Movin' On Up

There have been some requests of late for an update on the treehouse. It's been a long slow process, but we're starting to take shape. In the last post, I talked about the general design, which resembles a platform balanced on rails mounted to two trees. Since that time, a platform has been framed and balanced on top of the rails.

As soon as we put up the frame, I saw the solution for my mounting problem. If you look at the pictures, you'll see that we needed a pretty sturdy method of affixing the platform to the rails. Two 100-pound kids on the edge of the platform would create a tremendous amount of torque; our means of attachment would need to be just as strong to maintain a level platform.

Solution? 1' segments of 4"x 4" beams, drilled and bolted into the 2"x 8" beam "rails" and then bolted at a right angle into the platform itself. As seen from the underside of the treehouse:

The test was when I asked Big and Little Red to hang from the edge of the platform so it would carry all their weight. Using a tape measure, I found that our platform only shifted 1/2" vertically when two boys put their full weight on the opposite edge of the platform. I still plan to install at least two more 4" x 4" supports in the center of the beams, which will bring the number of supports on each beam up to three. I'm also thinking about adding some sort of reinforcement between the beams to distribute the torque among more supports.

Up next are low walls (about 30" high) to keep bodies securely on the platform; from there, we'll finish with a roof of some sort. At this time, I'm still not fully decided on a roof, but am thinking about this material for its durability and ability to resist leaks. I'm also considering one more support up top that would secure the peak of the roof to the trees. Maybe over-engineered, but it'll give me some peace of mind.

The build continues. More soon.