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…
Read MoreOur 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…
Read MoreAtherton 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…
Read MoreLuscious 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…
Read MoreIt’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,…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreThis view from Barbara’s “tree house” office window shows the progress being made on this modern, abstract castle design
Read MoreBarbara’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.
Read MoreThis view from Barbara’s “tree house” office window shows the progress being made on this modern, abstract castle design.
Read MoreDay 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…
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…
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…
Read MoreBig 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…
Read MoreI 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…
Day 2 the crew continues with the installation of Contra Costa Jewish Day School’s play structure:
Now that the ledgers have been installed (see Day 1) the guys bring in the clubhouse floor framing, bolting the frames to the ledgers…
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 pla…
Read MoreThe day before we arrive, the school yard sits empty, waiting for the magic to begin…
Josie (almost 16 years old now) stopped by our shop last Sunday with her mom, Michelle, to visit her old Garden Playhouse. Josie enjoyed her Barbara Butler Garden Playhouse from age 3 to 15 and then decided to donate it to help raise money for a good cause. Barbara collaborated by throwing her skills at refurbishing and re-creating the playhouse, using reclaimed materials…
Read MoreNew, exciting, public use play structure that Barbara custom-designed for the Contra Costa Jewish Day School in Lafayette, CA. It will be a fully enclosed, self-contained redwood & rope netting play structure built up on top of 8′ high concrete planter boxes and running along the edge of the play space…
Read MoreJoin us at the September 24th fund raising event for Coyote Point Museum!
Barbara’s “Garden Potpourri” playhouse, made from 100% reclaimed materials, will be auctioned to highest bidder!
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