TIRED of seeing his young child, his niece and nephew sitting in front of the TV or playing on their iPads, a Durban North father decided to do something to change that. Phillip Carlisle, built not one, but two treehouses. One in the shape of a pirate ship and the other in a six metre high tree in his yard to encourage them to play outdoors.
The boat-shaped treehouse, complete with a sailor’s bell, an eating area, a captain’s wheel, and a crow’s nest was built to encourage his kids to spend less time in front of the TV or computer.
“It’s nice to give the kids their own space, let them make their own little world. Imagination is so important. They can use that to play, instead of video games again and most importantly, they have a great time. I became an older dad three years ago and I’ve got older children as well. I saw complete difference between this generation and my older children in terms of outdoor activity which is what made me attempt this,” he said.
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Carlisle made both tree houses using wooden pallets and mottled poles.
“I made the ship treehouse which sits across five trees, out of old wooden pallets. It was inspired by the claymation movie Pirates. The kids were watching that and that’s what inspired me. I even built a double story crow’s nest, which the children can climb. It was quite labour intensive but I’ve worked in the construction industry and was able to build this treehouse within three weeks.
“Building one was so satisfying that I decided to build another. I looked at the tallest tree in my yard and thought it would make a fantastic tree house. Obviously having young children I wanted to make it safe and child friendly,” he said.
The second treehouse which stands at almost six metres of the ground also lights up and has a viewing balcony and a loft for the youngsters to sit in.
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“I just love the ingenuity needed to build a treehouse. Working so close to nature is just amazing and the fact that you don’t need heavy equipment makes it the perfect job. I’ve since become a student of treehouse building. I’d love to encourage more parents to build old-school treehouses to encourage their children to play outside. Treehouses are spaces that bring families together, it has worked for me,” he enthused.
