It began as a logical solution. I was in need of a place to host massive sleepover/adventure/camp-outs for my nieces.  I was going to need to build a tree house.

I wandered through the valleys and hills to find just the right place to nestle this little house. As they say in real estate, location is everything!!

Eventually I decided that somewhere near this rock would be ideal as this was always a favorite play area for my siblings and I when we were growing up. We call it Eagle Rock because from a distance and at just the right angle, one can imagine the head of a bald eagle in it’s shape and markings.

Choosing the right tree is uniquely challenging because each tree has it’s own sort of magic and it’s so fun to imagine how a little house can fit into the branches. This old tree with it’s funny little notches and perfectly arched branches won my heart. It’s proximity to other oaks made it ideal for the project I had in mind.

After choosing a spot, I started collecting as much free wood as I could find. Craigslist is a magical place filled with old relics and strange people. It is host to a myriad of building materials such as windows, doors, wood scraps, bridges, etc…

I have no idea what normal people do when they build houses, but I figure as long as it’s somewhat square-ish and has lots of screws and brackets holding it together, it should all work out.

This old cow was my company while I framed the floor. Not an easy task I might add.

I found this 16 foot bridge on craigslist for 45 bucks. It was listed as a unicycle training ramp! It will span from the house to a deck in this other tree.

I had to re-design my floor plan a few times because I have this problem where I always imagine how things could be so much more amazing if I just add this one little thing over here… -The woes of being a visionary.

I keep all my tools in the bridge. Lessons learned from Photoshop.

My brother Aaron helped me with tree trimming. He and I built a tree house when we were about 12 and 14 but we didn’t level the floor so it was always a little…. scary to walk around inside. I learned from that experience and decided to use a real level and make the floor for this tree house awesome!

I did have to buy the plywood for the inside floor.

I had originally planned to use decking for the inside and outside, but my friend who is a contractor told me that using plywood on the inside would make everything stronger.

Since I hadn’t measured for using plywood sheets, things didn’t quite match up right… But, that just means adding more supports underneath. Which means measuring. I hate measuring. And math.

I added on this section in the back because I needed a spot for a bathroom and I didn’t want it to be inside the main room. Also, my nieces requested a secret room, but I can’t talk about that because it’s…. a secret.  This little knot in the tree is one of my favorite things. It reaches just the exact hight to help support this little beam in the section I added on. It makes me think that hundreds of years ago, God wrote into the DNA of this tree that it should grow in just such a way as to hold my board for me when I decided to add an extra room. God is cool like that.

This little mouse lives in one of my hallow tree branches. His name is Roger.

After I finished the floor I asked my siblings and my contractor friend to help with the framing of the house. The frame I didn’t want to mess around with so I figured I should at least have help with that part.

I’ve named it Eaglehurst.

More to come later!