I put on the rail last week (between hail storms).
The fort project took just under a year to complete, but it’s finally done, and I’m happy with the results. The kids are pleased. Holly is pleased. Dad is exhausted!
Kidding. After all, I took a year to finish.
Here is a guided tour:
Inside, looking toward the front porch, with escape hatch.
Looking up the hatch.
The main entrance.
Looking down the rope ladder.
The view from the hammock.
The long climb.
All I can say is I must have wanted one of these when I was a kid. Otherwise, why would I have spent some much time and energy building it?
What a fun project!
Present Tense 
This is a great fort. It is really, really coool! Do you remember the fort we had as kids behind our yard. I think the neighbor’s built it with some left over wood from a home improvement project. What I really remember is that only the boys were allowed in–no girls at all. I remember how hurt my feeling were. So I approached Tony, who said for initiation all I had to do was hold a worm in my hand for five minutes. And, with much reluctancy I did. Then, Tony said he was just kidding. So, when everyone left to hunt down old soda bottes–back then you got 5 cents for every glass coke bottle. I broke in and set up a tea party will all my dolls and my finest plastic tea set. Unfortunatley, it was cut short and my dolls, my pink plastic tea set and I were promtly evicted. Do you remember any of that!!! LOL
Oh, yes. I remember the fort we made with the Gilreaths. I also remember tea parties, with Orange pop for tea. And Terri insisting I play more and drink less. I think tea parties with you and Terri made it into one of the chapters for my book. Good times, indeed.
I love this fort. I am wanting to build this for my kids. I would like blueprints if you have one and around the total cost also.
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for the kind words. I’m sorry to say I have no blueprints. I found a few books in the library that helped me wrap my mind around how to approach the task. Each try is a little different, so it’s hard to come up with a plan for everyone. If you run into problems, post here and I’ll see what I can do to offer guidance.
I’m just getting ready to upgrade my fort this summer. We’re planning to add screens and waterproof canvas curtains to keep out bugs and rain. I was even thinking of adding some stairs to make it easier to get into. Look for future updates on the blog.
Good luck!
Ah, the cost. I think it was probably around $700 to $900, but I had to buy a lot of tools. I had virtually nothing but a hammer and a few wrenches. I got a skill saw, a square, and some other hand tools. Treated lumber was expensive. Lots of hardware, nails etc.