That Curious Thing in my Post of Dec. 23, 2017

I have received a number of inquiries as to what that gadget is in the lower left hand corner of an image I posted on this blog on December 23, 2017.  The image above is taken from that post.

Below I have a better image of the contraption I build over the last few decades.

In this image you can clearly see the pine tree that the treehouse sits under.  The treehouse is about where the bell is located.  This is a cupola that I built.  It has a very interesting history.  

Many years ago I saw a weather vane on top of an old New England church in Wilton. CT.  I went back to the church and sketched the weather vane in great detail.  That winter I made a much larger template and copied it onto a sheet of copper.  I very carefully cut out the intricate pattern using a combination of drill bits, a coping saw, and files.  When that part was completed I soldered on a vertical copper pipe so that I could mount the weather vane on a shaft so that it could rotate in the wind.  Finally, I learned how to put a verdigris patina on the metal and that part was finished.  I then located a base with the four wind directions already crafted and mounted the weathervane on the shaft.  I had built an octagonal roof over a well at our home in CT and mounted the weathervane above that.

Years later I acquired the cupola that was from an 1850s CT barn.  There was no copper visible on the cupola, but I knew it was beneath the tar that had been painted onto it for some unknown reason.  I carefully removed the tar and repatinaed the cupola with the same verdigris technique I used on the weathervane.  The cupola sat for many years, since I did not have a good place to put it. I did buy some small recycled double hung 6 over 6 windows that I was going to use for the walls of the cupola below the copper part.  

We acquired the bell from my wife's father who had the bell in his yard for many years when they moved and didn't want it anymore.

Then, about five years ago I had built a pergola on top of a deck on my house and then came to the realization that I could install the whole thing up there.  The image shows the completed project.  

My wife convinced me not to use the windows since she said they would be impossible to clean and would detract from the beauty of the cupola after a while.

Interestingly, it is those very windows, 20 years after I bought them, that are the windows I used in the treehouse.  

Talk about recycling.

I hope this answers the question.

Getting the Interior Decorated

With the carpentry done, our attention has shifted to decorating the interior space.  The foam and upholstery material arrived and we have turned them into a pair of cushions.  During normal use, with one on top of the other, they will serve as a couch,  then they can then be put side by side to made into a bed that is almost queen size.  I still need to find some small stools, chairs, or benches to go inside.

For all Intents, The Tree House is now Complete

Well, the day has finally come.  The final touches on the Treehouse have been completed.  The door has been fitted, the saddle has been placed in the frame, the weatherstripping and stops have been installed, the latch and door handle have been fashioned and installed.  We have tightened the cables and made final adjustments to stabilize the deck.

We have also cleaned the glass windows and frames and vacuumed the interior and exterior of the building.

We tried to install the rope bed, but it was a fraction too large to fit in the alcove and fit behind the tree stump coming through the floor.  As an alternative we have ordered foam that can be slid in there.  We have put pictures on the walls, brought in chairs and a table, and installed a rug.

Last night was a full moon, so we decided to go up to the crow's nest with two of the chairs with our coffees and enjoy the beautiful evening.  The temperature was delightful, the sky was quite clear.  

A job well done!

Finishing up the Finishing Touches

I have just completed the following items:

1.  Finished installing the plywood sub flooring inside the tree house.
2.  Installed the plank hardwood flooring.
3.  Installed the trim baseboards around the perimeter of the flooring.
4.  Installed the stop molding and weatherstripping for the door.
5.  Installed a few more pieces of trim molding on the walls where the tree limbs protrude through the walls. Ditto on a few of the corners.

I have built the saddle for the door, but I have not installed it. I must first cut off the bottom of the door to make enough room for it. I have also not completed the latch mechanism for the door or stained the door either.

I brought the rope trundle bed up to the tree house to see how it would fit.  Unfortunately, it is about 2" too long for it to fit in the alcove between the main tree and the end wall.  I will construct a smaller platform and put in a piece of foam for a mattress.  That is areal shame. I have been looking for years to find a place for this bed from the early 1800s.

We have to clean up all the dust throughout the tree house and in the deck area and complete the touch up painting.  Also, I have to tighten up the rungs on the various ladders.

Pictures to follow.  It is difficult to take pictures inside the tree house.

Finishing Touches

Well, we had to take a break for about a week.  It turns out that wood of the type that I have been using carries a lot of pathogens and can be somewhat dangerous if you don't handle it properly. In particular, if you are not careful with the sawdust you can ingest those pathogens by breathing them in and create a lot of problems for yourself.  I was cutting some fairly wet wood and inhaled a lot of the pathogen infested dust and I came down with a fairly nasty cold.  My wife got some sawdust in her eye and came down with conjunctivitis at about the same time.  We are both back on our feet and progress on finishing the treehouse now continues.

I spent time making the door for the treehouse. I have used cedar. I have installed it into the doorway, but have not stained it yet.  I have also put down a layer of tar paper on the floor in the treehouse to prevent moisture from entering from below the floor I am going to install.  The floor I have chosen is a vinyl snap together floor plank system which is waterproof.  I am a bit concerned about how much the vinyl flooring weighs.  Before I actually install the vinyl I have installed a very thin layer of plywood to make sure the subsurface is level.  I expect to put down the vinyl tomorrow.  After the vinyl the only remaining item will be the baseboards around the flooring.  I still have the staining and the latch of the door and the final electrical fixture work to complete.  We are very close to completion of phase one of the project.

Treehouse Interior

Above is the view of the main room of the treehouse taken from the alcove below the crow's nest.

The above view shows the ceiling construction and the windows and door area.

This is the other two windows in the main room.  The thing in the middle of the picture is a branch that comes up through the floor and goes out the wall.

This is a picture of the alcove area where the bed will be placed. Branches on both sides.

This is an image showing the upper portion of the alcove and the window looking onto the crow's nest. 

This is an image from the crow's nest looking into the main room.  There is some glare on the glass.

We have now completed the interior of the treehouse with the exception of the door and the flooring.  The pictures above tell it all.

Exterior of Treehouse is Complete

We have finally gotten to the point where the exterior of the treehouse is complete. The remaining portion of the handrail on the crow's nest was added, the scaffolding has been removed, electrical wiring has been put in the walls, and the final window has been installed.

We have started on the interior.  The ceiling has been sheetrocked, spackled, sanded primed and painted.  The cedar panelling has been almost completely installed.

The only remaining items on the checklist are:
Finish panelling
Install flooring
Make and install door
Install light fixtures.