Fun Interview of Barbara Butler by the San Francisco Chronicle

Check out Barbara Butler in the San Francisco Chronicle's "Sunday Magazine" issue on July 4th! The story can also be seen on-line.

According to writer/author Sam Whiting:
"If in need of a tree house, you can climb up and try to build it, at risk of killing either yourself or the tree, leaving the job unfinished and blighting the yard. Or you can call Barbara Butler, who will get the job done in a week flat."

Barbara answers questions about her job description, clientele, staff, prices, production, home and more.

Castle Play Structure: Day 3 Install

Raising the Roofs: On Day 3 of the Castle Play Structure installation, the crew raises the big 2-piece Gable Roof on the Clubhouse and the smaller 1-piece Gable Roof on the Princess Tower. It takes strength, agility and team work to put a roof up on a 2-story play set. Barbara, the overseer (and also referred to as the "clucker") documented the process with her camera while keeping watch and making sure all went safely & smoothly.

The BIG redwood gable roof goes up first:





















One side up and looking good...

















Bringing up the 2nd piece:










Perfect!








Once the pieces are bolted together and the seam is caulked, then a decorative cap piece will be installed to further help shed the water.



The smaller 1-piece gable roof for the Princess Tower goes up last:


























Also perfect!
Barbara's modular system makes even a large, complicated installation flow smoothly & quickly. Most installations are completed within 4 to 5 days.
Next, the 9' long bridge over 2 swings...

Back at the shop, Rudi is also working on adding color to the Cozy Cabin, our next project.

Here he has just finished staining the Universe "cut-outs" on the back wall (star, moon & planet) and has cut around the carvings with the wall color.









Next Rudi uses a sponge brush to wipe on the exterior wall color.

To the right are 2 of the interior walls, already stained & drying.







Daisy continues to wait patiently for Barbara & Jeff to return from site.


























3 out of 4 walls are done and left leaning against the shop wall cabinets to dry. Tomorrow, Rudi will stain the front wall with the kitty cat and tulip carvings.

Stay tuned for more Castle Play Structure installation images that Barbara will bring back with her tonight!

Pirate's cupboard

Barbara forgot to download the site images from yesterday's install, so here are a couple of shop pictures instead.

The client had a last minute request for a Pirate's Wall Cupboard with "crossed swords".

Rudi hand draws the crossed swords in pencil.






Then Rudi stains the swords white.

Let's the white stain dry.

Then stains the cupboard doors red and lets them dry (on the rack next to the mailbox).


They are going to look great when hung on the Clubhouse wall inside the black cabinet casing.







Meanwhile, Daisy keeps lookout for Barbara and Jeff to return from site.

Castle Play Structure: Day 2 Installation

Back on site early the next morning the crew enjoys the beautiful view, then gets to work adding the corner Slide Deck to the Big Deck. Barbara is standing up the hill, amongst the trees, to take this photo:


















The open slide shoots off the corner deck, providing a quick way down for the kids.








Next, the guys finish adding the very long footing posts to the Slide Deck: insert through the deck into the post holes (dug yesterday), level, bolt and then on to the next thing...












Which is bringing up the Princess Tower wall panels. This site has a very long, winding hill to the top, which makes everyone darn tired by the end of the day.





Digging again? This time it's post holes for the Princess Tower.













Once the holes are dug: lay the floors, insert the posts and raise the walls.
The inside of Barbara's play structures are always stained in the colors of choice. In this case: Rose walls, Sunflower trims & Autumn curved-top shutters.

The back wall of the Princess Tower has rock holds - the interior wall shows the battens we add to provide extra strength behind each rock hold. Everything on a Barbara Butler play structure is about safety, strength and beauty.

Each wall comes to site as one complete panel, with the doors and shutters already hung.

Voila! At end of day the Princess Tower is almost complete.

Tomorrow: raise the Clubhouse, add the Bridge???

Stay Tuned.

Castle Play Structure: Day 1 Installation

Castle Play Structure: Everything is built and the site is ready!
Barbara does a quick layout inside the newly graded space to verify that the play structure, with appropriate Use Zone, will still fit.








Installation Day1: Monday is a hot, sunny day. Things heat up quickly when carrying all the play structure pieces, equipment and tools up a long, windy steep slope to the site.

The guys store everything in a barn near by.









1st step is to set up shade tent for the week.

Next step is to set up the scaffolding that will hold the big deck up in the air.





Then get out the post hole digging tools because there are a lot of holes to be dug!







This is very rocky soil so we use a variety of instruments: the 2-man auger (Marco & Armando), the demo hammer (Aubrey) and the rock bar (Jeff) plus post hole diggers, shovels, and lots of grit & determination.









Once the holes are dug, the guys install the posts
making sure that everything is level.










Then the knee braces go up







surrounding the big deck in half-moon curves of brilliant magenta.












Barbara is happy with the progress. All pictures, by the way, are taken by Barbara (which is why she doesn't show up in any). But she is there, making sure everything goes smoothly and correctly.

Today was all the structural stuff - hard, dusty work and it still looks chaotic. But tomorrow, things get really interesting. Stay tuned.

Empty Shop - crew's on site!

The Barbara Butler crew of Play Professionals packed up the truck this morning and drove to site. Hot, hot day for carting heavy pieces up a hill and digging post holes- pics tomorrow!

Meanwhile, the shop is empty. It's like a ghost town when the crew is gone. Just the rattling of the overhead doors and the birds chirping in the rafters - noises we usually don't hear when the saws are buzzing.











Just the little Gable Roof for the Cozy Cabin playhouse (next project) sitting by it's lonesome in the building bay...



Along with the front wall of the Cozy Cabin, already built. All the carvings have been "chalked" on - just waiting for someone to hand-carve the images onto the redwood.







We did get a shipment of slides today, which helps to fill up the Detailing bay. The bridge walls for Castle Play Structure were left behind - probably going out tomorrow.

Same with the giant Rope Net Ladder - Armando will finish weaving the netting and then it too will go to site.





Besides us shop gals and Daisy, Rudi is the only one left. He is staining the Cozy Cabin inside walls today and has laid out the roof stars to dry.