This Dad Built an Actual Tree in His Daughter's Bedroom

Updated on 1/22/2016 at 12:24 PM

When your little girl comes bounding into the living room and says, "Daddy, I want to live in a fairy-tale forest, and I want to live in it now," you don't actually nod your head and set to work making one for her. That would be pure insanity — and not just because next month, she'll demand a One Direction-themed bedroom, and the week after that, she'll be begging for a chic black-and-white minimalist aesthetic. It'd also be pure insanity because we found a parent out there who did, in fact, build his daughter an actual tree in her bedroom, and it's a DIY project so intense, it'd make the most practiced Pinterest users sign off, never to return again.

"My daughter wanted a fairy tree in her room that she could sit inside and read books, climb the branches, and also have a top sitting area," the handy father wrote on Imgur. "I was kind of unprepared for the physical realities of this project. I used Disney set design as my inspiration. Even though it was difficult, I learned a huge amount along the way. It turned out pretty well, and she's so happy in her new room!"

Well, she better be. The project cost a whopping $4,250 and took 350 hours, mostly on weekends or at night over the past 18 months. From start to incredible finish, see the work that went into this magical bedroom. And for a complete look at every step, see all the photos on Imgur.

The initial bedroom was pretty "ho-hum."

First, he sketched his plan.

"I'm an artist in the video game industry and don't usually draw with paper so I'm out of practice. Anyway, this was the last of about a dozen sketches I did before building the model. Most of the earlier drawings looked too scary, and the last thing I wanted was for it to give her nightmares!"

Then built a to-scale model using plywood and modeling clay.

He drew the silhouette.

He devised a load-bearing steel skeleton.

"To make the tree climbable, the frame needed to be pretty strong. So I over-engineered it to easily support three adults, even though it would only ever be used by little kids. As I worked, I'd hang on the different parts, testing for strength."

He even took private welding classes in order to get it just right!

He then applied the tree's metal "skin."

His daughter checked in on the progress from time to time!

"Not shown: my bandaged hands and arms. At this stage, I was about 175 hours in."

He then applied concrete for the trunk and paper mache for the branches.

He created bark texture using special rollers and sculpting tools.

Then the painting commenced.

"Just like painting my war-gaming miniatures, I started with a very dark coat, then gradually applied lighter colors."

He then began cutting the fairy tree's windows.

He gave some windows extra attention.

"A trip to the local Michael's craft store yielded some good details pieces for the door. I found the doorknob at Anthropologie. I made the big gold hinges from clay and painted them."

He then picked out all the foliage.

He clipped plastic ferns apart to make sprigs for the branches.

He then painted the walls.

"It was nice to work on something besides the tree."

To get the ombré effect, he blended and then glazed the paint.

Finally, he unveiled the finished project!

He revealed the most beloved part of the tree was also the most taxing.

"She has her own reading light inside the tree. My wife suggested the sitting area in the middle. This feature made the whole project more daunting, but in the end, I was glad she thought of it."

He thought of every last detail.

He accounted for lighting at every level.

"The knot hole fairy windows are on their own circuit, dimmable from a switch near the door. At bedtime these make awesome nightlights."

He admits to using his glue gun "a lot."

The renovation included new hardwood floors.

He even accounted for nightfall.

"I wired standard Christmas bulbs in parallel. They're controlled by a dimmer by the door, and when turned all the way down, look just like stars."