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…
Read MoreThese 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…
Read MoreLocated 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…
Read MoreInverness 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…
Read MoreIn today’s Wall Street Journal, The Dragon Castle Theater was featured. Check out the WSJ article The Fully Loaded Mini MansionsThe 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.
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…
Read MoreWe 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…
Read MoreWhen 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…
Read More11 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…
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