Daddy Troy: Welcome back to Gear Daddy, I’m your host Daddy Troy. All week long we’ve been talking about backyard fun. Earlier in the week Daddy Brad and Daddy Clay gave you some real simple solutions, well today we’re going to the opposite end of the spectrum and we’re going to look at a tricked out tree house.

Well I have here with me Larry, who is the constructor and engineer behind this tricked out tree house and I want to warn you, he is a home builder so he might have some skills that you don’t have, so kids you may not want to try this one at home. Tell me about this rock-climbing wall here, what’s this made of?

Larry: This is made of marine plywood – its not cheap its about $115 a sheet, but its guaranteed in the weather for 20 years and you don’t have to put preservatives on it.

Daddy Troy: So tell me a little bit about this whole structure – I know that you’ve built it to have contour lines to match the tree aesthetically, but you’ve also been kind to the tree in other ways.

Larry: Well as well as being sculptural to the tree – the tree is not violated in any way with fasteners, there’s not a nail or screw or bolt there that enters the trunk of the tree, and you’re going to walk around, there are places where you see just a little bit of daylight but it doesn’t touch the tree anywhere, except right on that resting point - the black thing is a piece of used tire.

Daddy Troy: And where did you get this climbing holes right here?

Larry: Those are all REI off the shelf.

Daddy Troy: Okay is this some sort of beanbag house? What’s going on right here?

Larry: No it’s a climbing board, which the kids like but it evolved from needing bracing. After we had the whole thing built, you could stand up and it would wobble a little bit. What we did was just take a bunch of bowls out of the kitchen, draw some circles on it and cut it out with a jigsaw and it became a climbing board instead of just a bridge.

Daddy Troy: So this is one way the kids can get up to the deck level, what’s another way the kids can get up there?

Larry: Well here are your options here. They can jump up on a trapeze and climb up, because the railing above is spaced like a ladder. So they’ll climb on the outside, you can go up the holes of this climbing board, you can go up the rock climbing wall, 2 different climbing ropes, you can go up this ladder – this has a platform halfway, its good for younger kids, and I have added some handles.

Daddy Troy: So it gives the kid a break when he or she is climbing up.

Larry: Right, a long ladder is scary to a young kid. We’ve had 3 year olds make it from the bottom up through the top.
Daddy Troy: I see some monkey bars underneath there is that right?

Larry: Yeah

Daddy Troy: Lets check those out. These are the monkey bars you were talking about; it looks like its also galvanized pipe.

Larry: Right, it’s the same material as all the ladders, just cut to size. A good plumbing supplier – if you make your list, they’ll cut exactly what you want – threads no threads, whatever you need.

Daddy Troy: And what’s this little round ramp right here?

Larry: That’s a launch platform for a monkey swing.

Daddy Troy: A monkey swing that’s hanging from the big pecan here.

Larry: Hanging from the tree. And this is the lower platform.

Daddy Troy: Oh so a kid can get on here – its like a tire or rope swing, and it swings out into the driveway and back.

Larry: You launch from here or there.

Daddy Troy: On the bottom part right here, what do you find kids using the most? What’s their favorite thing?

Larry: Their favorite thing, I would say monkey swing and then it’s the trapeze yeah.

Daddy Troy: So you want to climb up top and check out the view?

Larry: Sure I’m brave enough if you’re brave enough.

Daddy Troy: I’m in let’s go.

Larry: All right

Daddy Troy: Here we are on the second level of the tricked out tree house. First of all what’s this thing right here?

Larry: This is a shade and it keeps all the funky things that drop off pecan trees, off the deck and its sculptural – I just like it.

Daddy Troy: And how much time do kids spend up on this level and what do they do when they’re up here?

Larry: It depends on who their playmates are and what their imagination is.

Daddy Troy: One thing I am always worried about is this giant hole right here sitting right in the middle of the deck. Do kids ever fall down that hole? Is that dangerous? What do you think?

Larry: No-one has ever fallen down the hole and I’m a more Darwinian parent than a politically correct parent.

Daddy Troy: Well thanks Larry for showing us your tree house - it’s a really, really cool thing. Now remember, Larry’s a professional – you might want to get professional help if you’re going to build one of these in your own backyard.

This whole week of Dad Labs has been sponsored by, One Step Ahead. Want a big shout out and thanks to One Step Ahead, and we’re giving away a gift certificate to One Step Ahead. All you need to do is go to dadlabs.com and comment on this episode or any episode this week, and you’ll be in the drawing for a gift certificate. We’ll see you next week on dadlabs.com and I’m going to take the easy way down if that’s ok with you.

Larry: Sure take the elevator.

Daddy Troy: All right, we’ll see you next week.