Dad Creates Incredible £10 Treehouse For His Daughter
Selma Teskeredzic
Posted On May 6, 2020
This dad has been using his time during COVID-19 lockdown to build a treehouse for his daughter.
When you look at the picture, you probably think that this dad spent an absolute fortune putting it together, but it cost just £10 ($12.50) as he reused old bits of wood, hinges and screws.
The 31-year-old, from Abergavenny, South Wales, wanted to give Mila something to be happy about so got to work building her a dream den.
Tom said work commitments in the past meant he missed a chunk of his little girl growing up so used this as an opportunity to spend some quality time with her.
He said: “The idea came because the corner against the garage at the bottom of the garden wasn’t being used. My daughter saw something similar online and asked for a treehouse but we don’t have a tree.
“I used to be a carpenter but I got fed up of working seven days and missing my daughter grow up. I finished last year in a total career change and I now service and repair mobility scooters.
“I had timber and screws left over from previous jobs I worked on which have been sat around the garden for a couple of years. I would save timber from the fire and skip and salvage anything I could.
“I have tins and tins of fixtures and fittings. The felt for the roof was kicking around in my uncle’s shed which was refelted a few years ago. I sourced the pallets from a local chap and he said I could have them for free.
“I have had quite a few off him in the past with various projects I have done in the garden. I gave him £10 as a goodwill gesture for him to buy himself a few beers. That’s all I spent.
“The total spend on this was only £10. I salvaged everything from skips. Even the hinges and latch on the door are from an old garden gate. We love to sit and watch her play in the garden – we can have all the fun right in our own back garden! I love making stuff out of nothing.”
Explaining the process, Tom added: “The first job was to strip the pallets. That’s the hardest job. I haven’t concreted the uprights as I don’t want any problems with the council but that was my first job.
“I connected to the uprights to the existing fence which sits against a private car park. I then put the deck down and put the handrail on the upright top half of the steps.
“I used pallets to clad around and decided then to put the roof on as I had a friend give me old timber. I built walls and roof next, and put in the bottom steps last as I wanted to make it safer.”
Tom said it was a fantastic way of bonding with his daughter during lockdown and that she was a massive help throughout the build.
He said: “I am so glad I took the time to build it. My partner works for the NHS so it gave me and my daughter something to do together to occupy our time.
“I’m so glad it’s done now as I love to sit in the garden and watch her play in it. I initially wasn’t going to make it as grand but I just carried on stripping pallets and kept on building.”
