Well used & well-loved Hideaway Fort passed on to a new family

Our story of our Barbara Butler Hideaway Fort and how we came to own it... from 2003 thru 2011:

It was 2002. My husband and I were strolling thru the S.F. Garden Show, then held at Fort Mason, San Francisco. I had recently seen a reference to Barbara's work in a magazine and suddenly there was a play structure in the middle of the show Marketplace... yes, it was a Barbara Butler Hideaway Fort. We looked, talked with the gang and continued on.

No sooner than 2 months later a large oak tree fell on our little play structure which had been tucked away in the corner of our yard. At the same time, we were moving to a new property in sunny Emerald Hills and decided that we would replace the damaged unit with that same item displayed at the show we had come upon a couple months back.

Jeff came to our house, spent an entire day digging, drilling and installing the Hideaway Fort with the world's best slide ever... even for adults. My son and daughter loved climbing the wall, going down that slide over and over and crawling thru the secret door, not to mention the endless imaginary pieces of mail passed thru the slot marked "MAIL" next to the door.

Time went on and we had Barbara design an additional swing feature and a chin up bar for swinging, hoisting and whatever. We even braved their meticulous techniques and added on a glider ourselves, true to the B.Butler construction and staining methods. Many games, parties and time passed on this thing... and our yard always had the beauty of a well designed and crafted play fort gracing the garden and grounds.

In 2008, we moved again, brought it along, refinished the surface to its original glory (see image, above) and once again the games and climbing started over, this time adjacent to a soaring stand of redwoods in the hills of Woodside, CA.

Now it is May, 2011 and I am sad, yet thrilled at the same time, to be passing our beloved fort along to a new family in Los Altos, CA. There, 3 young boys will have never-ending fun on one of Barbara's creations.

We will miss our Hideaway Fort yet smile as we know it will continue to bring fun and wonder to another yard and family.

Kerri Linden

Atherton Treehouse

Atherton Treehouse: The goal was to design a play structure that incorporated the trees, tucked into this corner of the yard, that wouldn't overwhelm but would be big enough for the many grandchildren that visit every year.

Barbara's "stickout" (above) and Artist's Sketch (below) shows the ultimate design the client's settled on: King Fort up front, bridge to the back, passing by the sapling, up to the Clubhouse perched on a tree deck 9' off the ground, with steps down to a Zip Line ride "take-off" platform.

Swinging Bridge leading up to the Tree Perch...

Great Zip Line Ride:

fun for grandchildren and grandfathers!

A blue play structure for a green space

I was looking through old boxes of photos the other day and came across this lovely image. Designed and built in 2004, this play structure looks vibrant and inviting in the far corner of this elegant, tranquil garden. Barbara likes to work with Landscape Design professionals to find fun ways to invite children into the garden spaces.

Robin Hoods Fort 1 Swing in classic colors

A few weeks ago we installed our classic Robin Hoods Fort with 3' long bridge over 1 swing. It fits beautifully into a small backyards. This installation is almost complete: Jeff will return the following day to remove the bracing (which keeps the bridge level while the concrete footings set overnight).







Barbara's Artist Sketch in the color palette chosen by the client is an exact match.









The Robin Hood's fort offers plenty of challenging play activities: hand-woven rope net ladder, turbo tube slide, rock climbing wall, firepole and swing underneath the bridge.












The outside colors are cool and natural while the inside colors "pop"! This fort has one of Barbara's favorite play accessories: drop leaf table (under the shuttered window) & drop seat.









To check out our many different Robin Hoods Forts click here.

Pasadena Playhouse

I thought it would be nice to take a few minutes and share a custom play structure installation we finished over a year ago. When I came across these photos, it made me smile!

We had a great installation in Pasadena. Meet the crew:

James getting ready to install the coil climber; Marco on the Glider swing; Will laughing in front of the table/chairs set; Jose Luis on top of the Rope Net Ladder; Frenchy in the sandbox tower, and Javier, who just finished tung-oiling!

Perfect weather, tons of work, lots of Corona at night.  And the trip back home was fun too!

Robin Hoods Fort with 2 swings

Barbara's "pre-designed" Robin Hood's Fort is popular for good reasons: lot's of play activities, choose how many swings (1, 2 or 3), add features like a roof, choose your style of railing (rope or wood), pick the configuration that works best for your yard (how about the rock wall on the front?) and choose your own colors!














The finished play structure looks exactly like the drawing Barbara does ahead of time.

Crooked Gap Clubhouse clings to side of the hill

Crooked Gap Clubhouse is custom designed to fit on the side of a very challenging hill. The entrance ramp let's kids walk across to the Clubhouse deck which is perched on the hillside.


















The Clubhouse is built in our shop in modular pieces then pre-assembled for detailing and fit.
Once stained, the Clubhouse walls are laid out in the sunshine to dry.










At night, all the parts are stacked inside the staining bay along the walls.









Here's a sneak peak at the final play structure, delivered and installed. A great place for the kids to play!

Used Hideaway Fort for sale: Deal of the Century!

We just had to bring this to your attention.

This gently used Hideaway Fort is "For Sale by Owner" on our web site for the incredibly low price of $2,500.
Located in Davis, CA it is just waiting for it's new home. You will have to transport and re-assemble (or you can hire us to do it). Well worth it - the cost is over $12,000 new!
For inquiries, email julielkuo@gmail.com
For more details, click here

Verde Tree Fort: sneak preview

Barbara and crew finished installing this tree fort in May but we haven't had time to post it to our website yet. So here is a sneak preview of Verde Tree Fort: all combinations of green on the outside...













and with bright, hot, luscious colors on the inside:

















The long staircase up makes it easy for young kids (and adults) to get to the upper levels. Then a long bridge leads to the deck wrapped around the giant tree. Lots of the play features are on the backside: rock climbing wall, firepole, rope net ladder and slide.





Underneath the bridge and the deck there is more action: swings, monkey bars, trapeze bar, parallel rings, etc. Barbara adds short rung ladders underneath (below the fort window & at the other end of the bridge) so kids have a way up to the fun stuff attached under the deck.






And up on top, there's the tree...

Cozy Cabin Playhouse finished

The Cozy Cabin is our smallest playhouse: perfectly sized for kids ages 1 to 5 years old. It will fit in a corner, on a deck, inside a play room or in the middle of a garden! Young children love to go inside, close the door, open the shutters, slide the "peek-a-boo", put mail in the mail slot, peek through the cut-outs and then invite you in. It is exactly right for their size.

While we are building the playhouse, Barbara works with the client on creating the color palette:











This beautiful color palette reflects the colors of the garden:


















Because this Cozy Cabin was installed on a slight slope, we secured it with 2 front footings, hidden by the extra skirting on the front.

No playhouse is complete without the sound of laughter coming from the adorable kids that really own it!