There's No Going Back

Once I saw it I knew there was no going back.  I had gone back to the thrift store in the rare chance they would have another bunk bed so I could complete the railing and....there it was:  a thick sculpted wooden headboard looking about as Piratey as it gets. Instantly my fort transformed in my mind.  It was no longer a deck with a slide - it was Pirate Ship driven by imaginative young scallywags that brave the seas in search for treasure! I'd just put the whole headboard up instead of the last section of railing. Then as I browsed the store everything morphed into Buccaneer essentials: a scope, a steering wheel, a treasure map, a jewel box, an ammo box, a weather gauge etc.  My boys were going to freak!

After a long day of nailing, reinforcing, making a ladder, and adding all the goodies, and one MAJOR farmer's tan later, it was finally time to put up the slide! My little 2 year old, was just itching to try out the slide.  What I thought was ample space between the ladder rungs was barely enough to make him feel safe going up. Ug. I was disappointed but still excited for him to try out the slide.  He looked through the scopes and gave the steering wheel a spin and headed right to the slide. SWOOOSH!  It launched him right on his little behind about 3 feet from the bottom of the slide!  The platform was about a foot too high.......AARRGH.  Even though it was perfect for the 6 yr old and 9 yr old, I was really bummed.

Well, I had already figured out the hard parts. Why not build another little one?  There wasn't any shortage of used bunk beds and I still had leftover screws and decking.  The boys were so busy running around with swords and eye patches I figured I could kick it out in a day or two.  I hope my Thrift store Karma doesn't run out.

HINDSIGHT: Research or preferably BUY the slide BEFORE you build the deck platform.  Know exactly how high it should be.  Also: Ladder rungs need to be much closer than you'd think.  Oh! and I wish I had left more of the 4x4 post ABOVE the deck frame. That would have lowered my deck and also provided more support to the handrail. eeesh, does that make sense?  Post a comment if you want details.

**TIP** Be safety conscious about every part you build.  Try everything yourself. Test weight loads. Reinforce hand rails and build them up to the proper height.  Slides need to be properly mounted and staked. It's your kiddo's safety we're talking about here!

I Now Have Man Hands

Nothing could more quickly drive a proper woman to swearing than driving deck screws!!! Yet, I refrained. I had all my lumber and thought I'd kick out the deck in no time....so very wrong. My fort was about 75' away from my house and I was using a Black & Decker corded drill/driver. A corded drill is NOT recommended! I'd strip nails, fall off the tip gashing my knuckles, and try 4 times before it would even sink a little. Two words for you: PILOT HOLES! Don't fight it and just drill the dang pilot holes with a separate drill. THEN, preferably with an 18V cordless driver, the deck screws will just sink in. Get the RIGHT tools for the jobs and your life will be much easier (and you won't be NEARLY driven to cursing!)  After I survived laying the deck I took my rusty ol' Skil Saw and zipped off all the uneven ends hanging off the deck. I didn't pre-cut :)

At first I was alarmed about how unstable the deck was and knew I had to cross brace it. I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing, but just kept saying..."it's just a fort, it just needs to be functional and safe - not pretty." So I just bolted some 2x4 scraps from the side of the deck angling down to the posts (on all corners) and it was steady as a rock! The railing from the bunk beds went up in no time. I had purchased a used 8' wavy slide and a rock climbing wall from Online Classifieds. I was SO excited to see it all come together, but I was still missing railing all along one side. hmmmm I think another trip to the thrift store was in order.

HINDSIGHT: I now wish I had crossed braced to the INSIDE of the deck frame...it looks much better.

Please know I didn't completely abandon my hubby and young kids while building this fort. I just thought I'd spare you the details of changing diapers, breaking up fights and and how hard it is to clean up LIFE cereal that's been stuck to the counter all day.

Bunk Beds are every Pirate Fort's Booty!

I had been pricing the playhouse kits for years and just couldn't believe how expensive they were. So I went to Lowe's and priced out lumber and hardware to build my own little deck with a slide. Still expensive. That same day I went to Deseret Industries, a secondhand thrift store, and saw a sturdy bunk bed made of the same 2X6 lumber I had just priced! I played Tetris with the different parts of the bunk bed and figured I had enough lumber for a good deck frame WITH railing....for $20! AND it already had metal support brackets. So I bought some cement and treated 4X4 posts and went to work - disassembling the bed and then building my deck.

So, at this point, I was still aiming for a simple deck with a slide. I had grown up watching my Dad build houses for a living and already knew my way around a construction site. I also helped my Dad build the house I live in so I have many of my own tools......a must!

Once my posts were set (the digging about did me in!) and framed I nailed in 3 floor joists and realized I was going to have to invest in a lot of 2x4s to make a 6' by 6' deck. But I figured I had the railing already and gone to so much work that I'd just fork out the $80 for the lumber. So I was off to Lowe's again.

**TIP**Pathfinders are deceptively large and can be packed to the roof. If you try this out PLEASE make sure nothing is aiming toward the windshield in the event of a sudden stop...ya, it was a close call.

**TIP** PACE YOURSELF. I got so gung ho my poor family ate mac n cheese and Top Ramen for 3 days!

HINDSIGHT I wish I had prepared the ground properly. Take the time to level it out and clear the weeds. Consider your end product and the possibility of adding on to it.

Now that's a fort!

It wasn't my intention to stop traffic with my fort, but it's taken on a life of it's own. I've received such awesome words of encouragement and also MANY questions about how I've built it. So the following posts will be a look into my journey while building .....the Ultimate Pirate Ship Fort!

I feel a huge disclaimer is necessary. I am neither an architect nor a carpenter by any means. I am just the mother of three young scallywags and desperately needed them to have a fort. I wanted to get them away from the TV and computer...and DSi...and iPod... and Wii......ug. I am qualified only with my sheer determination & imagination (and an uncanny knack for finding exactly what I need at secondhand stores!)

To answer the most asked question: No, this fort is NOT a kit. The do-it-yourself kits were uninventive and extremely expensive. You can build your own fort (treehouse/playhouse) for a fraction of the cost. It would be very hard to duplicate my Pirate Ship Fort, but hopefully I can give you some ideas to spark your own imagination. I can't give you step by step instructions, but I'll explain what items I "repurposed", and show you how I used them - and I'll tell you where to find cool supplies!

I guess it all started with......