Ex Tenebris Lux

Despite having three Summer projects going already (Our Bee Yard, Firepit and Garden Pond).  I also started building a clubhouse for the kids.  Initially, I wasn’t sure how I wanted to build it.  I looked around online for design ideas, but nothing really came together until I came across a craigslist ad for a used Turbo Tube Slide.  I jumped at the chance to get it.  They pop up on Craigslist periodically, but it doesn’t take long before they are sold.  These slides cost between $400-500 at the home improvement stores.  I managed to get this one for just over $100.  I started looking for designs that incorporated this type of slide and came across Barbara Butler Treehouses and Play Structures.  The paints and stains used on their designs are really cool.  The design I settled on was really inspired by the shape and features of Barbara Butler’s Play Forts.  With some input from the kids, I sketched out what we hoped the playhouse would look like when finished.  Here are my drawings:

The main features of the clubhouse include the turbo tube slide, rockclimbing wall, fireman’s pole, balcony, bucket pulley, flagpole, rope ladder and trap door.

The main support posts are 16′ 4x4s.  I sunk each of them in concrete 2′ deep in the ground.  Squaring, leveling and plumbing the uprights proved to be rather difficult since they were so tall.  I attached ropes to them and it took 3 of us to hoist them into place and get them secured so the concrete footings could be poured…and we did it all in the dark at around midnight, here’s the first picture taken of the clubhouse framing going up:

After the uprights were in place and the concrete had dried, the framing was finished without much trouble.  Taking an idea from the Barbara Butler designs, I stained the framing to make the clubhouse a bit more colorful.

I wanted to use a tongue and groove board for the siding, but the costs were going to be tremendous.  I guess that’s why Barbara Butler charges upward of $15,000 for her playhouses.  Instead, I took the advice of one of the guys who works in the lumber section at Lowe’s.  He pointed me toward what he called “Barnside” siding.  The stuff looks pretty good; it gives the clubhouse a rustic look.  Because the exterior walls were going to be subjected to climbing, I had to put a particle board backing under the siding to make it sturdier.

After the siding was up on the bottom, I started working on the joists for the second floor and balcony.  This thing should be able to hold a tremendous amount of weight.  The 2×6 upper floor joists are not only tied into the uprights with carriage bolts, but also resting on the wall framing.  In the photo below, you can see the hole for the trapdoor in the back center of the clubhouse.

I don’t have any photos of the 2nd story flooring being installed, but it’s decking over 1/2 inch plywood with tar paper sandwiched between to keep most of the water out of the clubhouse (especially since the 2nd story isn’t closed in.)  At this point in the project, I wanted to go ahead and get the railings and walls up on the 2nd story.  It doesn’t look that high, but the 2nd story starts at almost 8′ high.  The railings on the clubhouse match the railings that I built for the deck on my house.

After I got the 2nd story half walls in place, we raised and attached the turbo tube slide.

It was hard to keep the kids away once the slide was installed.  I finished the siding on the upper floor.  If I couldn’t keep them off, at least I could try to keep them from falling.  I’m staining the siding with a Cabot exterior stain.  It’s the same color that I used on my beehive stands and the same color we’re considering for the deck boards on our back deck.  I’m using a semi-transparent green for all of the trim on the clubhouse.  In the following photo part of the trim is installed on the 1st floor.

The next couple of photos show some of the parts of the clubhouse that were most difficult to build.  By far, the single most difficult part of this project for me was constructing the frame for the roof.  I wanted a pyramid shape, but had no clue how to build it.  I have build regular “A” shaped roofs for storage buildings and doghouses, but had never attempted any other designs.  I started by taking about a foot long piece of 4×4 and cutting a 45 degree angle on each corner.  That left me with an octagon shape for all of the 2x4s to attach to at the peak of the roof.  In the picture below, you can see the octagonal piece in the center of the roof.  The view is looking up through the trap door.  You can also see part of the rope ladder that I made.  I think I plan on screwing an eyebolt into the octagonal support and hanging a bell from it.

I have a hard time even explaining to anyone how I figured out all of the angles for the roof.  I just remember it was a lot of math and I don’t want to do it again. I assembled the roof framework on the ground and then hoisted it onto the structure with some help from my brother.  That was much easier than trying to assemble it in place.  Below are some photos of the roof framing in place; you can also see the rock climbing holds attached on the side of the clubhouse.  Looking at the trampoline beside the clubhouse gives you an idea of how tall it actually is.

That’s where the project has stopped for now.  With temperatures approaching 100 degrees, I haven’t had the motivation to do much of anything outside.  Hopefully, it will cool down soon and I can finish up the roof and get a coat of stain on the 2nd story.  I also need to break out the welder and construct the firepole that will come down the rock wall side.