Here is a brief visual tour of what I am doing. I am building a tree house in my back yard. I’m building it 40 feet from my porch in an old white oak. See this thread. I discussed the fact that I was trying to be mostly done before my wife came home. That didn’t happen. We have the walls up now and the power run! Anyway back to the OP.
Though we would all like treehouse like this one or this one. I am being slightly more practical. Mine has shingles on it, and it is pretty professional. But I’d advise anyone taking on a task like this one to price it out to every last detail…
I am having some troubles with the roof right now. Namely I can’t get it on. I have a pully system set up, and a wnch on my truck, and the roof already assembled on the ground. but the winch will only pull the roof up to a certain point, not high enough to get the roof in place. The branches over where the roof will be are too high to reach conventionally, and may not hold the roof. It’s a 16’ x 14’ roof. weiging probably 400 pounds. It’s big. My friend who is helping me is at the renta center hoping to get a cherry picker large enough. I’m waiting for his call. Any suggestions.
From the Ground the tree house looks like this . From standing on the deck it looks like this minus the roof. The other problem is, the roof is in two parts. because the tree is going to be right in the middle like this . A buddy of mine on the west coast helped my design the house, he helped with the plans and techniques. I based a lot of my work on his work, the only difference was he was using a douglas fir and I’m using a white oak. The pics are of his design so they are practically identical to mine. I also have large posted stilts grounded in cement was well. It looks almost identical to this one on the left. minus the stairs, and mine has a wrap around porch. The bridge to the deck probably won’t happen for a while.
Phlospher, your tree house is better than my regular house. Whatever problems you’re having, you look like you’re overcoming them like a champ! Is this strictly for you, or will there be children around to harsh your mellow?
Give Johnny L.A. a shout. Maybe he can use his helicopter to lift it up for ya. Heh.
No, seriously, why don’t you buld the roof in smaller sections and assemble it in situ? Or is getting up on top of it to install the shingles too problematic? Scylla is right–we need photos of the situation.
Scylla there is a large branch 8 feet up from the plateform. If I am standing on the plateform, I can reach up and grab the pully. The walls are 7 foot. They are up. If I am standing on the porch (which is 4 X 12 rectangle) the bottom of the pully just barely crests the top of the walls, though it is extended roughly 9 feet from the trunk. So it is essentially over the porch. The winch can pull it with ease up to that point. But not over the wall. The next branch is a good 10 feet over that one. And about half the diameter of the one the pully is currently on. So your second to last question is my biggest problem. I can not get the roof up over the walls, and I am not sure if the upper branch will hold it. Don’t forget the pully is not close to the trunk, it can’t be…we have to get materials to the plateform so the pully is out a ways.
Am I SOL… I sincerely hope not. No word on the cherry picker.
Kal It’s strictly an office once complete. And we have no kids as of yet.
The closest I can get is this . How do I get up and over that?
I really do not want to take it apart. We specifically put everything together on the ground thinking it would be easier than up there. And safer. I never factored in the height of the walls corresponding to the height of the pully for the roof.
I don’t think a bucket type cherry picker will do the job. You need a small crane.
I don’t think you are SOL.
I think what you are going to need is a series of pullies, winches and lines.
You need to break the move down into accomplishable parts.
For example:
If one lift clears the branches, but not the wall, you might still be ok. If you attach a line to another pulley on the the other side of the wall you need to clear, you can create a diagonal lift where some of the weight will be born on the original pulley and some on the new one.
Oh hell. Unless you rent a crane, it’s not happening. Personally, I’d assemble it like any other roof. Get some safety harnesses to use while doing the shingling, and tie off to the tree.
Looking at your last post, another thought is that you really don’t need to get over that framing wall. Lay down two sides, and bring the roof onto the platform.
You should be able to jack or raise it onto the two remaining framing walls, stand up the two walls you drooped and secure it fairly easily.
Can you use the upper branch to lift the roof that last little bit while the lower pulley takes the majority of the weight?
The other possibility, possibly somewhat dangerous, is to raise the roof as high as possible using the winch, brace it with long 2x6s resting on a support, and then jack the support up, taking up the slack with the winch as you do so to prevent disaster if any of the supports come loose.
I think dropping at least one wall may be a viable answer. However, the halves are large and cumbersome. So they will have to remain on a diagonal whilst my buddy on the ground winches the other end up. That’s what we may be able to use the other pully for…maybe. I hate to take down the wall because we just ran power to it. But it would be easier if we do it now, because the panaling is not up, just the framing… I think that’d be easier.
The more I look at that, the surer I am that your best best is to take down the walls, lift the roof from the platform, brace it, and replace your walls.
It will be safe. It will work. and taking down those walls shouldn’t be so terrible.
I just had a thought – instead of attaching the winch to the highest part of the roof, can you attach it to the lower end? Use an extra pulley to guide the top and keep it from flipping.
Scylla I have a bracket identical to this one with the center beam going through it. So my options are limited with what walls can take down. My friend is coming over this afternoon and we are going to do some evening work on it. It’s damn humid right now.
Scylla I have a bracket identical to this one with the center beam going through it. So my options are limited with what walls can take down. My friend is coming over this afternoon and we are going to do some evening work on it. It’s damn humid right now.
Attach the cable at the lowest point on the roof. Secure a loop of expendable but strong rope to the highest point of the roof and loop it around the cable. That will keep the roof vertical on the way up.
Winch the roof up as high as it will go in this configuration. Brace the bottom with long 2x6’s, spread out so that they come to a Vee at the roof. (The 2x6’s are to add a bit of extra support, keep the roof from twisting, and help take up the weight of the roof rather than have it rest completely on the frame.)
Now, cut the rope joining the highest point of the roof to the cable and attach it to a come-along attached to the trunk of the tree where the peak of the roof is to be.
Now, combine winching up the bottom of the roof, tightening the rope attached to the highest point of the roof (to lever it over the edge of the wall), and walking the bottom of the 2x6’s towards the center.
I’d suggest a hard hat for anyone working below the roof.
Yep, I cracked the mainframe on one side of the roof, the center bean has a big old crack right down the middle.
We got a pully up to the branch way above the house. Attached the cable and nylon strap to the rear roof. Got it up above the house (the branch held) and lowered it inch by inch into place. No problem. The second half of the roof went up, halfway down the strap broke and it nailed the other side and split the center beam. I put a large 50 gauge bracket on the two sides and jerry rigged it so I hope it holds. I am going t have to replace the whole thing if I want a sturdy frame. Shit
I was so pissed. But very least it’s up.
Any suggestions on replacing the center beam? will the outer frame collapse in if I do that? picture half a roof, cut straight down the middle. There is a beam running along the top and bottom, then 2x4’s fitted to plywood with shingles on them across the top. The bottom beam is broken, and rigged with a bracket. The roof is in place. Could I rig another beam right next to this one and expect the same level of holding strength?
Yeah, you should be able to sister a beam along side the existing one. If you want extra strength, you could laminate it with glue as well as bolting/nailing it.
Without pictures, it’s a bit hard to tell what the beam is supporting, but if it’s a roof beam, it just has to be strong enough to support the weight of the roof and some New England snow.
I think your main worry might be aesthetics – if it’s an exposed beam, will it look acceptable if you patch it?
