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Initially built to share my Treehouse Building Progress, this is now outlet to share the things I love most: Family, Travel, Art, Surfing, Food, Growth, and any Creative Pursuits like building treehouses.

Follow me for treehouses, ‘ohana, travel, surf, food, growth, & art!

Treehouse Dad

Below are updates on how I built my first treehouse, my mistakes, and lessons learned along the way.

You’ll also see articles on new travel, surfing, food, personal growth, art, and the most important thing: FAMILY!

Family Halloween Costume Ideas

Family Halloween Costume Ideas

I’ve dug through some old photos from Halloween’s past.  We’ve done solo outfits as well as group family costumes.  Hopefully, this will give you some good ideas!

40 Books Challenge for 2024

40 Books Challenge for 2024

For 2024, I’m shooting for 40 books.  I’ll be moving back and forth between fun books (sci-fi, biographies, fantasy) and self-helpie (business, money, discipline, web geekery.) 

Ardèche France with Kids

Ardèche France with Kids

Join us for family-friendly activities in the Ardèche in the south of France. From cliff diving to prehistoric caves, here’s how to enjoy this beautiful region with kids.

Avoid these SCAMS in Europe

Avoid these SCAMS in Europe

Scams that are hard to avoid, and Scams you’ll likely naturally avoid with common sense are listed from our experiences in Europe.

Nicaragua Surf Trip

Nicaragua Surf Trip

We share our impressions of each wave, our favorite things, and what we would do differently next time we take a Nicaragua Surf Trip.

Sober September Tips

Sober September Tips

Striving steadfastly to succeed, I’ve set a self-improvement challenge this Sober September, seeking strength and serenity.

Maui ‘Ohana Spotlight: Ari Zainuddin

Maui ‘Ohana Spotlight: Ari Zainuddin

I’ve had the idea for years to do interviews with my favorite Maui humans.  This island tends to have some of the most spectacular people on Earth, whether born and raised or new to Maui. So, I’m starting with my good friend Ari.

Amsterdam with Kids – 4 Days

Amsterdam with Kids – 4 Days

Join us in Amsterdam with kids for 4 days as we bike, stay in a house boat, explore museums, parks and avoiding the red light district.

‘Ōhia ‘Ai – Mountain Apples

‘Ōhia ‘Ai – Mountain Apples

We have a beautiful tree that we’ve watched grow from 3 feet to over 15 in the last few years.  A few flowers, and now we finally have fruit!  It’s said it can grow up to 60 feet tall with trunk circumference of 15 feet.

Hamburg Germany with Kids

Hamburg Germany with Kids

We enjoyed 4 days in Hamburg, Germany with our kids in order to meet our long-lost family and to explore.

Paia Hippie Classification

Paia Hippie Classification

Hippies come in all forms, fashions, and families, and since Paia Town has been a beloved, salty melting pot of hippie happenings since the 70s, I’m here to classify some of the most recognizable types for your knowledge and entertainment.

Poznań Poland with Kids

Poznań Poland with Kids

Exploring a country isn’t just about visiting tourist hotspots. I was eager to see the real Poland, so we went to his hometown in Poznań to experience everyday life there. I’m truly grateful we did—it was a remarkable experience!

No Sugar, Daily Exercise

No Sugar, Daily Exercise

My next challenge starts today!  No processed sugar (minimal fruit with low sugar), and daily exercise of at least 30 minutes.

Uluwatu – Bali, Indonesia

Uluwatu – Bali, Indonesia

Uluwatu in Bali is famed for its epic cliffside views, world-class surf spots, and the iconic Uluwatu Temple perched atop limestone cliffs.

Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia

Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia

Nusa Lembongan is a small island near Bali in Indonesia. A quiet, peaceful atmosphere with amazing surf, scuba diving, and epic adventures.

10 Bali Temples You Should See

10 Bali Temples You Should See

Bali is home to some of the most saught after temples for travelers around the world. Herre are 10 Bali temples you should see when you go.

Bali Yayasan Permata Orphanage

Bali Yayasan Permata Orphanage

Looking for a way to give back on Bali? We visited Bali Yayasan Permata Orphanage, where we spent the day surfing with some awesome kids.

EMP Attack Prepper Guide

EMP Attack Prepper Guide

After reading just one chapter of One Second After, the 2009 novel by William Forstchen, I found myself unexpectedly propelled into adopting the mindset of a prepper.  And since the threat is finally in the news, here I’ll share what I’ve found to be crucial to survive long-term after an EMP attack on US soil.

My Perfect Sleep Recipe

My Perfect Sleep Recipe

Though I know everyone is different, I’m going to share exactly what’s required for my getting a perfect night’s sleep. Hopefully, some of you will take away at least a tip or 2, but this is really just for me.  I’ll be refining this article on a regular basis.

Copenhagen with Kids

Copenhagen with Kids

3 Days is an insanely short trip for any city in Europe, but we had to sneak in a Coldplay concert.  Copenhagen has captured our hearts, and its now on our revisit-list!

Bristol England with Kids

Bristol England with Kids

We managed to visit the aquarium, surf man-made waves, watch the Lion King musical, participate in a wild street festival, and explore old Tyntesfield.

Heartburn & Meditation Challenge

Heartburn & Meditation Challenge

Unfortunately, I’ve suffered from heartburn (GERD) since High School. Not good. It’s time to put a 100% concerted effort to stopping it!

Zakynthos and Peligoni Club

Zakynthos and Peligoni Club

We’d just come off a week through the Greek Islands on a catamaran, and staying at a beach club didn’t sound half bad. With building expectations, we were excited to spend time on land enjoying the beauty, food, and people of Greece.

William Norberg

William Norberg

It's been over 12 years since we had to say goodbye to Will, and personally, I'm at a point where there are more good, positive memories and...

Saronic Islands Greece with kids

Saronic Islands Greece with kids

When friends ask us what our favorite part was on our Europe trip with kids across 9 countries, sailing in a catamaran through the Saronic Islands is first to mind.

Athens Greece with kids – 2 Days

Athens Greece with kids – 2 Days

Here we share the limited experiences we had in the short time before and after going on our week-long boat trip through Greece.  We had a day before and after, and we took full advantage of the little time in Athens we were afforded. 

Tuscany and Florence, Italy with Kids

Tuscany and Florence, Italy with Kids

My first trips to Italy 20+ years ago left me underwhelmed. Heat & Crowds turned me off. This trip, however, changed my opinion of what I now see as one of my favorite countries on Earth: ITALY!

Montmartre Paris with Kids – 2 Weeks

Montmartre Paris with Kids – 2 Weeks

We’ve stayed at his flats in the past, but it was always just 3-5 days in Paris (and never with kids.) Traveling back to France after an 18-year break from Europe, we were itching to explore one of our favorite cities again.

Richelieu France – 5 Days

Richelieu France – 5 Days

Our only exposure to Richelieu was a lunch 20+ years ago, so we were excited to spend some quality time in this old city after our stay in Geneva with kids.

Geneva Switzerland with Kids

Geneva Switzerland with Kids

I’ve shared some of our favorite things to do in Geneva with kids, within surrounding areas, and tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years and during this recent 2-week trip.

Virginia with Kids – 7 Days

Virginia with Kids – 7 Days

7 nights is never enough in Virginia with our favorite people, but here are some fun things to do with kids in and around Aldie.

Maui Hawaii

Maui Hawaii

I’ll be documenting each part of our crazy trip coming up, and I thought sharing packing and prepping would be fun. 

Hanoi Vietnam

Hanoi Vietnam

We went to Vietnam on a whim knowing we’d spend over 60 total hours traveling on our 7 day trip. Crazy? A little bit. Worth it? Absolutely.

NO BOOZE & NO CAFFEINE: 21-Day Challenge

NO BOOZE & NO CAFFEINE: 21-Day Challenge

I’m taking 21 days off from drinking as well as coffee to begin developing habits of abstinence and calm, but I’m mostly doing it to record how I feel.  2023 is all about health and growth.

NO SUGAR & BETTER SLEEP: 21-Day Challenge

NO SUGAR & BETTER SLEEP: 21-Day Challenge

I’m taking 21 days off from processed sugar (fruit ok) as well as going to bed by 9 pm (for at least 8 hours of sleep) to begin developing habits of abstinence and optimal health, but I’m mostly doing it to record how I feel.  2023 is all about health and growth.

NO BOOZE & DAILY WORKOUTS: 21-Day Challenge

NO BOOZE & DAILY WORKOUTS: 21-Day Challenge

I’m taking 21 days off from drinking as well as daily workouts to begin developing habits of abstinence and exercise, but I’m mostly doing it to record how I feel.  2023 is all about health and growth.

Treehouse Planning

Treehouse Planning

I share our treehouse planning, including sketches, goals, and overall design thoughts moving into this project!

Treehouse Platform Structure

Treehouse Platform Structure

Building a strong, safe treehouse structure is priority #1, and I share the platform I created along with its supports.

Most Recent Video

Maui Fires

 

Our last travel video was from the Ardèche France, but this video above best describes our lives since the maui Fires.

About the Treehouse Dad

To start, I have no business building anything.  I’m a web geek, so anything I share is just to show how I did it, and I’m not making recommendations.  My hope is to get feedback and learn from others!

A little about me.

treehouse family

Having been obsessed with both the book and movie (and Disney attraction till they changed it to Tarzan) Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss, it’s always been a dream to build my own treehouse!

My experience:

  • Garden boxes
  • A deck and stairs 95% made from used pallets (see photo above and below)
  • Chicken Coops. I’ve gone through building 2, and I think if I built a 3rd it’d be the best chicken coop tractor ever made.
  • A custom lego table
  • Various mediums of art

Clearly, I’m not a builder and all of my woodworking experiences were experimental, until now!

pallet stairs and deck

custom lego table

Chicken Coop Tractor

My Inspiration:

Our kid’s Grandmpa looked up into a small tree in our yard less than a year ago and said we should make a treehouse.  it seemed way too small, but the idea was intriguing.  Grandpa was definitely the catalyst and part of the inspiration.  The other part came from, of course, Pete Nelson and his crew from Treehouse Masters.  We love that show and have bought and watched almost every season.

I didn’t know until starting this project that my own grandfather was a carpenter in his youth, which could account for the ancient hand-me-down tools I still use.

Why now?

Being a good dad and husband are my most important jobs.  As we first drew sketches of the treehouse, the excitement in my kids’ eyes was overpowering.  It had to happen, and I’m loving every minute of it!