Project Spotlight: Featured on Treehouse Masters

Earlier this year, on the 10th of January, Garcia Roofing was approached by Dustin Pulliam, and invited to participate in an exciting opportunity. Pulliam works as Build Producer for the television program, “Treehouse Masters,” and he offered us the chance to be a part of an upcoming episode. An Animal Planet original, the show recently filmed “Triple Decker Record Setter,” its very first episode in Louisiana. The show focuses on the creation and construction of remarkable treetop structures. Unlike the simple treehouse forts that many people might be familiar with from their youth, Treehouse Masters builds incredible dwellings complete with electricity and plumbing.

Garcia Roofing loves to work in our local community, whether the interaction involves the preservation of local history or the installation of new roofing. In this instance, we were given the opportunity to help create the largest treehouse ever built by the folks at Treehouse Masters and were excited to accept. We teamed up with designer Pete Nelson and the rest of his crew to provide the labor installation of the structure.

At 65 feet in the air and consisting of 1,200 square feet, we knew that the assignment would be a challenge for us. Garcia Roofing had never before completed a project built on a tree, and the preparation consisted of many hours spent collaborating with our safety consultant to carefully construct a plan of action that ensured the safety of our crew. With the respective efforts from our fantastic team members – including the supervisors who remained on-site at all times while our roofers worked – we successfully completed the installation and made history in the process.

Process

Because of the special circumstances surrounding this project, Garcia Roofing followed a rigorous and involved process in order to ensure the high quality build for which our company is known.

After the roof decking was completed by a carpenter, it was turned over to us and we were able to begin work. The first thing we did was install a layer of self-adhering ice and water shield directly to the decking itself. We used MFM IB-3™ StormStopper, and this served as the first layer of protection from water penetration. Another layer of 3’x10’ galvalume metal sheets were added right after the ice and water shield, and we followed this up with yet a second layer of MFM IB-3 StormStopper for extra protection.

After ensuring the structure was protected from ice and water damage, we installed reclaimed corrugated “S” roofing panels to give the building that “old,” rustic look, and made sure to fasten the panels with rust resistant screws.

One of the treehouses contained a big skylight right in the middle of the roof, and it was our responsibility to flash it in order to prevent water from leaking in. The flashing was custom made by Garcia Roofing to meeting the exact specifications and measurements required for the piece. We carefully bent and shaped each and every piece to ensure that it would precisely fit where it needed to go.

Finally, we used a special sealant to carefully seal all corners of the structure in order to keep water out of the treehouse.