Barbara Butler Artist Builder

Forest Lookout (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Jaguar Mama) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 16:58:00 +0000

In our last post, we followed the design and fabrication process for Forest Lookout. Next up is installation. The components made in the shop arrive on-site and are placed in their respective locations.

After each piece is secured and safety tested, small details are attended to for a flawless final structure. Sustainable second-growth redwood, made weather-resistant with non-toxic tung oil, combines with sturdy rope for a durable structure that is ready for anything the kids come up with!

But it's not only about workmanship and quality materials. Forest Outlook is also loaded with fun features:

A hanging bridge leads to a platform high among the treetops.

From below, the platform is almost completely hidden behind the foliage, giving it an air of forest mystery.

The stationary bridge is outfitted with a double water cannon; watch out below!

Climb the rope ladder on one side or dash around to the other side to take the stairs.

Inside the playhouse stands a drop-leaf table, perfect for snack breaks or tea parties.

An embankment slide makes use of the natural shape of the hill, and becomes a water slide at the turn of a handle! Besides keeping kids cool in sunny L.A., this slide is also drought-friendly: a drain at the bottom diverts water to a cistern that is used for watering the landscape.

Forest Lookout (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Jaguar Mama) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:09:00 +0000

How do you transform a steep, barren space into a charming, lively play area?

Why, with a playhouse, hanging bridge, tree platform and water slide, of course!

With two young sons and a bevy of cousins and friends they wanted to host, this Los Angeles family was looking for a spacious playscape that would leave the flat area open as it is the only level space in their yard. Barbara came up with a custom design that links the uphill tree with another tree further down the slope to create a haven for imaginative play.

Because the children are fairly young, the octagonal tree platform is fully fenced, offering a look-out fit for a king but no way down.

After the design process, Barbara always creates a stick-out (a 3-D sketch of the structure) to ensure accuracy before building the components at her shop. On challenging terrain, however, the stick-out is particularly vital to make sure that the finished structure can withstand mayhem in the morning and adventures in the afternoon.

The next step is to install the footings and the embankment slide so the landscapers can add grass and greenery to the space.

Meanwhile, back at the shop, fabrication is underway. Here, natural redwood is meticulously transformed into an environmentally responsible playhouse. Will it be a fortress to be protected against werewolves or a homestead for pioneers traveling west by covered wagon? Only the children know.

Stay tuned for photos of the completed project in next week's post!

Do You Believe in Magic?

noreply@blogger.com (Jaguar Mama) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 16:57:00 +0000

When Olenka Villareal discovered that her daughter was having developmental challenges, she was dismayed with the state of their local Palo Alto, CA, parks. Though well-meaning, the playgrounds weren't truly accessible to her daughter. And so began her crusade to create Magical Bridge, a playground for all abilities. We are proponents of imaginative outdoor play for ALL kids, so we were excited to be a part of this ground-breaking project right from the start.

In 2011, when Barbara first met Olenka at the bi-annual Dreams Happen playhouse auction, Magical Bridge was only a beautiful concept, lacking both funding and a team. Barbara loved the concept and threw her wholehearted support behind the cause, starting with the donation of the Country Cottage Playhouse for an auction benefiting Friends of The Magical Bridge. The playhouse was wheeled along in local parades and displayed at the local library to make folks aware of the project, then was auctioned off to raise funds to make it a reality.

Four years later, as part of the Magical Bridge Playground team, Barbara donated over 160 design hours to help create the country's first completely accessible playground. Barbara's job: to design, build and install the two-story Playhouse with Theater Stage, Elevated Walkways, Magical Bridge and Treehouse. And while it might sound like a tall order to make a two-story playhouse that is fully accessible to a child (or parent) in a wheelchair, Barbara managed to create a design that is just as charming and whimsical as any project she's done.

And there's more. The Magical Treehouse built around an existing Stony Pine tree will be fully donated by Barbara Butler Artist-Builder Inc ⎯ labor, parts, and imagination. We will also donate $5,000 in custom play accessories, so please stay tuned to see what designs Barbara comes up with!

Barbara has been an active team member at the overall park design meetings and was proud to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this year.

Pieces of the Magical Bridge are coming to life in our shop and will soon be brought on-site for installation. Then comes our favorite part of any project we do: the moment when grinning children stream toward the playground, ready to test out our creation!

Top Secret Safe Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara Butler) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 16:19:00 +0000

These Top Secret Safes might not fit into a stocking, but these colorful, artisan safes are perfect for securing pirate's gold or a secret map to ancient ruins. So when Cincinnati Parent, Indy's Child Magazine, and Dayton Parent contacted us about their upcoming Holiday Giveaway, we couldn’t resist whipping up a few to donate.

They were a blast to make -- and much quicker than a treehouse! Here, the stained pieces sit drying before final assembly. On the right, three boxes filled with play inspiration are loaded up by Alvin, our UPS guy. It's not the first time he's hauled some unusual packages from our shop!

Each safe comes with a shield that hides the combination to open the door, keeping your secrets safe from invading zombies or conniving dukes from a rival kingdom. Here's one installed in a tree house in L.A.

Have you liked us on Facebook? More gorgeous photos at our fan page.

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The Making of Adventure Cottage

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara Butler) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 17:11:00 +0000

Here’s the scene: A gorgeous new treehouse sits perched atop a live oak, tucked into a pocket of a lucky kid's backyard. The colors are crisp; the ladders and secret doors and zip lines stand ready to elicit giggles, shrieks or shouts of joy.

While it might appear to a child that the treehouse has mysteriously grown from the branches of her treasured tree or perhaps been placed there by fairies or gnomes, the reality is much different. In fact, each of our creations comes to life thanks to the craftsmanship, teamwork and inspiration of the Barbara Butler Artist Builder crew. Let’s take a look behind the scenes at how it all works.

Step one:
First, family and builder come together for the design process. Using a photo of the existing site, Barbara sketches in the proposed play structure. In this case, Adventure Cottage went through a few different versions before we found the one that put a sparkle in the kids’ eyes.

Step two:

We take careful measurements on-site before heading back to our shop in South San Francisco to hand-craft each piece of the treehouse. The old adage "Measure twice, cut once" applies double when you are building off-site!

Step three:

Every part of the treehouse is built at the shop using sustainable redwood and environmentally-friendly materials. Even our vibrant signature colors are custom-made from tung oil rather than petroleum products.

Step four:
Now it's back to the site for the installation.
Dedicated crew? Check.
Tree house components? Check.
Pink hard hat? Check.
Walls, roof and floor join together to form Adventure Cottage.

Step five: Playtime!

Adventure Cottage

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara Butler) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:15:00 +0000

Located in Woodside, California, Adventure Cottage is our latest custom-built treehouse. What mysteries do these branches hide? Time machines, fairy groves, or perhaps pirates? Follow me into the magical world of childhood and we'll take a look around.

Let's climb up this ladder and race around the wrap-around porch. I dare you to try the fire pole!

Hey, send me up some secret messages in the bucket pulley, will you?

Now it's time for a snack. Step into my cozy cottage and I'll serve you up some tea and cookies on my favorite fancy plates.

What was that thump? Uh oh! A ferocious monster's at the door.

There's no way out! We're trapped... or are we?

There's something peculiar about that cabinet. Let's take a closer look.

A hidden escape hatch! Quick, scoot down the hanging ladder and we'll try a sneak attack.

Tip toe, tip toe, shhh.... up the knotted rope we go.

Wait, the monster's getting away. He's too fast to catch... unless... TO THE ZIP LINE!

Wheeeeeee! Let's do it all again!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara Butler) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 23:02:00 +0000

Inverness Treefort
Inverness, California

I am invited to a small wild overgrown yard to come up with ideas for a treefort for the kids. The family recently bought the property and the kids think the yard as-is is too dark, too spidery, too unfriendly so my plan is to thin it a bit and entice them into it with some tree structures!

I draw my ideas on photocopies of photos of the yard to help everyone visualize the project and to see how it will look in place.

Then we get to build it! There's a multi-level treefort that connects with a 21ft long swinging bridge to a small clubhouse covered with rock climbing holds & plus there's a coil climber. There's also a zipline, and a water cannon for blasting those on the zipline. There's a giant rope for pulling yourself up the hill. I like to add in multiple ways up and down to keep the kids running round and round. Check out other photos on https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraButlerTreehouses or visit my tumblr blog for photos throughout the installation: http://barbarabutlerartistbuilder.tumblr.com/

Featured today in the Wall Street Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara Butler) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 00:34:00 +0000

In today's Wall Street Journal, The Dragon Castle Theater was featured. Check out the WSJ article
The Fully Loaded Mini Mansions
The video's fun to watch!
More information and photos on our website at the Dragon Castle Theater - be sure to click on the "slideshow" for more photos.

Many beautiful colors on the Hideaway Fort

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:09:00 +0000

We love the colors on this Hideaway Fort so much that we had to share the staining process with you. Here's Rudi, our master stainer, mixing the colors and then applying the stain to the modular pieces as they come over from the building bay:

It all starts with the client selecting the colors that they like. Using color pencils, Barbara distributes their colors on a sketch she has drawn of their structure. She may present 2 to 3 different color schemes. The client chooses the one that is perfect!

Once the color palette is set, Rudi mixes the colors, then starts staining:

Staining ends with parts on the drying racks and large pieces baking in the sun!

Boy Scouts make garden signs from donated redwood

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:03:00 +0000

When Mitch Sr. asked Barbara if she had any redwood scrapes to donate to his son's Boy Scout Troop, the answer was YES!

The troop was working on a community garden service project (for badges) at Stanton Elementary in Castro Valley, making 10 informative signs.

The teacher who runs the garden had a vision to turn a weedy hillside into an outdoor classroom, putting bricks in to honor all those who donated.
We received an excellent thank you note from Mitch Jr:

Hello Ms.Butler: my name is Mitch and I am a Boy Scout in Troop 726. I recently finished my Life Project in my road to Eagle. My project was to build 10 similar signs out of wood for the Stanton Elementary Garden. I could not have done this project without your generous donation of redwood supply for creating my signs. I believe that the Stanton Elementary Community will be very pleased with the signs I have made with your wood. In conclusion, THANK YOU for your wood for my project.Sincerely, Mitch, 14, Scout Troop 726

Re-staining the playhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:55:00 +0000

11 years ago, Barbara made a beautiful Garden Playhouse for her niece, Melissa, and her adorable daughter, Lindsea, then only 2 years old.

Lindsea and her parents lived north of Seattle in a cute little town where it rained a lot! Over the years, the playhouse got a lot of use with play dates, birthday parties and just fun alone time in the back yard making cakes & mud pies, reading stories and playing princess.

Slowly the colors faded but no one really noticed. It was still their much-loved playhouse.

Then one day this summer, Barbara got a call - "send me some stains. Lindsea and I want to do a mother-daughter project this summer. We've decided to re-stain her playhouse!"

We gathered up the stain colors and shipped them to Melissa. Along with the stains, we sent clear tung-oil to apply as the final coat, plus brushes, sponges, plastic gloves, gojo wipes and detailed maintenance instructions.

It didn't take long! 1st sunny weekend day Lindsea (now just turned 13 years old) and her mom hit the backyard to re-do their playhouse.

First the walls in Castle Purple,
then the trims and shutters and carvings.

Followed by the roof and, voilà, the playhouse was beautiful again!

Lindsea, Jack (her Russell Terrior) and Melissa love the results.

And, they had a blast re-doing the playhouse, even changing some of the colors along the way.

Job well done!

Well used & well-loved Hideaway Fort passed on to a new family

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Our story of our Barbara Butler Hideaway Fort and how we came to own it... from 2003 thru 2011:

It was 2002. My husband and I were strolling thru the S.F. Garden Show, then held at Fort Mason, San Francisco. I had recently seen a reference to Barbara's work in a magazine and suddenly there was a play structure in the middle of the show Marketplace... yes, it was a Barbara Butler Hideaway Fort. We looked, talked with the gang and continued on.

No sooner than 2 months later a large oak tree fell on our little play structure which had been tucked away in the corner of our yard. At the same time, we were moving to a new property in sunny Emerald Hills and decided that we would replace the damaged unit with that same item displayed at the show we had come upon a couple months back.

Jeff came to our house, spent an entire day digging, drilling and installing the Hideaway Fort with the world's best slide ever... even for adults. My son and daughter loved climbing the wall, going down that slide over and over and crawling thru the secret door, not to mention the endless imaginary pieces of mail passed thru the slot marked "MAIL" next to the door.

Time went on and we had Barbara design an additional swing feature and a chin up bar for swinging, hoisting and whatever. We even braved their meticulous techniques and added on a glider ourselves, true to the B.Butler construction and staining methods. Many games, parties and time passed on this thing... and our yard always had the beauty of a well designed and crafted play fort gracing the garden and grounds.

In 2008, we moved again, brought it along, refinished the surface to its original glory (see image, above) and once again the games and climbing started over, this time adjacent to a soaring stand of redwoods in the hills of Woodside, CA.

Now it is May, 2011 and I am sad, yet thrilled at the same time, to be passing our beloved fort along to a new family in Los Altos, CA. There, 3 young boys will have never-ending fun on one of Barbara's creations.

We will miss our Hideaway Fort yet smile as we know it will continue to bring fun and wonder to another yard and family.

Kerri Linden

Atherton Treehouse

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:38:00 +0000

Atherton Treehouse: The goal was to design a play structure that incorporated the trees, tucked into this corner of the yard, that wouldn't overwhelm but would be big enough for the many grandchildren that visit every year.

Barbara's "stickout" (above) and Artist's Sketch (below) shows the ultimate design the client's settled on: King Fort up front, bridge to the back, passing by the sapling, up to the Clubhouse perched on a tree deck 9' off the ground, with steps down to a Zip Line ride "take-off" platform.

Swinging Bridge leading up to the Tree Perch...

Great Zip Line Ride:

fun for grandchildren and grandfathers!

Detailing a Robin Hoods Fort

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:28:00 +0000

Luscious browns and blues with touches of curry make a tasty color palette for this Robin Hood's Fort with 9' long bridge (soon to have 2 swings attached underneath).

The guys are "detailing". This is the stage in our process where we erect the structure and bolt it together to make sure that every modular piece fits perfectly.

Then we add:

- swing hangers & monkey bars under the bridge,

- rock holds to the back wall

- play accessories and more...

In this picture Jose is adding the side shutters to the Fort and Marco is just coming in from the metal shop where he was welding. We make many of our own metal parts, such as the special metal sleeves that wrap around the "footing" ends of every post that will be sunk into concrete, 2' below grade.

Santa's workshop: contemporary shapes and colors

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 20:09:00 +0000

It's starting to get exciting as more shapes emerge! The towers are long and sleek, looking like a rocket ship about to launch.

Adding the side "fins" (which will flank the entrance to the swinging bridge) starts to define the contemporary look of this play structure.

Once building is complete, the tower moves to the staining bay where Rudi adds the color.

Then the finished tower is moved to the outside dock to bake in the sun. This complicated black & white pattern will require a longer drying time than usual. We do not want to drag any black into white when we wipe-on the final coat of clear tung-oil.

Fortunately for us, this is California, and we are enjoying a particularly lovely stretch of warm, sunny weather. Our condolences to the East Coast, where winter storms are still dumping tons of snow on a daily basis.

A blue play structure for a green space

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:51:00 +0000

I was looking through old boxes of photos the other day and came across this lovely image. Designed and built in 2004, this play structure looks vibrant and inviting in the far corner of this elegant, tranquil garden. Barbara likes to work with Landscape Design professionals to find fun ways to invite children into the garden spaces.

Santa's workshop continues

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:26:00 +0000

This view from Barbara's "tree house" office window shows the progress being made on this modern, abstract castle design.

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:45:00 +0000

Barbara's new Kids Treehouse book, a beautiful photo essay of her unique treehouses, is now available for sale through Blurb.com. To preview the first 15 pages, click here.

This hardcover book has 45 pages of 70 treehouse images - a wonderful collection of some of Barbara's most unique children's treehouses, tree forts and zip line rides!

Santa's workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara Butler) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Happy Holidays! December's main project at the studio is a modern abstract castle design. The 4x4 framing will be covered with siding and with several of the openings on each side sheathed with plexiglass. The inside of the framing will remain visible. The deck will be up in the air 7' high.

Marco has great patience for all the angles!

Above, Suzy shows off in the back corner.

The cold weather brought out the Christmas Elf in me!
Happy Holidays!
more as we go....
cheers,
Barbara

Public Use Play Structure: Day 5 & 6 on site

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:47:00 +0000

Day 5 on site at the Contra Costa Jewish Day School and great progress! The Tube Slide has been installed and the rubber resilient surface material (RSM) has been poured by Playgrounds Unlimited.
Here, Sean from playgrounds Unlimited, checks to make sure that the RSM is 2-1/2" thick, the required thickness to help prevent serious injuries from a 6' fall height.

Now that the beautiful redwood structures have been installed, it is time to start lashing the "miles" of rope netting over all open areas of the play structure. When done, the entire structure will be fully enclosed so that no child can play outside of the structure once they start up the stairs!

Even the roofs are covered with rope netting to prevent adventurous kids from climbing up and out.

Barbara and Jeff go first, tightly attaching the netting to the posts using plastic twist ties (to be removed later). Then, Marco, Jose & Luis come next and lash the netting to the posts with rope, tying special knots every few inches to make sure it will not come undone. Attaching, lashing & knotting is very time consuming - it takes strong hands and willing hearts! The crew will still be at it on Monday. We hope to finish by the end of day tomorrow!!!

Meanwhile, under the shade tent, Barbara and MaryLou work on completing the complicated Certification paperwork.

By end of day Saturday, a good deal of the rope netting has been completed. More to come on Monday!

Robin Hoods Fort 1 Swing in classic colors

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:15:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we installed our classic Robin Hoods Fort with 3' long bridge over 1 swing. It fits beautifully into a small backyards. This installation is almost complete: Jeff will return the following day to remove the bracing (which keeps the bridge level while the concrete footings set overnight).

Barbara's Artist Sketch in the color palette chosen by the client is an exact match.

The Robin Hood's fort offers plenty of challenging play activities: hand-woven rope net ladder, turbo tube slide, rock climbing wall, firepole and swing underneath the bridge.

The outside colors are cool and natural while the inside colors "pop"! This fort has one of Barbara's favorite play accessories: drop leaf table (under the shuttered window) & drop seat.

To check out our many different Robin Hoods Forts click here.

Synopsis of Rugged Ruckus Big Fort

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 01:28:00 +0000

Here's a peek at one of Barbara's latest projects, from start to finish:

Barbara started with a design sketch that combined rustic tree stumps & limbs with rugged construction to create a rough & tumble outdoor play structure.

Early on in the process, Barbara & Jeff went on site to choose logs to be cut into stump steps and limbs to be used as "pickets" for the railings.

Next, Barbara & Jeff did their traditional "stick-out", making sure the structure would fit within the boundaries of the play area.

Once the final design was approved, construction started. The exterior was stained with a "natural wash" so that the structure would blend into the surroundings.

The interior, however, really POPS with Wild Orange walls, Russet floor, Parakeet doors and shutters with Parsley trims and Red Earth Drop Leaf Table & 2 drop seats. Oh, and the ceiling is Cape Cod Blue!

Barbara and Jeff spent lots of time checking out the play structure during the detailing process and, inspired by Rugged Ruckus, took time out to create a little ruckus themselves...

Meanwhile, out on the dock were lots of tree limbs and branches. Marco is lead on selecting,

cutting, grinding to shape and then...

attaching the sturdy branches to complete the railings.
Each opening is tested with the white "Safety Probe". If it goes through, then the opening is too large and too dangerous for young children.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle but Marco likes doing it and he's good at it! Almost done and proud of his work.

Install was scheduled to start in a week so the guys were hurrying to finish the Public Use Play Structure in Lafayette. Plus Jeff and Aubrey had to break away to deliver the Garden Potpourri playhouse to the Coyote Point Museum for auction that evening. We were stretched thin!

Once again, everything went great and we finished in time. The play structure is a huge success with parents and kids. We love the natural look and the fun log climb. Hope you do too:

Pasadena Playhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara Butler) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:48:00 +0000

I thought it would be nice to take a few minutes and share a custom play structure installation we finished over a year ago. When I came across these photos, it made me smile!

We had a great installation in Pasadena. Meet the crew:

James getting ready to install the coil climber; Marco on the Glider swing; Will laughing in front of the table/chairs set; Jose Luis on top of the Rope Net Ladder; Frenchy in the sandbox tower, and Javier, who just finished tung-oiling!

Perfect weather, tons of work, lots of Corona at night. And the trip back home was fun too!

Public Use Play Structure: Day 4 on site

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:57:00 +0000

Big Day on site: the crawl tunnel tube is added in between Clubhouse #1 and Clubhouse #2! They will keep it wrapped in plastic sheeting until everything else on site is done, but this fun play element is in place and just waiting for kids to crawl through it.

Next the guys move over to the Slide Transfer Platform and add the railings and the roof. Almost ready for the Tube Slide.

Then a day full of drilling in the hot sun...

More to come tomorrow

Public Use Play Structure: Day 3 on site

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy Butler) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:20:00 +0000

Barbara and crew are back on site at the Contra Costa Jewish Day School playground where they are installing a public use, fully enclosed, ADA Handicap Accessible play structure custom designed to run above the playground on top of existing 8' high concrete planters (as shown in Barbara's Artist Sketch):

By mid-morning of Day 3, all 3 clubhouses have been erected and bolted to the floor frames and 2 of the 3 roofs have been added. Jose and Armando are working on adding the angled "step down" platform on the left side of the structure. This is where the kids will exit to the playground area below via a long tube slide.

The 3rd roof goes up while Jeff, below, uses the epoxy gun as the final step in securing the 4 redwood support posts to the concrete.

Next step is to raise the front and back 12' long railings for the straight bridge:

Tomorrow: the crawl tube tunnel!