Treehouse Books

Treehouses 2004?????
The authors of "the Treehouse book" and "Treehouses: The Art and Craft of Living on a Limb" have guaranteed placement of the Clinton Treehouse in their next book!  "It would be so much greater interest and joy to know that a place where so many Clinton children weaved their fun and spilled their laughter was always going to remain a structure they could show their own children one day.", says Jake Jacob of the Treehouse Workshop, Inc. Seattle WA

View confirmation letter from the Treehouse Workshop, Inc.

Treehouses 2002
Paul Rocheleau, Peter Nelson, Judy Nelson, David Larkin, 2001

This companion calendar to Peter and Judy Nelson's 'The Treehouse Book' features photos of fourteen North American treehouses. Treehouses are located in New England, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, and images are 11"x11".

Treehouses: The Art and Craft of Living out on a Limb
Peter Nelson, 1994

Treehouses lift the spirits

They inspire dreams. They represent freedom: from adults or adulthood, from duties and responsibilities, from an earthbound perspective. If we can't fly with the birds, at least we can nest with them. With lively writing and beautiful photographs, Treehouses paints a fascinating portrait of this ingenious branch of architecture. It provides a brief history of treehouses, from Caligula through the Medici to Queen Victoria. It shows how to design and build a treehouse, from picking the right tree to shingling the roof. And it tells the stories of dozens of treehouses and the people who built them, from simple platforms nailed together by kids to aboreal palaces constructed and lived in by grown-ups. The centerpiece of the book is a photo essay showing Pete Nelson building a spectacular circular treehouse thirty feet up an old-growth fir in British Columbia. With two hundred square feet of floor space, cedar paneling, and leaded French doors, the Saltspring treehouse is one of the finest specimens of the treehouse builder's art.

Anyone who has ever built a treehouse, or dreamed of it, or read Swiss Family Robinson will find Treehouses irresistible.

Home Tree Home: Principles of Treehouse Construction and other Tall Tales
Peter Nelson, Gerry Hadden, 1997

Remember the view from atop a tree?

You could survey the landscape like a monarch, escape your parents' watchful eye, and let your imagination run wild. Well, just because you've grown up, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the sense of liberation a tree provides. Here is the most comprehensive guide ever to building your own castle in the air, be it a simple child's playhouse or an adult's cozy retreat with all the modern conveniences, including electricity. Peter Nelson, the nation's foremost authority on treehouses, tells you everything you need to know about designing and building the house that's right for you and your family. He gives you information on site selection (why some trees provide better homes than others), safety issues, tree care, advice on styles and materials, and other essential rules of thumb that will save time and money.

Nelson walks you through the construction of four actual projects: a children's playhouse, a vacation home, an office, and a full-time residence. Whether you'd like to build your children a safe and fun place to play and dream, or you're contemplating your own retreat from the drudgeries of earth-bound living, this practical, wildly-fanciful guide will show you how to make your tree fantasies come true.

Pete describes the attraction of treehouses in Home Tree Home:
"That's what it's all about, I thought. You wake up in the morning to the smell of cut timber and wool blankets. The residual heat of your woodstove reaches out and wraps itself around you. Your eyes adjust slowly to the slanted morning light. Waking up like this is easy. You don't fight it. You stand up and stretch and glance out your window and are reminded. The most simple joy washes over you. Oh yeah, that's right-- you're in a tree."

Treehouses You Can Actually Build
David R Stiles, Jeanie Stiles, 1998

This book was written to help kids and their parents build a tree house in their backyard. Since every tree is unique, it follows that no two tree houses will ever be exactly alike. There are, however, basic tree house building fundamentals that can help you plan and build your particular tree fort more easily. We describe how to support a platform using braces, how to connect to branches, and especially important, how to build a level platform. Since every tree house builder is limited by the number of trees growing in his or her backyard, we show you how a tree house can be built in one tree, two treees, three trees and four trees. We also include the fun parts of building a tree house such as how to make a secret escape hatch, a rope bridge, a telephone, plus pulleys, trolleys and swings. Finally, we interviewed over fifty families who have built tree houses and listened to their ideas and suggestions. Terrific photographs of their tree houses and comments are included in the book.

Rustic Retreats - A build-it-yourself guide
David R Stiles, Jeanie Stiles, 1998

This is a delightful book that promises to deliver loads of fantasy and fun for anyone in need of a rustic place to rest, relax, and retreat from the speed and stress of modern living. The Stiles provide more than 20 step-by-step plans for low-cost outdoor buildings, among them a grape arbor, a hillside hut, a water gazebo (floating!), a log cabin, tree houses, a wigwam, a garden pavilion, a yurt, and a river raft. A bit of individual creativity can make any of the plans described and diagrammed into unique personal statements or fantasies. Many of the plans are so simple they can be built in a few hours or in less than a day, and most do not require high levels of carpentry or building skills (though all will be useful as "learning projects" for the uninitiated). If you built forts as a kid--or wanted to--here's your chance to play at it again as an adult!

A Shelter Sketchbook - Timeless building solutions
John S Taylor, 1997

In a new take on sustainable living and building, John Taylor presents a stunning array of traditional building techniques and housing solutions from around the world and from history. Most are motivated by available materials, economic necessity, and local climate and terrain. In this time of growing interest in earth-friendly building techniques, Taylor shows us that we need to relearn many practical aspects of constructing shelter and must blend the technologies of the present with the traditions of the past, with those of other cultures, and even with those of our own grandparents. Taylor, an architectural designer, has filled this delightful book with remarkable drawings and sketches of building techniques gleaned from his travels; it is a feast for the eyes as well as the brain.

Retreats - Handmade hideaways to refresh the spirit
G Lawson Drinkard, Lawson Drinkard, 1997

Many of us joke about building that cabin in Idaho where we could go and relax and no one could find us. The subjects of this book have done just that: either built or designed their own havens from the mayhem of modern life. Whether adapted from a pre-existing structure or fabricated from raw materials, these retreats embody that very American ideal of freedom and individual expression...

The Tiny Book of Tiny Houses
Lester Walker

From George Bernard Shaw's writing hut to a tiny Cape Cod honeymoon cottage, here are 17 of the smallest, most charming retreats ever built. Award-winning architect Lester Walker explores the minute details of each tiny house, captured by plentiful photographs.

Tiny Tiny Houses
Lester Walker

Lester Walker's new book contains more than 40 invitations to explore--and maybe build--some of the most charming, eccentric, and livable tiny houses ever built or conceived in America." 1000 black-and-white drawings. 100 black-and-white photographs.

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Backyard Play Areas You Can Make
Complete Plans and Instructions for Building Playhouses, Forts, and Swing Sets
Paul Gerhards, 1995

description from amazon.com:
"A professional woodworker offers concise, easy-to-follow directions for would-be backyard builders. Detailed blueprints and instructions are provided for 15 different projects ranging from the simple to the more complex. In addition to specifications for constructing a variety of playhouses, swing sets, and forts, the author also furnishes a wealth of basic tips on building materials, generic foundations, walls, roofs, conventional framing practices, optional accessories, and finishing touches."

A Kids' Guide to Building Forts
Tom Birdseye, Bill Klein (Contributor), 1993

from amazon.com:
"Presents a brief history of forts, step-by-step instructions for building indoor and outdoor forts, hints on where to obtain materials, and safety tips." also from amazon.com, a reader review: "As a mother of three and a a daycare provider I highly recommend this "get up and build" book. The ideas for fort building will spark your childs imagination and they'll go back time and again to look for ideas for indoor and outdoor forts. This book can save a mom on a snow day- as long as you don't mind what will be created!"

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Basic Construction Techniques for Houses and Small Buildings Explained
United States Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1975

from amazon.com, a reader review:
"I used this book when replacing a roof and also when building a set of stairs in a barn...I am not a professional builder but the book is clear and easy to understand...my next project is a set of stairs for a basement and I know I will consult this book again."

Build a Kid's Play Yard
Jeff Beneke, Neil Soderstrom (Editor), 1997

from amazon.com:
"Here are detailed plans and step-by-step instructions for building the play structures that kids love most: swing set, monkey bars, balance beam, playhouse, teeter-totter, sandboxes, kid-sized picnic table, and a play tower that supports a slide. Includes extensive safety information. All structures conform to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standards and are the safest possible designs. 200 color photographs and illustrations."

Playhouses You Can Build
Indoor and Backyard Designs
David R. Stiles and Jeanie Stiles, 1999

from amazon.com, a reader review:
"Someone gave this book to my daughter for her birthday and we decided to build the traditional playhouse that is on the cover. Although it took almost a month of weekends, it was well worth the time! She and her friends spend all their play dates in it and we always know where they are. This looks like the most advanced project in the book and I am a weekend carpenter, but didn't have any trouble following the plans. We are working on the "Spook House" for Halloween and the whole family is having fun adding their imput! Highly recommend this book for anyone with any building experience."

How to Design and Build Children's Play Equipment
Jay Beckwith, Craig Bergquist, Ron Hildebrand, Jim Dennis (Photographer), Mark Pechenik (Illustrator), 1986

from amazon.com:
"You can create play environments that will capture the imagination of your children or grandchildren for years. Four custom-designed play structures, with swings, slides, climbing ropes, nets, fitness equipment, and more, are profusely illustrated by plans, materials lists, and careful, step-by-step instructions make it possible for you to build them yourself."