When my sister told me that friends of ours were interested in a tree house on their second home, I hardly dared to hope that the matter would become serious so soon. When Bettina and Andi actually approached me with their idea in the summer, I couldn't wait to see where the event would take place. During a joint on-site inspection of their property in the “Bucklige Welt” I found almost ideal conditions.
At the edge of the flat orchard, a slope about fifty meters wide, covered with large ash trees and low elder bushes, drops steeply down to the bottom of the stream, where you can hear a small stream babbling cheerfully. Some trunks that grow there in a loose connection were suitable for a tree house. We discussed the various possibilities for its construction until we realized that one of the stately ash trees could be reached by a suspension bridge, the other end of which could be attached to another trunk that grew almost parallel to the upper edge of the embankment. Although the bridge would have to cover a distance of around 10 meters, you could easily overcome the muddy abyss with dry feet this way.
The idea was immediately well received, and it only took a few weeks before I and a diverse team began building the platform made of bark-barked larch poles and the suspension bridge made of steel and polyhemp ropes as well as larch wood boards.
After three rainy days, the suspension bridge was passable and our clothes were wet and muddy. We were sniffy but happy about our successful work. Now that we were familiar with its swing, the bridge proved to be more convenient than the usual ladders for transporting various components from the level to the platform, which is around eight meters above the ground.
As a “finishing touch,” Marie tied nets to the sides of the bridge to increase safety, while I screwed rungs to the platform railing. On the south side of the ash trunk, which now protrudes from the middle of the platform, a square terrace measuring around three by three meters was created, from which you can look past the treetops onto a large meadow hollow, where rabbits and deer come out in the evenings and the farmer's cats Mouse hunting sneak.
The hut that we had temporarily assembled in my workshop was dismantled, delivered in individual parts and now stands on the opposite side of the terrace. It is made of untreated larch wood and is illuminated by two restored iron factory windows. The entrance door, an old wooden door from my collection, was painted dove gray. The sofa can be pulled out into a comfortable double bed, while there is still enough space for a table, chairs and a shelf.
An enchanting place to dream...
