"Bionic Treehouse" 

“In order to give my old treehouses a high tech makeover, I’ve enlisted the help of the masters of metal to forge my steel designs. I’ve known about Joe for many years. He & his crew are famous for some of the most innovative metal fabrication designs in Washington. There’s no one I would trust more with my babies.” – Pete Nelson

AE was featured in season 3, episode 3 of Treehouse Masters. We helped Pete Nelson restore one of his first tree houses at his former residence.

AE fabricated the steel beams that replaced the old wooden beams supporting the tree house structure. AE also fabricated & installed the main staircase leading up to the tree house. The stair is a two-part system. The upper half is connected to the tree house, while the bottom section has a skid plate resting on a bed of gravel and connects to a steel support beam between two trees. With the two pieces attached separately, the steel stairs allow for tree growth & movement.

AE also fabricated and installed the new bridge support between the two tree houses. At the connection points of the support beam, are two hinge plates that allow for side-to-side movement. The center has a telescoping arm to allow for back & forth movement.

Finally, AE fabricated the suspended, steel frame for the bed “loft” and a kinetic, retractable ladder for access.

Watch the episode, “Bionic Treehouse,” on Animal Planet for more detail! You can also get a “behind the scenes” take on the tree house renovation on YouTube.