Jack's Backyard

Custom Wood Decks or Whatever You Want.

This is a large wood fort I made earlier this year. The owner of the house called and asked if I did custom builds. I'm a little picky about the custom projects I choose to do and prefer to build for people who know my work. The Beall family was ripe for my talents. They wanted a skilled craftsman who could color outside the lines. Their want, matched my need for creative design. I told them I'd do it for free, but living in Houston cost $$$. We agreed, I should be paid.

The tree was huge... 100-150 year Oak. Their respect for the tree was what drew me in the most. Their children love to climb this tree. The lowest branches were just out of reach the 5'5" eleven year old. The other kids wanted to climb and would fall trying to make the climb. As a playground maker and in the interest of safety, I cannot condone climbing this huge tree. The kid in me says, "Jump from it using a sheet as a parachute." The parents decision was build next to it to and offer free access for all.

This was a big project... We discussed a plan and after some negotiating I agreed to make her tree house/fort.. This fort has an 8' deck height. It's 12' across and 8' wide.

We planned for several hours. She made decisions regarding what she felt was a comfortable safety margin and I told her what I was not willing to risk. The end result was exactly what the Beall family wanted. Safety within the fort was considered at all times while safety within the tree was left to nature.

The build took 4 days... The fort was built close to the tree with a small platform leading to the tree. A lockable gate to the platform provides easy access to a huge flat spot in the fork of the tree. The fort also featured a lower wooden deck with a stair like ladder leading up into the fort. Once in the fort, there was a small desk with storage, made for homework, lunches, or arts and crafts. 64 sq. ft. of usable deck space was left open for sleepovers, a table with chairs, or just to hang out with friends.

Trapdoors worry me... I always think of what could happen if one of the kiddos fall through an open door. Since the only planned access into the fort was through a trapdoor, the door had to be built strong enough to support the weight of kids (and adults) walking and jumping on it. This would make it heavy and hard for children to open. The other consideration was the weight of the door on some fingers or a head. The trapdoor needed to be big, tough, and kid friendly.

A creative solution was needed... To resolve the open door issue, I made a one way, one kid at a time access. I designed a hallway of sorts. Once a child went up through the door, the open trapdoor and the desk blocked access to the rest of the fort. The only way to get to the rest of the fort was to close the trapdoor. This also created a one kid at a time exit. The door was also set on blocks to create a 1" gap between the deck and the door to eliminate crunched fingers.

This is my favorite part... I made a cantilever system that was balanced perfectly with the weight of the trapdoor. You can see it in the pictures. I used  a piece of 3" PVC capped on both ends filled with gravel. I attached my counter-weight to a 1/2" section of rope, fed the rope through a pulley and secured that to the trapdoor. The cantilever is weighted so the door will open effortlessly and will close slowly on it's own. I'm still patting myself on the back for that one.

I am good at what I do... The pictures you see here are the finished project. The entire family loved the fort. They watched patiently for the last two hours before I finished. Once I gave them the go ahead they were all over it. These are my favorite types of projects. Every aspect of this design tested my engineering skills, my craftsmanship, and my creative talents. I think I passed this particular test.

Click on pictures for larger image