Treehouse: Phase II

Every pastor needs a treehouse. Or at least something that gets the mind off the job--preferably something creative. I have a colleague who knits voraciously, another who is a jazz musician; I have a treehouse. Last year I completed Phase I, a platform around the trunk of a single maple tree. (I say "completed"; in fact, it still needs to be stained. But the construction proper is finished.)

Now that it's starting to feel like spring, we've begun Phase II. With the help of a kindred spirit in treehouse building, Kurt Rogler, the basic support structure of Phase II is almost complete.

Here is the support for one end. Instead of bolting this end of the joists to this trio of trees (which are cherry trees), I decided to let gravity and friction to the work. At the level of the yellow ties you can see the side of a triangular brace that will bear the weight of the platform. It is wedged between the trunks, with a little just-in-case support from a pair of 2x4 legs that sit in the crotch of the cherry trio.

Atop this triangular brace (at left here) sit three 2x8s, which run to the other end of the platform, and will be bolted to three different hemlock trees. They will not be rigidly fixed to the triangular brace, allowing for slight sway in the trees without tearing the platform apart. (Kurt's expertise came in handy for this conceptual design point.) This is a view from the bottom:
These joists are about eleven feet off the ground; to work on them, we were reaching from the highest position we could get on our ladders:
Here's Kurt (standing about 6'3"), with Phase I above and to the left, and Phase II above and to the right:

As you can see, today was a good day. Tomorrow is garden work (tomato posts, to be specific); but for now, it was enough to spend two hours living out a childhood dream. Viva l'arborvilla!

~emrys