The Bones

I recently blogged about my vintage camper restoration, and given the specificity of the model, and the popularity of the genre, I was able to let the process of restoring guide my blogging, with more or less step by step photos and explanations of my techniques for tackling the challenges that arose. IN the case of these tree houses, the actual building of it is not particularly interesting, but rather more the concept, the surrounding vision and the ideas that meld with the construction, the building process in the biggest sense of the phrase. That being said, the building technique has become a bit interesting, and we've ended up driving our design forward with the use of reclaimed materials and antique doors etc, especially this set of thirty (three foot wide by four foot high, two inch thick, nine light) antique windows that I bought from a local, and which came out of the "Plant Home--" a monstrous mansion on the shores of the Kennebec built in 1908. Plant was the same guy who built the "Castle in the Clouds" in New Hampshire, died bankrupt, I believe.

 Six of these beauties will constitute nearly the entire front wall of the bedrooms, for what we hope is a striking effect.

Here they are temporarily pinned up for builder motivation. :) Otherwise, the uniqueness of the build comes from the vertical shiplap siding. I framed the building 24" on center and then wrapped the entire thing with a nine foot roll of tyvek to create a vapor barrier. Then we strapped the whole thing horizontally at 24" on center, adding in lots of angled strapping for rigidity, as seen in the pics. This was Stig's idea, and did wonders for strength, especially in the front where the gaps for the windows necessitated a little something extra. Basically, it's built with the idea that moisture will get through some of the shiplap joints and knot holes etc and be stopped by the tyvek and dry out in the cavity left between the sheathing and the tyvek. Sounds good on paper.

 Here's Elida, Phil (my brother and partner in this dream) and Marsha's (my sister in law, and the designer for these buildings) daughter, scoping out the plumb of my work.