TREE HOUSE - DAY TWO

AND DAY THREE. IT WAS RAINING OFF-AND-ON FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS, SO I SET UP CAMP UNDER THE TREE.

UNBOXED AND ASSEMBLED THE SLIDE, SO I COULD CHECK THE DIMENSIONS AND SEE HOW IT WAS GOING TO FIT INTO THE TREE HOUSE.

IT TOOK A LOT OF THE MORNING TO FIGURE OUT HOW ALL THE COMPONENTS WERE GOING TO FIT AROUND THE TREE, BUT BY THE AFTERNOON I HAD THE DECK FRAMING COMPLETE.

THE NEXT DAY, I PUT DOWN THE CEDAR DECKING...

...AND FRAMED THE TREE TRUNK.

TREE HOUSE - DAY ONE

HERE'S THE BEAUTIFUL MAPLE THAT WILL HOST THE TREE HOUSE. I'LL BE BUILDING THE STRUCTURE NEXT TO THIS TREE, RATHER THAN "IN" IT, BUT IT'S STILL GOING TO FEEL LIKE A TREE FORT.

I SPENT THE DAY GATHERING MATERIALS, STARTING WITH WINDOWS FROM THE REBUILDING CENTER, A LOCAL SALVAGE YARD. I LIKE THE SIZE OF THESE WINDOW PANES, WHICH WILL LOOK PROPORTIONAL IN A CHILD-SIZE STRUCTURE.

LOADED UP A LOT OF LUMBER AND LISTED LEFT.

(OK, IT LEANED TO THE RIGHT, BUT THAT'S NOT ALLITERATIVE, IS IT?)

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY TEN

THE ROOF IS ALL BUTTONED UP, JUST IN TIME FOR TONIGHT'S RAINSTORM, AND THE ELECTRICIAN BEGAN RUNNING WIRE. 

WHILE DAD'S OFFICE IS BEING WIRED AND INSULATED, I'LL BE ACROSS TOWN BUILDING A TREE HOUSE. MORE ABOUT THAT TOMORROW.

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY NINE

PUT UP THE FASCIA AND THE ROOF DECKING. THE ROOFER COMES TOMORROW TO PUT ON THE ASPHALT SHINGLES AND MAKE IT RAIN-PROOF.

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY SEVEN

...AND EIGHT. I CUT THE COMMON RAFTERS, AND THEN I DID THE HIP RAFTERS, WHICH RUN FROM THE RIDGE TO THE FOUR CORNERS.

AND THEN ONWARDS TO THE JACK RAFTERS, WHICH RUN FROM THE HIP RAFTER TO THE TOPS OF THE WALLS.

ALL DONE. THANKS, PYTHAGORAS. COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU.

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY SIX

I SPENT MOST OF THE MORNING RE-LEARNING THE ARCANE ARTS OF RAFTER-LENGTH CALCULATION. 

LAID-OUT THE RAFTER SPACING ON THE TOP PLATE.

CUT THE RAFTERS TO LENGTH AND CUT THE "BIRD'S MOUTH," WHERE THE RAFTERS WILL MEET THE WALLS. (THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THAT TERM THAT'S BOTH QUAINT AND CREEPY.)

"OREGONIAN" INTERVIEW

HERE'S A RECENT INTERVIEW ON THE "OREGONIAN" WEBSITE, WHERE I TRY TO EXPLAIN THE CHARM AND ALLURE OF MICRO-STRUCTURES.

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY FIVE

I CONTINUED NAILING UP THE PLYWOOD. FOR THE WINDOW OPENINGS, I CLAMPED A PIECE OF PLYWOOD IN PLACE AND MARKED IT.

THEN I TOOK IT DOWN AND CUT ALONG THE LINES.

NAILED IT UP AND LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW.

WITHOUT THE ROOF, IT LOOKS LIKE A PERFECT CUBE.

THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT I'M CALLING THE 'COURTYARD EFFECT.' THE MICRO-STRUCTURE HELPS TO DEFINE THE SPACE BETWEEN ITSELF AND THE MAIN HOUSE, CREATING AN OUTDOOR 'ROOM.'

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY FOUR

FRAMED THE EAST WALL, WHICH WILL HAVE OUT-SWINGING PATIO DOORS FOR THE ENTRANCE.

BIRD'S EYE VIEW:

WENT AROUND BACK AND STARTED PUTTING UP THE PLYWOOD. 

IT'S STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE.

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY THREE

I RAN THE SUB-FLOORING PAST THE EDGES OF THE RIM JOISTS, AND THEN CUT IT TO SIZE.

AFTER I HAD A COUPLE OF WALLS IN PLACE, I LAID OUT A WINDOW OPENING AND A 'DESK'.  THE CLIENTS AND I FIGURED OUT THE BEST HEIGHT FOR THE WINDOW WHEN DAD IS IN HIS OFFICE.

PUT UP THE SOUTH WALL AND CALLED IT A DAY.

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY TWO

I PUT DOWN THE FLOOR JOISTS AND MEASURED CORNER-TO-CORNER. WHEN THE DIAGONAL MEASUREMENTS ARE THE SAME, I KNOW THE WHOLE THING IS SQUARE. 

LUMBER DROP! MIKE, THE DRIVER FROM MR. PLYWOOD, CAN DROP A TON OF LUMBER PRECISELY ON TARGET. A FEAT TO WATCH.

A VERY EARLY DINNER WITH MORGAN AT RADIO ROOM. AHI TACOS, FRIED CALAMARI AND ICED TEA.

DAD'S OFFICE - DAY ONE

THE MICRO-STRUCTURE IS GOING IN THIS CORNER OF THE YARD, SO THIS IS THE 'BEFORE' PHOTO.

A LITTLE EXCAVATION, AND THEN THE CEMENT TRUCK ARRIVED.

THE FIRST WHEELBARROW LOAD AND THE FIRST POUR.

LEVEL, SMOOTH AND SQUARE.

DAD'S OFFICE

I BEGIN WORK TOMORROW ON "DAD'S OFFICE". MY CLIENTS HAVE AN EXUBERANT TODDLER, AND DAD WORKS AT HOME, SO HE NEEDS A PLACE OF HIS OWN. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE BUILDING:

IT WILL HAVE CEDAR SIDING, BAMBOO FLOORS, A BUILT-IN DESK AND A WHOLE LOTTA LIGHT. IT HAS A CLASSIC LOOK TO IT, WHICH I REALLY LIKE.

"L SHED" IS A STAR

THERE'S A SHORT ARTICLE ABOUT THE "L SHED" IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF OREGON HOME. 

I COMPLETED THE COURTYARD PROJECT, AND DID A QUICK FENCE-RENOVATION DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS.

IN A FEW DAYS, I'LL BEGIN A NEW MICRO-STRUCTURE AND RE-START THE BLOG. PLEASE STAY TUNED.