As a child, I had a secret place, a wonderful little sanctuary, where I could retreat and sit quietly with a good book, watch fluffy pillows of white clouds drift lazily across the sky, gaze at the stars glistening on a summer night, and escape from my parents and siblings.
Well, for about two seconds anyway, until they found me.
My back-yard refuge was in fact, a neighborhood hang-out, built and occupied all summer long by the 58 kids under age 18 (my sister Sheila once counted) who grew up on Wendy Drive in Northbrook. It was a three-story treehouse, floating about 8 feet above the ground amid the gigantic branches of the weeping willow tree and surrounded by a hedge of sweet-smelling lilac bushes in the far corner of my family’s back yard, abutting the forest preserve.
As architect and founder of the treehouse club and head matriarch (oldest child in the family on the cul de sac where the fort resided), I ruled the treetop roost, or I liked to think I did. Pecking order aside, my brother Paul and his buddies made sure my quiet moments of private sanctum were fleeting, as this back-yard wilderness creation became party central after the sun went down, and … well, my parents wouldn’t want to know.
Let’s just say that if it is possible that an environment can shape a person, then our tree fort certainly shaped the kids of Wendy Drive. Make no mistake, this perch, or perches (there was a ground floor, connected by a stairway to second and third floors), shaded us from the midday sun, provided a shelter from the rain, housed so many of our dreams and seeded our memories.
It was beyond cool. There, we felt comfortable and safe to share our stories–and our lives. It took us one whole summer to build, collecting the wood on our bikes from a subdivision that was being constructed four blocks away.
Looking back, I must say my mom was a good sport about encouraging our hideaway efforts. Maybe because she knew that out there, we weren’t bothering her inside.
Indeed, the Willow Tree Clubhouse became the record of the living ritual of our experiences–first crushes, first dates, lots of firsts … throughout the years.
That’s what is so great about the fact that treetop wonders are back, big time.
Certainly, the regaling of memories of childhood treehouses is one inspiration. But whether they began as a kid’s fantasy or are a revival of the high-wired days of yesteryear, treehouses today are holding places of honor in back yards throughout the Chicago area and across the globe, as more adults rediscover the joys of arboreal hideaways.
Indeed, the concept of these treetop retreats is branching out. In recent years, treehouses have become the subject of best-selling books and workshops. They also are increasingly becoming locales for weekend retreats, places of meditation, offices, full-time residences, religious retreats and even honeymoon suites in Hawaii.
The theory behind these getaways is as simple to understand as running through sprinklers on hot summer days. “Sounds good, doesn’t it? And who wouldn’t [want to do that],” says Peter Nelson, president of The World Treehouse Association, based in Seattle.
“Treehouses have always been places of wonder and adventure, a place to play in the summertime,” says Nelson, called “Mr. Treehouse” by his friends. “But they are really becoming popular today as people are realizing that we can do whatever we want in life.”
He’s the owner of Nelson’s Treehouse Supply, a 7-month-old outfit that offers design-consulting and building services for treehouses being constructed as far away as Japan. His most recent book is “The Treehouse Book” (University Publishers, $20).
Treehouses have a long history. From the Middle Ages on, tree arbors were popular in Europe. During the Italian Renaissance, the Medicis built a marble extravaganza in a tree. A town just west of Paris became famous in the mid-19th Century for its arboreal restaurants.
But the most famous treehouses of all time existed only in the imagination, including the one that was home to the castaway Swiss Family Robinson, not to forget the ingenious jungle treehouse belonging to Tarzan. Of course there are also the hollow-tree houses of Winnie-the-Pooh’s friends, Owl and Christopher Robin, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s hobbits.
“Treehouses are undergoing a worldwide renaissance,” says David Pearson, author of “The House That Jack Built Treehouses” (Gaia Books Ltd., $16.95). “But every treehouse is different, and every owner has his or her own tale to tell.”
Family trees
Just ask Russ Goldman of Highland Park.
On the Fourth of July weekend in 1997, he took a ladder to a tree in his yard in the North Shore suburb and nearly one year later, on Memorial Day 1998, announced to his family that he had fulfilled a lifelong dream: He had completed an octagon-shaped treehouse.
“At first I started out building it for the kids to give them the playhouse I always wished I had,” says Goldman, a mechanical engineer for Klein Tools Inc. in Skokie. Of course, it is a favorite among his children, Zoe, 9, Abbie, 5, and, someday, too, for Mandi, 8 months.
“They love it, but I realized it is one of those fantasies I always had growing up as a kid in Wisconsin. I always just wanted a place to go and just be.”
Ditto for Tom Knuth, an attorney from the south suburbs and father of three children.
For Knuth, the 12-by-16-foot treehouse, which cost him one year in weekends and $6,000 to build, is a special place to dote on the special people in his life: his wife, Mary Anne, children, Michael and David, 10, and 13-year-old daughter, Kathleen. It’s also a frequent refuge for talks with his 90-year-old grandpa, Cal Fazzini.
“We can go up there and feel like we are in the woods of Costa Rica,” says Knuth, a divorce attorney who craves his “time away at the treehouse.”
Attempting to build a fortress that could be enjoyed by adults and children alike, Joe Sanzeri of Palatine has created a back-yard playground of connecting sandboxes, swing sets and fort, with slide. Coolest part: It connects to a shed via walkway/deck. The complex is festooned with touches that make the whole ensemble look like it is right out of a fairy tale. Pond, fountain and garden surround it.
“It was always a dream of mine to have something like this,” says Sanzeri, father of two boys and a girl–Joe, 5, Santino, 4, and Vanessa, 2–and husband of Sylvia. “I became a father later in life [late 30s], and I wanted to give all this to my kids.”
Sometimes when the older children leave home, treehouses can begin a new lease on life. Also, and more important, they don’t have to be elaborate. They don’t even have to be in trees.
Justin Kinney’s is one of those simple platform types–four legs and a platform–that are sold in kits. His stepdad, Frank, built him the fort/playhouse when he was 8 years old in his Arlington Heights back yard.
These days, Kinney’s stepdad has “modernized,” adding a doorbell, flower box and roof for the grandchildren. “I’m glad and enjoy seeing them playing underneath,” Kinney says. “It’s good to see that the house won’t be going anywhere soon.”
Easy building tips
Here are some tips and suggestions from treehouse-building experts.
GETTING READY
First dream: Will it be a castle in the sky? A jungle hideaway? A fort for the neighborhood?
Select the tree: Safety is the first concern. Pick trees that have large, strongly connected limbs. Prune away branches and twigs so, when weighed with rain and propelled by winds, they will not slash into the treehouse.
Check building codes: Contact your municipality’s building department to see if a building permit is needed and what restrictions may apply.
ABOUT SAFETY
Find the right spot: Treehouses should be designed to rest upon major branches and to nestle around the trunk.
Brace for winds: Trees bend and twist in the wind, so do not simply jam or wedge boards between branches or into crotches. Experts recommend using rope–Manila rope, made of a natural material that is sturdier than nylon–to keep your treehouse snug against branches.
Get attached to the treehouse: All rope attachment hardware should be on the treehouse, not screwed into the tree.
Prepare for rain: Water and leaf litter should not be allowed to accumulate on or inside a treehouse. Tilt the floor area of the treehouse slightly to allow water to run off and fall freely to the ground–away from the tree trunk.
Going up: Use a self-supporting ladder tied to the tree, or a heavy, knotted rope. (Do not nail ladder rungs to the trunk for climbing.)
How high?: Three to 5 feet above the ground in a tree is the optimal height.
MATERIALS
For the basic structure: Use wood, which is “soft” on the tree and children, strong for its weight and withstands bending and mechanical shocks well.
For attachments: Limit damage to the tree by using rope lashing rather than nails. If not rope, use galvanized or stainless-steel lag screws–nails can rust and encourage disease and rot.
OTHER CONCERNS
About liability: In most cases, a standard homeowner’s insurance policy will cover liability for accidents associated with a treehouse, says Sean McManamy, Midwest public affairs director for the American Insurance Association, a trade group of insurance companies. But it’s still a good idea to check your coverage before you build.
— Mary Beth Sammons
To learn more about treehouses
It’s easy–even for the unhandyman (or woman)–to create a treehouse with the help of construction basics that are available through books and even building plans on the Internet.
Unlike forts of yesteryear, constructed from lumber “borrowed” from construction sites, today you can order special treehouse redwood, safety bolts and even flooring on the Internet and through other sources.
Here are some handy resources and sources of inspiration.
Books
– “Home Tree Home: Principles of Treehouse Construction and Other Tall Tales” by Peter Nelson (Viking Penguin, $17.95)
– “Retreats: Handmade Hideaways to Refresh the Spirit” by G. Lawson Drinkard III (Smith Gibbs Publishing, $39.95)
– “Treehouses (The House That Jack Built Series)” by David Pearson (Gaia Books Ltd., $16.95).
– “The Treehouse Book” by Peter Nelson, Judy Nelson, Paul Rocheleau (University Publishers, $20).
– “Treehouses: The Art and Craft of Living Out on a Limb” by Peter Nelson (Houghton Mifflin, $19.95)
– “Treehouses: You Can Actually Build” by David R. and Jeanie Stiles (Houghton Mifflin, $18)
Web sites
– Check out Peter Nelson’s resources at: worldtreehouse.com.
– Contact David Pearson and find out where to buy kits and construction guides and materials at treehouse.com.
– Order a treehouse kit ($20 to $45) at www.treehouseguides.com.
— Mary Beth Sammons
