Sunday, August 29, 2010

Our Castle on the Hill

Thanks to a permit from the city, neighborhood clean-up, and A LOT time and hard work from my dad, my kids now have a palace to call home.
Nestled in our trees we have a three story castle built for a knight and three little princesses.
One mans trash has become our treasure.
My dad collected piles and piles of supplies to make our dreams a reality.
Building started at the beginning of the summer just after school got out and was finally finished 2 1/2 months later.
For a long time all we could use was the sandbox on the bottom.
But when I saw the detail that went into the sandboxes boarder, I knew there were great things to come.
My dad put in the slides after he was done with framing so the kids could play while he worked. He got one slide from the pick-up and found the yellow slide in the classifieds. It came from a school that was getting new equipment.
I'm still in love with these bricks he made from cedar fencing.
The look they create is amazing.
On the bottom front corner he made a faux stone foundation. It's made of larger thicker pieces of cedar.
They were cut like a puzzle then sanded on the edges. Using different shades of wood really added to the realistic feel.
I love this piece of wood used to separate the stone from the brick. It has so much age and character.
When the masonry was complete he added a rock wall.
I love these posts he added to the sandbox entrance and front slide. Do you know what they are from?
He cut them from old ugly beds and painted them.
Another favorite and important part of the tree house is the tower.
Who knew adding little support beams to the bottom would add so much?
This is our roof before it was installed. Do you know what it is?
It's an old satellite dish.
We had a little roof raising party so we could get my brothers to come help lift it to the top.
This is the back side from our neighbors yard.
The inside is insulated and covered in old wood panelling. When I saw all the insulation I thought my dad was crazy, but it really helps keep the inside cool on hot summer days.We would like to paint and decorate but will have to wait till next summer.
I'm glad I got to watch my dad in action and even use a power tool here and there when he let me help.
Thanks again Pa Pa Jerry, your talents never cease to amaze us. I hope your work will be enjoyed for generations to come.

HERE are the parties I'm linking to.

72 comments:

Meghan said...

WoW!
Im speechless!

Patty B. said...

That is precious and so clever ! ! !

Unknown said...

WOW! so cool. can i come play :) I posted about you on C.R.A.F.T. facebook page! please come on over and link this amazing castle up to MMM tomorrow!

Marcia said...

I saw this yesterday when I picked up the book for Sarah. I love it! Maybe one day I can bring Tessa by and let her play in it for a few minutes? Your dad never ceases to amaze me!

Angela@the crazyness that is me said...

Amazing! What a clever Dad you have!

Brittany said...

I'm sending this link to my dad. Maybe I can con him into this adventure for his little Princess! :o)

Lorie said...

That is amazing! Beyond amazing! What a great place for your kids to play and such good memories of their grandpa making it for them!!

Momma B said...

This looks so awesome! I would love to have something so cool for my kids to play with!!!

staci @ lizard n ladybug said...

A-Mazing!! What a lucky family you are to have such a handy relative!! Such a great place for your 'royalty' to make memories!!

Momma B said...

Kalleen, I figured out that it wasn't you, when I ordered and the person's name finally came up. Oh well, I was kind of hoping it was your shop, because I am comfortable with you, after seeing all of the fabulous creations you come up with!

Brittanie Gordon said...

Wow! That is awesome! Lucky kids :)

Erin said...

that is the best play house ever. now you can never move! :)

Taylor said...

Completely amazing! I love the brick and masonry ideas! I will have to keep that in the back of my mind!

Taylor
www.maryjanesandgaloshes.com

Keri said...

I've never been so jealous of anything in my life! Can I adopt your dad next summer? Great job and I would love to see it next year after you've decorated.

michelleml said...

WOW! i love it I wish i had something like that when i was a kid. i would love for my little ones to have something like this. With being a military family we don't have a place to call our own. But maybe in a few years when hubby retires i can get him to make something like this. PaPa Jerry does awesome work
Michelle

elise said...

this is THE most magical, amazing stupendous gift of a treehouse/castle i have ever seen!!!! so awesome!!
what lucky kiddos with a wonderful grandpa :O)

Audra said...

This is the coolest thing I have ever seen!

Benjamin and Jennie said...

that's an amazing play castle!!!!1 Is Jerry for hire???

Ruth @ Hammer and Thread said...

That is so amazing. I've never seen its equal

Rhonda said...

Wow, that is AWESOME! Your dad is amazing! Your kiddos are blessed indeed...how fun!

Amy said...

This really is so amazing! LUCKY KIDS!

chris said...

How amazingly fun for your family. Great job, Papa!

Mary said...

Whoa! This is amazing!!! Awesome work and I can't wait to see how you decorate the inside!

Elizabeth said...

That is such a fantastic house/fort/castle. I want a dad/grandpa who's like yours!

Unknown said...

That is INCREDIBLE. Can he come over and do ours??? :) I'll bet your kids love it. I seriously love all that detail. Wowzas!

Andrea said...

simply amazing!!!

huana said...

You have an amazing dad!

Miss Hillbilly said...

What a wonderful thing your father did for you!

I remember when you were all bummed about the city stopping the project.

My favorite thing...it was from old materials. How cool that he really took the time to think this all out that way!

Andrea said...

Guess the creativity runs in the family...

Lynn from For Love or Funny said...

This is so amazing!!!! Does your father have a blog? If he does, I want to subscribe! WOW!!!

Mruna Mistry said...

Amazing...I always wanted such a castle too...

Anonymous said...

The coolest treehouse ever!! What lucky kids to have such a talented grandpa! Such memories they will make! Love it! Sue

Julie said...

This is amazing!!!!So much fun for your kids!

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

This is the best.treehouse.ever. You need to enter this in a woodworking contest or send it to a woodworking magazine. Your Dad deserves the props!

Amie said...

Amazing!!!

Cole's Corner said...

WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!!

Charity said...

Wow! What a project. It's incredible!

Mango Mom said...

I love this so much, how cute, your kids are going to looove it for years to come. What awesome talent.

Kasey said...

Way to use your resources. It turned out amazing. Look at that detail! I bet your kids play on that for hours!

Amy said...

You and your kids are So So So lucky! Amazing!

Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple said...

that is so awesome!!!!! amazing!

Hayley said...

Unbelievable! Your Dad is aweseome!

Chris said...

So cool and beautiful!!! Your father is an astist! I wish my daugther could had one thing like that made by her grandfathers... but, not! Pour little girl! :-))))

Unknown said...

O.M.G THAT IS BEYOND, AMAZING!

Nichole said...

I just wanted to stop by to spread the word about a friend's unborn baby that needs a lot of prayers. You can read more about it at my blog, and we are also do a little fundraiser for the family.

http://lizzypost.blogspot.com/2010/08/owls-for-olivia.html

kim west said...

A-D-O-R-E!

Sew Can Do said...

This is just incredible. I want to play in it! Can your dad come over here and do that to our treehouse?

Tishelle Ward said...

This is just amazing! What a gift from your very talented Dad!

Jennifer Juniper said...

Whoa - your dad rocks! Is he looking for any extra grandchildren to spoil?!?

Melissa @ Veranda Interiors said...

Love this!! If only we had big enough trees here for our children to have a tree house too.

Megan said...

way too cool! I'm glad your stinky neighbors lost the battle!

Amy @ Chicy-Creations said...

This has got to be the coolest thing ever! You've got some lucky kiddos!

Alice @ Just Alice said...

That is so incredible! And I thought my playhouse (with windows, faux brick tile flooring and electricity) was awesome. This is just, as someone else said, the coolest thing ever!

Unknown said...

Now that is awesome!! Those are some lucky kids! And what a great dad!

~ The Speckled Dog

Laura W. said...

Soooo, I'm pretty sure we're coming over to play soon. If my girls see this, it'll be VERY soon. :) They may actually move in.

toastbread.ham.omelette said...

OMG~ this is so so so good and it just "wow" me...i can't believe this, this is too good, your dad is really a great man and i am sure, the kids will enjoy it. even when i saw this myself (well, from you blog) i told myself, "wish i have one of this castle at home too" and i wanna fly straight to your house and play..anyway, im from malaysia! (:

nest of posies said...

my mouth is open in awe!

unbelieveable.
too cool to go to school!

KJ@letsgoflyakite said...

THis is a beautiful story, post and project. What a magical place for your family.

Stephanie@cre8tive said...

Pa Pa Jerry has now set the bar for all grandpa's out there! He out did himself on this. Unbelievable craftmanship and talent. Hats off to Pa Pa Jerry.

Kara @ Mine for the Making said...

AMAZING! Your kiddos will have fond memories all built around this fun play castle!!

Your dad did a great job! What a wonderful grandfather :)

Kara

Cecily said...

Best. Castle. Ever. I am totally in love with this and would like to come over and play in it myself. Seriously. The whole thing is fantastic. I've had plans to make my son a little cabin on the cheap forever, but nothing that requires a building permit! Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Anonymous said...

A.MA.ZING! I love this and dare not show it to my son who would DEMAND his very own! What a terrific place for your kids to play and what an awesome Pa Pa!! Thanks for the compliments on the blog and I'm glad I did good with the Tree Hand project! My sis in law loves them! Thanks for sharing your creativity! Been loving all the new back to school looks too! Thanks for stopping by my little corner to say hello!

Sawdust Girl said...

This is seriously cool! I wonder if my HOA board would approve of a structure this COOL in my backyard. Just wondering out loud.

The Sometimes Super Mom said...

So neat! What a great Dad you have! He could totally sell his tree house plan and make a bunch of money! :)

Honey I'm Home Blog said...

Hi - I'm linking over from Tatertots & Jello. I LOVE using recycled stuff to make something neat and I LOVE this! Thanks for sharing.

Warmly, Michelle

Lei said...

This is incredible! What a great dad!

Lori said...

HOLY SMOKES! That is what I call a treehouse! Your kids are lucky ones. It is a true treasure.

Mama Gone Green said...

Wow! Can I send my hubby over for some tutorials?!?

susan said...

Oh My Goodness! What a dream come true for the royal family :)!! Your father should be up for "grandfather of the year" and come to think of it "father of the year" too! I'm sure every single task was done with love. I know it will be home to countless hours of fun and imagination gone wild!

Holly D. Gomez said...

This is the best castle I've seen yet! Love the wood bricks!

Michell @ Girl In Air said...

I can't believe I'm just now finding your blog! Thanks to OMTIWI, I get to check out the rest of your blog...

This is crazy cool! You should be FAMOUS for this project..I pinned to Pinterest!

The hubby's gonna faint when he sees this....it's right up his alley....but I'm sure our Homeowners Association would NEVER give us permission to do this..we might just have to move:-)

Sara @ Sew Sweetness said...

OH
MY
GAWD
I have never seen something so amazing!!!

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