Get the Kids Off the Screens and Into the Great Outdoors with a Treehouse

There is very little that compares to the adventures a child can have in their very own treehouse. As a kid growing up over on Lake Avenue, I still remember the battles won and lost from our bunker high in the sky and how much fun we had building, repairing, and reinventing a place that allowed our imaginations to run wild. These days, with digital devices captivating our kids, I wonder if they’ll miss the adventures of the great outdoors that are responsible for some of my favorite memories. So to that I say, not on my watch!

Building a treehouse is one of the best spring activities I can think of. It’s fun for the whole family and once it’s finished, your kids or grandkids will likely never want to leave it. In my experience, it’s one of those things that stays with a person forever and is something that they will truly cherish. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!

Choosing The Tree

Getting high in the sky is the ultimate freedom, but with a towering treehouse also comes the difficulty of building it and greater risk of injury. My suggestion is to go no higher than 10 feet so work can be done on a short ladder and there is much less potential for a kid to get seriously hurt from a fall. Next, you want to look for branch thickness of at least eight inches and a place where you can anchor your treehouse at four points or corners. This will help to distribute the weight of the house more evenly and will protect it against extreme wind. Oak, maple, beech and fir trees are good choices due to their strong composition. Above all else, it’s important to make sure that the tree is healthy and not inflicted with any disease or damage.

Pre-Construction Considerations

In some areas, you might need to get a building permit in order to construct a treehouse. Luckily Bristol is not one of them, but if you’re elsewhere in the state, it’s worth putting a call in to your local Building Inspection Department. Also, consider your neighbors. If your treehouse will be visible to them or near their property line, have the conversation before you get started. A treehouse is great fun but can also be noisy, so be sure to consider that when you are staking out the location.

Picking Your Site

There are several ways to build a treehouse: single trunk construction, multi-branch construction or multi-tree construction. The route you decide to pursue depends on the trees in your yard. A single trunk works well if you have a very large and healthy tree, but you should consider that the trunk will go through the middle of the house with support beams secured to the base of the tree from each corner. Multi-branch construction gives you a bit more creativity, but it can be tough to find the perfect tree that has strong, 90-degree branches to support a level house. If you have a denser wooded area, multi-tree construction is a great option. Using two trees is best because you can use flexible joints to account for the tree’s movement while being able to builder a bigger floor space. It’s important to note that using more than two trees can get tough as you will have to consider more movement points in your construction.

No matter what kind of build you’re considering, always keep weight and stability in mind and be prepared to be flexible in your planning. That’s all we have room for this week, but we’ll tackle the construction of the treehouse in my next column. Get your hammers ready!

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.
 

Get Rid of That Funky Roof Mold

Have patterns of strange, streaky stains appeared on your roof this spring? My phone rings off the hook for roof cleanings this time of year, and as I drive around town, I see so many houses decorated with unsightly roof residue, which frequently emerges during the April rainy season. But what are the stains, why have they suddenly popped up, and what can you do to get rid of it? They are all good questions, so let’s get you some answers.

Stains on the roof are generally algae, which gets carried by wind or birds from roof to roof, and may not be visible until they have enough moisture, heat, and humidity to grow and spread. The manifestation of an algae problem is those black streaks that you see. Now don’t be too alarmed, algae isn’t necessarily going to ruin your roof immediately, but it does affect the curb appeal of your home and the problem could end up damaging and pulling up your shingles if not dealt with for a long period of time.

An interesting fact is that copper, zinc, and lead are toxic to algae, and many newer roof shingles contain copper granules, which act as a barrier against any mold growth. Homes with older roofs won’t benefit from this technology, but it explains why you won’t see algae where metal flashing has been installed. If you’re susceptible to algae and in the market for a new roof, be sure to inquire about this type of shingle.

So now that we know what it is, how do we get rid of it? The easiest way to rid your roof of algae is a good cleaning solution, which can be picked up at the hardware store, applied using a pump sprayer and rinsed with the garden hose. One tip is to give any plants below the roof a good drink of water beforehand so they don’t absorb the solution. If you’re not comfortable on a ladder, call a professional to help you complete this task. A clean roof isn’t worth a trip to the hospital, and a local area home improvement specialist will be able to complete the job in just a few hours.

Once the roof has been cleaned, you might want to do something to prevent the mold from coming back again. As I mentioned, copper, zinc and lead-coated sheet metal are toxic to algae, so installing a strip of flashing will help stop that nasty fungus in its tracks. Choose a strip that’s at least six inches wide, and have it installed at the roof peak to ensure that the metal molecules wash down with the rain and protect the roof from mold build up.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Help! The Cold Weather Has Cracked Our Concrete

I received an interesting letter from a reader this week who said, “Dear Bob, we got started on our outdoor clean-up last weekend and noticed that the concrete in our patio area has some cracks that weren’t there in the fall. Is there anything we can do to fix it or do we have to have it professionally repaired? Thank you, Barbara D.”

This is a great question and it’s a common problem for homeowners during this time of year. Concrete, like most natural materials, changes with the environment. When there is a lot of snow, ice, and rain, that water can seep down into the porous concrete. As the temperature drops, the moisture freezes, causing the concrete to expand. When the temperature warms and the ground thaws, the concrete then shrinks, which leads to cracking. Most of the time, these hairline cracks aren’t problematic on their own but left untreated, it is likely that they will get bigger and tougher to fix. Unfortunately, cracking is one of the downsides to concrete and it can be tough to prevent. On the flip side, fixing them is relatively simple, so let’s walk through it.

First, you’ll always want to work with a very dry surface, so don’t start this project if it has recently rained. Once the weather is ready to cooperate, be sure that the cracks are completely clean of debris by using a chisel to remove loose pieces of concrete, dirt or sand.  Next, you’re ready to fill the crack using either a concrete caulk for small cracks or a pourable concrete mix for larger gaps. Always follow the manufacturer's directions as some products will require you to fill the crack with sand and others will recommend using a trowel to pack down the material. Then leave it plenty of time for it to cure before sealing the concrete to protect it from cracking again.

If you simply have too many cracks and you’d rather replace the concrete, here are a few things to remember. Firstly, make sure the pour is done in ideal conditions and ask your contractor about using plastic sheeting or a curing compound to control the moisture from the beginning. Next, don’t mess with it! Concrete takes three to seven days to set depending on the environment, so don’t rush it. Allowing the surface to harden completely before you use it can delay or prevent cracking in the future. Next, be sure to maintain your concrete with a sealant which will allow the right amount of moisture to come in and will let the surface breathe. Finally, check that your driveway or patio has proper drainage. The longer water sits on it, the more likely that it will seep through the surface. Taking these steps will help to ensure that your concrete stays looking newer for longer with less probability for additionally cracking after our next bout of extreme weather.  

Bob O'Donnell is the owner of O'Donnell Bros, Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro”. All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O'Donnell Bros, Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.