As we edge our way into 2010, snow boots and buckets of salt at the ready, the team at Treehouse Life would like to start out by wishing you a very happy and prosperous (if somewhat nippy) New Year!
Of course we'd have to agree that the sub-zero temperatures which the UK is currently experiencing, perhaps, may make it a little tricky to conjure up images of warm summer days spent playing amongst the treetops. In fact, with all this ice, we're even considering taking Treehouse Life in a totally new direction this year - an exciting range of handcrafted igloos!
But toboggans and snowmen aside, springtime is only a few short months away. And what better way to welcome in the warmer weather - and get your children out from under your feet and into the fresh air - than with a custom-made treehouse adventure world for them to enjoy.
So, if one of your New Year's resolutions involved spending more time with your family, rediscovering your own inner-child, or even making your world that little bit greener, then perhaps Treehouse Life can help get the new decade off to a flying start.
Inspiring fun and creating make-believe is something we do best, and this last Christmas, in conjunction with Santa Claus; we had the opportunity to help one client create some particularly memorable treehouse magic for his own lucky grandchildren.
With the kids ranging in ages from 8 months to 8 years, one of the challenges faced on this project was making sure that not only was the treehouse exciting yet safe, but that it also stretched the boundaries and captured the imagination of them all.
The beautiful bespoke design started out with a set of stairs gracefully wrapping their way up a beautiful willow to a deck - where the handcrafted treehouse, complete with solar lighting and window views, lay hidden amongst the leaves. Stepping out of the treehouse, a hide-away deck leads to further stairs, guiding the way up to a large adventure deck, creating plenty of circular play for all.
For the more able and adventurous amongst the grandchildren, a 15m-hammock bridge was suspended 2.4m in the air, allowing the chance to run through treetops to a nearby magnificent Scots Pine. From here, high up amongst the branches, suspended decks and a big chunky 4-sided rope ladder leads back down to the ground.
A further challenge faced by the project was the small matter of building a treehouse in a Grade One Listed garden. Using the help and support of a professional architect consultancy (all part of the Treehouse Life service), planning permission was successfully granted in less than 6 weeks, with the only stipulation being that the structure must blend in with the surrounding trees.
By the project completion, the treehouse timbers blended in so perfectly that the client is now considering seeking planning permission to stain ALL the trees in his garden to match the beautiful natural colours we produced.
Proof that not only do we always work hand-in-hand with the natural environment, but sometimes we even give Mother Nature a little helping hand!
Of course the final challenge of this 'Top Secret' project was disguising the surprise from many curious little eyes - a problem that we overcame by 'wrapping' the treehouse every night. Sure enough, the magic held until Christmas morning, and the new adventure wonderland was met with the excited cries of "Look what Santa brought for us Grandpa!"
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