While living in a small 1920s bungalow in downtown Orlando, Florida, with their son, this professional couple found out they were expecting another child. They left the downtown area in search of more space and lucked into a semisuburban home that had been recently remodeled.
Before Photo BEFORE: But the backyard, shown here when they moved in, needed some TLC. Torrential downpours often turned a large section of the yard into a lingering mud pit, preventing the family from enjoying their outdoor space. They decided to build a deck themselves by reading articles and watching YouTube videos.
AFTER: After about five solid weekends of work — much longer than they thought it would take — they now have a large, solid surface for outdoor dining and gathering. What’s more, once they trimmed a few branches in the large oak tree that shades the deck, they realized the great potential for a couple of tree forts.

Using leftover wood from the deck project, and returning to the Internet for guidance, the couple built two very popular forts. In fact, the backyard area has been such a success that word got around in the neighborhood, and all the local kids show up to play there now.
Because of the sloping lot, it took a long time to get the framing level for the deck. The homeowners read up on tree-fort building and discovered that the thing that makes a fort most exciting for kids is having multiple entrances and exits. These forts each have three or four access points that allow multiple kids to go in and out for fluid, continuous play. There’s also a rope ladder, rock climbing grips, hooks, telescopes, a water balloon launcher and more.

They also read up on proper securing techniques to make sure they didn’t hurt the trees. They found that 3½-inch deck screws and a couple of lag bolts got the job done safely.

Without the need to pay labor, the couple say they spent about $1,200 to $1,300 on their project.

More:
What to Know About Adding a Deck
Build a Beautiful Platform Deck in a Weekend