Bringing a tree inside

George selected a straight madrone from the meadow as our post.
The post will support the large beam under the clearstory.

Robbie notching the post to hold the beam.
The post sits on a special concrete base in the foundation.

The Hooch

Jo Scheer built us this treehouse last year using his design based on the stuctures in Vietnam called a "hooch". (www.tropical-treehouse.com) We use it as the children's bedroom when the family visits but I have enjoyed sleeping in it, too. We can see the pond from here and it's a great place to watch animals and birds.
We hope to have a bridge from the new house deck so Gramma can finally get to it. The ladders and trap door make it a challenge for the over-80 set.
The DIY network did a TV episode on building this. The crew shot about 30 hours and editted it down to 20 minutes.