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from the Trees
by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 2005. All rights reserved. Here we are eye-to-eye with the birds, as far removed from ground-level reality as an eagle in its aerie. Shrouded in leafage, we can peer out at passersby who never seem lift their heads above the horizontal plane; to them we are invisible. Almost every kid who grows up in the country knows what it's like to climb trees. And nearly everyone who has ever climbed a tree has built a treehouse... or dreamed of one. Most treehouses aren't much, just a few boards wedged between the trunk of the tree and some sturdy branches. All you need, really, is a platform to rest upon, but it's nice to have some walls and a roof as shelter from wind and rain.
Garnier is credited with revolutionizing treehouse design among adult builders by inventing the "GL" (Garnier Limb), a device that securely fastens a platform to the trunk of a tree. "By screwing it into a tree trunk just right, until the collar is tight against the trunk, an immensely strong structural support limb is created, which in the right kind of tree is capable of carrying the weight of, say, a Ford truck," writes fellow designer Pete Nelson in Treehouses of the World.
It's exciting and dangerous stuff, climbing trees and visiting treehouses. Many a child's first bone fracture occurred on or below a tree. But the biggest danger with climbing trees and staying in treehouses is that once you're in them -- away from chores and grades and parental supervision -- you may lose track of time and space and identity. When you come down you may be someone else entirely, unrecognizable to friends and family, and perhaps even yourself. |
Rural Delivery Commentaries and advice on rural living by Michael Hofferber Visit the Rural Delivery Blog  Treehouses of the World by Pete Nelson Harry N. Abrams, 2004 "It's now possible to travel around the world staying only in treehouse inns, bed-and-breakfasts, and hotels," claims treehouse designer Pete Nelson. Across several months of 2002 and 2003 Nelson and some colleagues (including photographer Radek Kurzaj) completed a sylvan circumnavigation, visiting more than 30 public and private treehouses from Japan and China to New Zealand, Italy, Poland, France and elsewhere. Photographs and profiles of each structure are presented here in a handsomely uplifting hardcover volume celebrating the allure of arborial living. Every year at the Treehouse Conference, near Cave Junction, Oregon, we get to see at lease one new Michael Garnier creation. He builds treehouses like I change my sheets, and then rents them out to an eager clientele. When we visited Michael for this book, we chose to photograph the Serendipitree (he plays on the word tree everywhere he can) treehouse, one of his more recent buildings. I think this building captures the essence of what treehouses are all about, Treehouses of the World includes how-to information and advice on building a treehouse, including tree selection, materials, design elements and safety issues. Charts detailing recommended joist spans, maximum decking spans, and girder span options are included in the back of the book. A Resources section provides contact information for treehouse designers and contractors, supplies, tree care and an international treehouse lodging directory with 10 entries. |