| Treehouse
up in the air
September 13, 2002
Andrew and Samantha McClintick's young children and their
little friends have been learning how to climb, pull and crawl through a
nifty new treehouse at the McClintick home.
Andrew McClintick spent plenty of time and money on the treehouse.
The McClinticks have lived at 1515 W.
Crestwood Drive for four years. They have a daughter, Lois, nearly 2; a
foster daughter, Stephanie, 6, whom they plan to adopt; and another
child due in November.
| They
plan on staying at the home, a corner lot. But they need more
play room for the kids. The house has no basement, and the back
yard is minimal - only 12 feet wide.
The side and front yards sprout tall trees, which gave Andrew
McClintick an idea, one borrowed from his childhood in rural
Peoria.
"I had a lookout tower, a raised platform, on
poles," recalls the computer consultant.
So he figured he would build his kids a nice treehouse. He
studied books, drew up plans and got to work in mid-July.
More than two months later, after countless hours of sawing,
nailing and bolting (and at least $1,000 worth of materials), he
finished the treehouse.
Six feet up a
40-foot spruce, a rope ladder invites visitors to climb up to a
wooden spiral staircase. The stairs lead to a 13-foot-diameter
octagon floor. The walls raise up three feet, the exterior
covered in a beige vinyl siding that matches the McClintick's
ranch house. The open space above the walls is covered with
netting to prevent falling. Above, an Army-surplus parachute
serves as a roof, keeping out rain but allowing ventilation. |
 |
As you might guess, his kids and their pals love the treehouse.
Little Lois climbs up the ropes and stairs faster than a monkey. One
night, she and her father dragged sleeping bags to the top and had a
sleep-out.
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