Where have all the tree houses gone?  It was not an easy task to collect a reasonable number of tree houses for inspiration and information for this piece, but that is a sign of our changing landscape, it would have probably been as equally difficult to find a group of kids who challenge each other for a regular game of Kick the Can.  Is outdoor frolicking diminishing from our children’s vernacular?  Have the hypnotic trances of indoor lures like video games and mindless TV shows replaced the wide open spaces, clean air and portals to imaginary worlds?  Maybe we need to change our focal point to elicit similar behavior in our children and a great place to start is by finding a sturdy tree.

Tree houses are abundantly more than mere lumber and nails, they are meeting centers where neighborhood gangs are formed, they are aerial perches in which to discuss the values of pink versus orange over a tea party, they are forts where dares and amazing feats will be performed, a private spot to create new games or worlds that live only in the mind’s eye.  It is a tranquil place to convene with the birds and squirrels, a haven in which to have a little calm and encourage escapism from our lives that are all too often frantic and over-scheduled.

As an adult you may be scratching your head wondering when trees became your nemesis, raking their leaves in the autumn is a dreaded chore, or is a tree obstructing your golf course view, when did they become a detached object of beauty?  If you tried to amble about a tree’s boughs as you did as a nimble young sprout are you mostly concerned that the fire department be on call with a long ladder?  Nonsense, shake off the bowlines and re-discover life on top of the world.

Home Sweet Tree

The first order of business is to find a good, thick tree to make home base, oak, elm, maple, apple, conifers really most any tree will work as long as it is a firmly rooted and healthy.  The tree should dictate the design of the house, consider various levels, bridges, ropes, look-out points and whatever else you may fancy but keeping in mind the tree’s health should come first.  Dave Werdin-Kennicott, an accomplished carpenter for almost 20 years, instills this advice, “It is very important to remember that the tree is living and growing and the treehouse should be designed to accommodate that.  Each tree is going to have its own unique structure.  This is a combination of the tree’s specific growth habits and its history.  Designing a successful treehouse requires an understanding of future tree growth.”  Werdin-Kennicott also suggests trying to keep the connections to the tree as few as possible and using lag screws instead of nails or deck screws.

So, you’ve scouted the property and earmarked a tree, now gather the family together and make it a group project.  Each person can come up with a drawing and have specific ideas.  By working as a group and allowing everyone to take part in the process it should instill a sense of ownership and pride in accomplishment.  Werdin-Kennicott admits that building your first treehouse may seem daunting but he suggests breaking down the project into smaller more manageable tasks.  He recommends:

1. Start by laying out a space to visualize how much room the structure will take.
2. Mark a level line around the trunk of the tree, to use as a reference point when building the floor.
3. Start from the bottom and work your way up.
4. Trim smaller twig type branches out of the way.

Treehouse Camp

Somewhere off the back country roads of Leavenworth County, dust and debris kicks off the rear tires of a dirt path to bring my car to a real life treehouse camp.  The camp has been created by a lovely couple who like to work under the cover of anonymity, they pleasantly surprise children who they feel are worthy of spending some good, wholesome fun fishing, hiking and playing make-believe in one of their many fantastical tree structures.  The camp sports a tree stage, puppet theatre, and four or five tree houses in which beds are made and ready for weary-eyed children to fall peacefully asleep after a long hard day of treehouse fun. Some groups may stay for the afternoon while others might spend a slew of nights swaying in the boughs of a majestic tree.  “Small is really good when it comes to treehouses, they are cozier and more intimate,” bellows the camp’s fearless leader and on-site treehouse carpenter.  Retirement for this rural couple is a series of moments dedicated to children, whether it be frolicking from limb to limb with their grandson, Jacob, or treating a group of special needs kids to a weekend of weenie roasts and ghost stories.  This treehouse camp is meant to delight the young although, I know a couple of retirees that definitely take advantage of life a little closer to the stars.

Take to the Open Seas

James Meadows, a retired KU professor, doesn’t have the space for a camp but he does have four grandsons who happily cavort on the one treehouse he constructed.  He says of the treehouse’s style, “I wanted something besides a “house”.  I have always enjoyed boats and had spent time sailing with the family in the Bahamas, so the nautical theme of a pirate ship came to mind.”  The entire Meadow’s family built the ship, one important part of its assembly is that the tree is allowed to sway, as all trees with treehouses built around them should be able to do, this adds to the authenticity of a creaking old pirates ship forging its way through the foggy perilous waters.

Meadows fondest memories, he says, “The best thing about the treehouse is the ability to play with the grandchildren.  The main users of the ship are my four grandsons, and of course myself.  The major activities have been snowball and water gun fights.  This tends to keep one in a youthful frame of mind.”

An Empty Nest

Both Pat and Nancy Flavin and Craig Davis constructed treehouses for their then young children.  But the time has passed like saw dust through their fingers and the treehouse is now a pleasant place of repose for the adults.  Nancy Flavin enjoys a cool beverage with other neighborhood wives and mothers at the end of a long day perched high above the bustling terra firma domicile.  The Flavin’s built their entire treehouse out of recycled materials they scavenged, what a wonderful way to reclaim an old window or door.  Craig Davis modeled his treehouse in Lansing after a bird house; it boasts a hand-made stained glass window, sky light, a little attic and even a dumbwaiter made of a wicker basket and pulley rope.  Even though the kids have moved past moonlight nights acting like Tarzan, these tree structures are not collecting cobwebs but have rather been usurped by the “older kids” in the house and serve as a great get away from a grown-up reality.

So, gather the family together and take back the night, excuse yourself from the TV program and computer screen and make some memories in the great outdoors.  Whether you chose to construct the treehouse as a family or hire a contractor to handle the brawn, you’ll certainly find more doors opening when staring at the clouds on a spring day or swinging from a branch than the indoors with life’s many distractions.  You never get to be young again and you only get to be old once so spending some of that time nestled high above with the day’s worry’s on the world below, rooted.  Meanwhile you are flying high with the rustling leaves dancing in one ear and a soft little voice in the other ear beckoning you to raise another tea cup and toast to a happy day.

Suggested Reading:

“A Treehouse of Your Own” by Josh Harris

“The Treehouse Book” by Peter & Judy Nelson with David Larkin

“Home Tree Home, Principles of Treehouse Construction and Other Tall Tales” by Peter Nelson & Gerry Hadden