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"This lively showcase of wildly different and eclectic tree houses will inspire anyone who has ever dreamed of building a tree house of their own."--Provided by publisher.
List of contents
CONTENTS
Intro: Deek’s background and love for tree houses. What makes a tree house, and why are people so into them?
SECTION 1: NUTS & BOLTS
Yes, You Can (and No, You Can't)
A chapter on navigating the question of whether or not you can, or should, build a tree house, and some of the simple rules to follow.
Tree House Building Basics
A guide to the main elements of a tree house, including a few different ways to approach securing the base up in the air (the most challenging part). We'd also touch upon other things such as the "weight versus strength" balance one needs to be mindful of, the importance of high-elevation "aerodynamics" (windward faces), safety concerns (esp for kids), what species of trees work best (and which don't), ladders versus stairs (pros and cons), and so on.
How to Save on Your Upcoming Build
A chapter, with illustrations or photos to back it, on things you can start harvesting right now (free, cheap, reused) to be implemented in your upcoming project.
Photo glossary of tree house items/tools
From screws to "Garnier limbs."
SECTION 2: THE TREE HOUSES
Showcase Builds
30 or so cool/inventive/fun tree houses. Each will have a short write-up, many color photos, and a little blurb of insight or info from the builder perhaps. Each should have 5-6 photos per feature, highlighting fun little details.
Gallery
A shorter collage-like chapter showing lots of one-off photos of tree houses that aren't otherwise featured.
Sketches: Throughout the book, a scattering of some treehouse concept pen sketches by Deek and others to show the rough design process, the brainstorming.
Prose from the Pros
Guest sidebars/profiles from a few other builders on their knowledge and approach, with a photo smattering of some of their work.
SECTION 3: STEP-BY-STEP PHOTO OF A SAMPLE BUILD
A small, VERY affordable (by comparison) tree house that we photo in a general step-by-step fashion. Photos show the general process, with captions, material selection, approaches, etc--a photographic "build journey" of sorts. This tree house would be simple but modern, fun, and daring. Basic plans included.
About the author
Derek “Deek” Diedricksen is the author of
Micro Living and
Microshelters. He has hosted, built, and designed for the HGTV series
Extreme Small Spaces and
Tiny House Builders, as well as for the DIY Network, and has just released a feature-length documentary film,
The Box Truck Film: Building a REUSEful Home. His work has been featured in numerous places in print and online, including NPR, the
New York Times, the
Boston Globe, the
Boston Herald, the
Seattle Times, the
Wall Street Journal,
Make magazine, Yahoo.com, Apartment Therapy
, Treehugger.com, and Design Sponge. Diedricksen has taught hands-on building workshops around the United States since 2010, runs the YouTube design channel "RelaxshacksDOTcom", and professionally builds tiny houses, tree houses, and backyard offices for clients. He lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
Summary
An inspirational book featuring 30 eclectic, inventive, and affordable tree houses from the charismatic author of Microshelters. Includes basic building tips and strategies and step-by-step photos of a sample build.
