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This is a really interesting idea. I've heard of tree houses, but a "perch" now that is something new. What do you use it for? I imagine it is a conversation starter with a lot of people. What made you decide to put a deck up in a tree?
It's quite solid. The joists are 2 X 10s they had to be notched where they intersected and lag bolted together. The interior framework is a triangle around the inside of the three branches and there are two joists cantilevered out to create the fourth side. It's then rimmed in a 2X12. It has 2 X 6 spruce tongue and groove flooring and the railing is clear Douglas Fir as is the ladder.
The reason it's in the tree is because that's where the customer wanted it for her children to play in. The reason it's built so substantially is so that the parents can go up in it too. (It's sure to last longer than the children will live at home.)
If you'll notice there's about 2 1/2 inches around each tree branch already. It'll take until I'm retired for those branches to reach that size. I did leave enough room for the flooring to be cut another 2-3 more. Also I put 2X4 blocks between the framework and the tree that can be removed to accommodate tree growth as well.
edited to say:
I just went back to look at the "above" view. Since this picture was taken at night, it's difficult to see the size of the room left around the tree branches. It looks like they're hugging the side of the branches. There really is room around them.
Thanks for filling me in. You say it was for the client. What kind of business do you have?
How much does something like this cost? I still think it is a really neat idea.
When I was a kid the neighbors had a old, rickety thing that we always played on. The windows were screened in with chicken wire. Now that I think about it, it was kind of a scary place, but we didn't care. A "place to call our own" was all that mattered.
My business is called "Creations". I do a wide variety of things, many having to do with hardscape. I build Koi ponds, raised vegetable garden enclosures, custom dog houses, (I build replicas of the owners' home for the dog), garden trellis, custom fences, and of course tree houses and perches. I also do custom stair banisters and sometimes furniture. I don't like doing furniture as a business. I prefer to do that only for myself and immediate family.
The cost of that perch is pretty expensive, mainly due to the fact that I "over" built it. With someone's children playing in it, I felt it was important to do all I could to make certain the construction of the structure would never be the cause of an injury. As a result, the materials were more expensive, the way it was constructed was more time consuming,thus more expensive, and this one in particular was about $2500.00.
The framework for the floor and the ladder took about 80% of the time I spent on it. The flooring, railing and finish took only a couple of days.
