Be In A Treehouse

A guide from the premier treehouse designer: “Stunning photos of fanciful houses . . . To browse through Nelson’s book is to fantasize about life in midair.” —The Washington Post Book World The host of Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters and the world’s best-known treehouse designer and builder, Pete Nelsonwants to put you in a tree. His motto: “Get ’er done, so you can BE in a TREE.” With this book he provides a comprehensive source of inspiration and practical information about treehouse design and construction, and shares the basics of treehouse construction with his own recent projects as case studies. Using photographs taken especially for this project along with diagrams, he covers the selection and care of trees, and explains the fundamentals of building treehouse platforms. To ignite the imagination, Nelson presents twenty-seven treehouses in the United States, Europe, and Africa. It’s an indispensable handbook for anyone who aspires to have a treehouse, from the armchair dreamer to the amateur builder to the professional contractor.

It seems that almost everyone likes treehouses. Smiles of recognition turn into grins of enthusiasm as more people discover them and dream about making their own private retreats or family play spaces. And it's nice to remind ourselves that treehouses are built into the oldest and most forgiving, living things on earth. Also, history records treehouses as being built as deliberate follies, as challenges for arboreal designers, for merrymaking, and for keeping the spirit of fairy tales alive. But treehouses can also be social places. We will visit many that were built to entertain, to hang out with friends, or as guest houses. Trees come in all types. Master treehouse builders Peter and Judy Nelson, with David Larkin, have embarked on yet another treehouse-discovery expedition across America, this time adding the investigation of backyard playhouses to their agenda. Now, in The Treehouse Book, they reveal their findings, illustrated and described in the most complete volume yet. From casual treeshacks made from discarded lumber to multitiered feats of fancy, they found shelters representing myriad builders--interesting characters ranging from childhood fanatics grown up, to weekend carpenters, to those who want their grandkids to have the best clubhouse on the block. Detailed how-to information, including plans and drawings, is woven with behind-the-scenes tales of each structure's occupants and stunning interior and exterior photographic exploration.

Featuring beautiful images and a lyrical text with an exquisitely readable cadence, this book gives life and meaning to all the requisite elements of a treehouse, from time, timber, and rafters to ropes of twisted twine that invite visitors to sprawl out on a limb and slide back down again. For anyone who's ever wanted to escape real life and live in a nostalgic dream come true, this poignant picture book captures the universal timelessness of treehouses and celebrates all the creativity and adventure they spark.

Since the publication of Treehouses of the World, the community of treehouse builders has grown tremendously, and many more innovative treehouses have been built around the world. In New Treehouses of the World, world-renowned treehouse designer and builder Pete Nelson takes readers on an exciting, international tour of more than 35 new treehouses that reveal how treehouses are designed, constructed, and appreciated in a wide array of cultures and settings. Both beautifully photographed and thoughtfully written by Pete Nelson, New Treehouses of the World documents Nelson’s travels, discoveries, and epiphanies, and explores the ever-growing new frontier of arboreal architecture. The message that Nelson promotes is simple: As sustainable living issues stand poised to become the most important challenges facing the post-millenial age, the positive power and goodwill that a simple treehouse engenders is of greater importance than ever before.

Remember the view from atop a tree? You could survey the landscape like a monarch, escape your parents' watchful eye, and let your imagination run wild. Well, just because you've grown up, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the sense of liberation a tree provides. Here is the most comprehensive guide ever to building your own castle in the air, be it a simple child's playhouse or an adult's cozy retreat with all the modern conveniences, including electricty. Peter Nelson, the nation's foremost authority on treehouses, tells you everything you need to know about designing and building the house that's right for you and your family. He gives you information on site selection (why some trees provide better homes than others), safety issues, tree care, advice on styles and materials, and other essential rules of thumb that will save time and money. Nelson walks you through the construction of four actual projects: a children's playhouse, a vacation home, an office, and a full-time residence. Whether you'd like to build your children a safe and fun place to play and dream, or you're contemplating your own retreat from the drudgeries of earthbound living, this practical, wildly fanciful guide will show you how to make your tree fantasies come true.

Enclosed DVD.

This expanded edition of The Complete Guide: Build Your Kids a Treehouse covers every aspect of treehouse building, from choosing a tree and safety considerations to adding interior furniture and even a zip line. Now featuring two all-new treehouse plans with step-by-step photo-illustrated instruction. For kids, a treehouse is a room that never has to be cleaned, a place for muddy shoes and bug jars and adventures real and imagined; a house that you can paint whenever and however you want, without gaining approval. For adults, it’s a room that never has to be cleaned, a place for muddy shoes and…well, you get the idea. But best of all a treehouse is up in a tree. And that’s just cool. Filled with inspiring photos of finished treehouses and easy-to-follow instructions for building your own, learn with your family treehouse basics—choosing a tree, planning and design, treehouse safety—followed by building techniques for: Platforms designed for various tree configurations Framing and finishing walls and railings Finishing interiors with paneling, shelves, and flip-down tables and bunks Doors, both classic and in fun shapes Windows, including shutters and pop-ups Building and framing roofs Modes of access, including ladders, stairs, trap doors, and a fireman’s pole Playthings, including swings, a zip line, a rock climbing wall, slides, and more You can get started right away by following the complete plans and step-by-step photos for making your choice of two popular treehouse designs: an open-air treehouse and a gable house with entry deck. To give you even more to choose from, you will find fully developed plans for six additional treehouse types that you can adapt to your particular trees and wishes. Build the treehouse you and your kids have always dreamed of with BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Treehouses, 2nd edition.

An evocative story about two brothers who are growing up (one faster than the other), an unusual summer night and a special tree house that proves childhood is not just a time but also a place.