Thread: A few of years back

I had the opportunity to pick up one of those metal storage buildings. Maybe 10x10 in good shape on the cheap. Can't remember now, but maybe $250. Didn't really need it, but the wife had the idea of turning it into a club house for the kids. So........naturally, that meant I had to set it up, run electricity to it, buy them a small TV/VCR and put an air conditioner in it..........with a remote no less. Oh and it needed 4 of those fold up cots with pads to sleep on in case they had company over at around $30 a pop. And a couple of nice shelves and I finished that off with some good peg board. Basically, she insisted I turn it into the Taj Mahal for the boys. She was pretty pleased with my handy work when it was all said and done and the kids immediately insisted that we all "camp out" in it for 2 nights in a row.

Roll forward 2 or 3 years. When I bought my house there was a honkin big stack of brick that was left over from the construction back in the woods. Tried to give it away several times, but it's really not enough to do much with unless someone wanted to build a BBQ pit or maybe a column entry or perhaps a nice mailbox surround. Got close a time or two, but it either wasn't enough or the wrong color.

I noticed the boys had been staying outside with some friends an unusual amount of time over the past few days and over by the club house a lot so yesterday at lunch when they asked me if I had a tarp they could use, I decided I better go investigate what they were up to. See pic below.

I asked 'em why they would build a "fort" when they had a perfectly good club house with lights and A/C not 25 feet from the fort. There response.....well, we wanted to make our own. The wife is kind of hacked about it, I'm kind of proud.

Oh, and I went into the club house while I was out there. It's gort some sort of leak and now has a soft spot in one corner. Been so long since someone went in there that no one noticed. Hehehe


Wannabe...

WB, get them boys that tarp so they can have a roof on that fort. They done went so far as to put down carpet, and and and looks like they even put a cinder block in there to give them shooting access without having to stick their heads over the top. That is pure genius!

Way to go boys.

It's always a good thing when kids are outside, using their imaginations, and being creative. Too many kids these days are air conditioner babies, who stay inside all summer playing video games, watching tv, and eating junk food. By all means, get 'em a tarp, a trowel, and a bag of mortar, keep 'em busy the rest of the summer strengthening their fortifications.

find scrap boards here and there. BORROW my Dads hammer and some nails, we had some good tree houses back in the day

WB, that right there is what summer and boys is all about. You have my permission to puff up about that.

Brick and cinder block: $125.00
Carpet for the fort: $15.00
Tarp: $12.00
Smile on those boy's face: PRICELESS!!

It's all good. One man's junk is another man's (the boys) treasure. Glad to see yours spends their days outside instead of on video games all day long like some of the children I know. I'd get 'em a tarp.:D

Good Job Boys!!

get them boys one of those gazebo tarp thingys with nets for walls so the skeeters don't get'em. oh yea help'em with a fire place too, and get'em a couple of recliners,they'll love it!!,,,lol

Ole SatDoc could probably run a line for some decent TV watchin, and might even be able to pirate a phone line too. It's good for the boys, and gives you a better 'dog house' when you get sent to time out by Is.lol

Just tryin to hep!!

I'll never forget the day that my daughter met me at my truck when I came in the driveway and asked, "Dad, did you have a bad day?" (Not a good sign, especially when Tiffany asks it). I finally answered her and said yes, I had a bad day, she said "was it a really, really bad day?" (an even worse sign). I finally asked her, "OK Tiffany, what did you do?"

"Well, you know that board over on the other side of the yard that was just sticking up?"

"You mean the fence post?" (The old fence had fallen down before I bought the place and the only thing left was 1 fence post still in the ground.)

"Yeah, that's it."

"What - did - you - do??"

"Well I kind of cut it apart to make Brittany (her sister) a playhouse. Then I realized I didn't have enough wood. Is that OK? Are you mad at me?"

All I could do is shake my head. She was 9 years old and she had dug and drug that post out of the ground, 2' of concrete and all and cut it up with a hand saw. I went in the house and cracked up. We still laugh about that to this day...