouse for additional support. These crossbeams made it as safe as we needed it to be. But we wanted to go the extra mile. Next, we dug four holes underneath the treehouse and inserted four solid 4X4s as pillars.

We filled these holes with concrete. The treehouse was now strong enough to hold anything we could possibly put up there. Next it was time for the walls, which we built with a structure similar to the floor. We stoop up vertical 2x4’s along the perimeter of the floor with brackets, one every foot and a half. We made the east wall seven feet tall and the west wall 6 feet tall, allowing tall people like me to be able to stand upright while inside. However there was another advantage with this setup. The height difference created a slant for the roof, allowing rain water to run off instead of pooling on top and warping the wood. Now that the whole structure was complete, the rest was easy. We only had to screw plywood to the 2x4’s for the walls and the roof. For the finishing touch I added a single pane window on the west wall, and an open-able wooden window on the west side. Later on I added a ramp and a small door so that my dog could come up and be with me. The treehouse also has a trap door and a ladder, which is the only way to get in (unless you are my dog or spider-man and can climb up walls and through windows). I think the trap door is one of the coolest aspects of the fort.

Once the building was complete, we painted the walls green so that they would blend in with the trees, and we caulked the inside to make it waterproof. Lastly, I brought some furniture up, including a TV cabinet, a TV, a VCR and DVD player, my Xbox and Nintendo 64, some lights, some sleeping bags, a big futon, some chairs, a fan, and some electronics and other miscellaneous things. We set up a power system where all the power for the treehouse would come from two twelve volt car batteries. They had plenty of power for anything I wanted. It was the perfect setup for anyone. Even my 27 year old brother loves it and is incredibly jealous. All my friends and I call it “the fort”—it’s awesome. Five years later I am eighteen years old and still love it.

All in all, building the fort was a great experience. I learned how to plan, build, paint, and stay committed to something even during the hard times (towards the end I started growing weary of the building process and wanted the finished product). I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.


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	The Treehouse By John Goodwin
	When I was around eleven years old I began building a treehouse in my backyard. None of my building was planned out or even thought out that well. I built it all from whatever scrap wood and nails I could get my hands on. When it was all said and done it was a flimsy treehouse with ghetto, discolored wood. Some would say it was “jimmy-rigged”. However I loved it and had some great childhood memories in it. This treehouse was a good beginner project, and at the time I had no idea I would someday build an even bigger treehouse which would dwarf my first one. One afternoon I was playing around in the backyard, half messing around half building things. After awhile I fatigued and decided to go inside and relax. I laid down on the couch and the gears in my head started turning. I began thinking of awesome things to build, ways to improve my treehouse and fun things to do. After awhile I started thinking about how amazing it would be if I made an actual treehouse—a house in a tree. I was only around thirteen years old so of course I could not build an actual house, but I was considering maybe a small room, supported by some trees in my backyard. I mentioned the idea to my dad who shrugged it aside and disregarded it. I was not going to give up that easily. I headed back outside and looked at the trees in my backyard. I noticed I had four strong trees in a rectangular position. These would be the support of my treehouse. One day I sat down with my dad, some books, a pencil and paper. We started learning from previous treehouses in books and planned out mine. We went to the lumber store and bought the necessary supplies. Once we got home, we began by screwing some enormous 2x6’s into one tree and the other ends into the other tree across from it so that they laid horizontally. We did the same with the other pair of trees so that the four 2x6’s ran parallel to each other. On top of these, we perpendicularly laid about eight 2x4’s—one every foot or so. Once we secured the 2x4’s with the appropriate brackets, we laid down some quarter-inch thick plywood for the floor. It seemed like a strong setup so my dad and I decided to test its structural integrity by jumping up and down repeatedly on top of it. The floorboards held securely but the trees started shaking a bit too much for our liking. We decided to mount eight crossbeams underneath the treehouse for additional support. These crossbeams made it as safe as we needed it to be. But we wanted to go the extra mile. Next, we dug four holes underneath the treehouse and inserted four solid 4X4s as pillars.	We filled these holes with concrete. The treehouse was now strong enough to hold anything we could possibly put up there. Next it was time for the walls, which we built with a structure similar to the floor. We stoop up vertical 2x4’s along the perimeter of the floor with brackets, one every foot and a half. We made the east wall seven feet tall and the west wall 6 feet tall, allowing tall people like me to be able to stand upright while inside. However there was another advantage with this setup. The height difference created a slant for the roof, allowing rain water to run off instead of pooling on top and warping the wood. Now that the whole structure was complete, the rest was easy. We only had to screw plywood to the 2x4’s for the walls and the roof. For the finishing touch I added a single pane window on the west wall, and an open-able wooden window on the west side. Later on I added a ramp and a small door so that my dog could come up and be with me. The treehouse also has a trap door and a ladder, which is the only way to get in (unless you are my dog or spider-man and can climb up walls and through windows). I think the trap door is one of the coolest aspects of the fort. Once the building was complete, we painted the walls green so that they would blend in with the trees, and we caulked the inside to make it waterproof. Lastly, I brought some furniture up, including a TV cabinet, a TV, a VCR and DVD player, my Xbox and Nintendo 64, some lights, some sleeping bags, a big futon, some chairs, a fan, and some electronics and other miscellaneous things. We set up a power system where all the power for the treehouse would come from two twelve volt car batteries. They had plenty of power for anything I wanted. It was the perfect setup for anyone. Even my 27 year old brother loves it and is incredibly jealous. All my friends and I call it “the fort”—it’s awesome. Five years later I am eighteen years old and still love it. All in all, building the fort was a great experience. I learned how to plan, build, paint, and stay committed to something even during the hard times (towards the end I started growing weary of the building process and wanted the finished product). I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.