Chimney and Trim

This week we worked on more of the finishing touches on the outside of the building.  We have installed six of the eight windows, the trim on 3 of them, finished the rolled roofing on the crow's nest, and installed the faux chimney.

The chimney proved to be the most difficult of the tasks.  I had originally intended to put a pulley on the pine tree immediately above the treehouse and then haul the chimney which I had fabricated in the workshop up to the crow's nest and then gently move it over to the slot in the roof where it was supposed to go.  Well, that turned into a bad theory.  The chimney weighed over 300 pounds and as much as we pulled on the ropes there was just too much weight to do it that way.  We finally cradled the chimney in some ropes and then slid it up each of the stairways with a lot of brute force.  It was exhausting.  From the crow's nest we built a platform on top of the railing and moved the chimney from the deck of the crow's nest to the platform. It was at that point that we connected the pulley system to the pine tree above and gently nudged it over into its place on the roof.  From inside we screwed it to the roof so that it would not budge.  It looks great and changes the character of the entire building.

We have about one more day of work to finish up the outside of the building except for the door.  Then, we will start finishing the inside.  We have decided to put sheetrock on the rafters, white cedar boards on the walls and a hardwood flooring.