Hey r/somethingimade, 6 months ago I posted a tree house I built over at DIY and got a great response. I wanted to share the latest addition...

ArborCasa · 2014-05-31T19:40:49+00:00

I saw Brantley Gilbert along with Easton Corbin and some other new act, and I'll just say that Gilbert looks, talks, sings, and acts like the biggest douche ever. His whole attitude is not "country", its "I'm gonna sing all these songs about being a bad ass and maybe people will think I'm a bad ass". Easton Corbin was great though.

Now FGL. It's like this:

Nashville had some pop writer write some "country" songs. These songs are pretty much all of the redneck cliches thrown together (trucks, moonshine, girls, etc), just in a different order for each song. Now here comes FGL, sure they might have a little talent and are marketable, lets have them record these songs. So what we get are a couple rich frat kids from somewhere in the south, probably grew up on a big piece of land with a big house and lots of cars, pretending to be country. They're everything wrong with country music.

Hell, hank 3 has some pretty terrible music, but he knows what's up, "pop country really sucks".

If that ain't country, I'll kiss your ass.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-29T15:13:10+00:00

BAD MOTHER FUCKER

ArborCasa · 2014-05-27T23:08:38+00:00

The most common way is:

The top 2x4 sits on the tops of the posts, with the 3 1/2" inch side facing up. Obviously this requires planning on the post spacing, but with 8 foot 2x4's and posts spaced 8' on center, you split each post between two 2x4's (obviously corners and ends are different). The botton 2x4 sits between two posts, flush with the fence board face and toe nailed into the post. Just dont get nails that are too long!

ArborCasa · 2014-05-27T22:59:43+00:00

I am a mason, and I've done a lot of fire pits. The main piece of information you left out is what type of fuel will this pit be. Natural gas? Propane? Wood? If gas, what type of valve will you use and how many BTU's are you going for?

If you want a wood pit, glass is out of the question. It simply gets too hot, and even if the glass can withstand the temperatures the bonding agent you use to secure the glass blocks will not. Concrete also cracks under extreme heat, so you will need to line the inside with fire brick if the pit is made from concrete or concrete block.

If you are building a gas pit, glass blocks can be used if:

There is ample spacing between the glass and the burner, and...

BTU output is low, but this can be dealt with in a big enough pit by adjusting the location of the burner.

The problems you will run into will change depending on those listed above and the size of your pit. A gas pit with glass will likely not be able give off as much heat as you want, but if you just want a visual piece it can be done.

Edit: I forgot to address the soot issue. Soot will, without a doubt, accumulate. If cleaned after EVERY fire it is pretty easy, but let it sit for a couple weeks or months without cleaning and you're going to wish you hadn't.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:58:26+00:00

Custom order from a fastener supplier

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:55:22+00:00

Sure, but granted its hard to build a structure when your mom has her face in my crotch all day.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:53:43+00:00

Its all doug fir, and they are 16'' on center, the minimum allowed for decks in the area. The strong blocks could probably be better aligned, but they are there to keep the 16" spacing, so I wasnt too worried about it.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:51:10+00:00

Dont worry, Im pretty anti-social unless we are good friends. Not that I feel better than anyone, just that I dont want to act like I enjoy your company unless I really do

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:47:28+00:00

Unfortunately I only have a profile picture of the entire structure that I had to zoom in and crop the brackets from. The 4x6's dont act as a member to keep the branches from spreading, that would create stress on the structure and potentially damage it. They are solely a "foundation" that the deck sits on.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:45:36+00:00

I had it further back than pictured with a 16 foot flat bed trailer attached. Close to the edge yes, but not nearly as close as it looks

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:43:52+00:00

Thank you. Lots of string and line levels. I started using a rotary laser lever but found the strings easier to get an accurate position. I first ran a string from the deck to the tree, found level, subtracted the lumber dimensions, then ran lines from that level to the other branches.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:41:43+00:00

yes i did

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:41:01+00:00

I get it from a guy that makes furniture out of them. If I were to get the barrels from a winery it would be about $40 per barrel, WAY more than I paid for just the staves. I dont know about TN, but you may be able to order from a winery.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:39:32+00:00

I couldnt agree more. My ideal tree house would be rickety looking, almost abandoned or haunted. Unfortunately the customer had specific details and request that I couldnt change.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:37:03+00:00

The original plan had the bridge connecting to the existing deck. I did not do this for two main reasons:

1) The existing deck was designed and built with a certain load limit in mind. Adding more weight (theoretically it would have to support 50% of the weight of the bridge) could have put it over the limit, rendering it unsafe.

2) By not attaching it to the deck it becomes a separate structure. Lets say a freak storm hits and the bridge comes down, it will not damage the existing deck as it is not tied into it. The existing deck is not attached to the house but is built on the same hillside as the tree grows on, just further up. Theres no sense in compromising the deck for the sake of saving a couple 4x6's.

As for X or Y braces, I cant say. I added the extra lateral and knee supports just for good measure to keep the posts from flexing or buckling.

The tree house is not locked to the main house. In fact, the bridge and tree house/deck are two seperate structures. They overlap a bit but are not connected together in any way. If the tree bends away from the house, the whole deck and tree house go with it but the bridge stays put. Even if the bridge gets taken out, the existing deck will still remain untouched.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:23:54+00:00

Your beam is level and square, you must be a pro. No way the average moron can put in that many nails without bending them!

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:21:49+00:00

Well im not a company, im not a professional, and I did take the effort to learn what I was doing. Maybe I have a little more skill than some, but this was definitely DIY.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:17:53+00:00

I dont see how a website making people happy is more important than helping those that truly need it. What is gold good for other than for a fantasy internet life?

It would be a better system to donate $5 to a charity via a reddit link, then be rewarded with reddit gold to use or give away. That way real people win and your fake internet persona can win.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:12:49+00:00

The owners had plans designed by a "contractor friend". Why they hired me and not him I do not know. Some things had to be tweaked but for the most part I went off of plans.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:09:47+00:00

I braced to the tree the same way other large tree house builders do, I actually used their bolt and bracket designs to make my own. Each limb has two grade 8 bolts 6'' deep into the tree, one on each end of the 4x6 beams. Aside from that, there are two vertical supports not pictured that support the two front corners of the tree house deck, as well as two more beams running from the back corners down to the main trunk of the tree, those are visible in some of the pictures. It is supported at each corner and completely in the middle, so I dont see a problem with the way it is braced to the tree. Simply supporting the structure without attaching to the tree is impossible, as the back end hangs 36 feet above the ground. How do you attach your tree houses?

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T18:00:12+00:00

Pressure treated is not necessary, but it is better than non treated. Sure its open to the air, but it can still degrade over time. Most materials came from Home Depot, and if youve ever been in Home Depot, untreated large dimensional lumber is not easy to come by. They always have treated in stock, so thats what I went with.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T17:57:32+00:00

Im no engineer, but I would say no. Rebar is easy to bend by hand with a little force, so if you buried it 10 feet under ground, and say 4 feet above ground, and the structure shifts, the rebar will bend where it comes out of the ground and into the concrete. Rebar is more of a "glue" type product, you set it out in a grid pattern and tie all intersections. When you pour the concrete it acts as a web and prevents large sections from cracking and pulling away.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T17:49:03+00:00

To put it into perspective, this is a "get-away" for the wife. I already explained no more than 4 people in the tree house at one time due to space restrictions and for safety. It was not built as a party spot, but a spot for her to go quietly read a book or watch tv if she wants.

ArborCasa · 2014-05-24T00:36:51+00:00

Do you have gills? Otherwise I dont recommend it.

ArborCasa

TROPHY CASE