By September/October, 2015, after getting all 3 support 2x10's up and level, it was time to build the platform. I went with 2x8's for the platform, which should provide enough strength for the relatively modest 1-story treehouse. I built the platform in place over the supports, not on the ground. Seemed easier to do this, using ladders and such, than trying to haul up a pre-built platform with the pulley system. As it turned out, I think it didn't end up perfectly square because of this - which i retrospect created some problems down the line, but over all turned out "good enough." Thats one thing about tree houses thats different from regular home construction - a little out of plumb, non-level, and off-90deg is fine for a treehouse - it's not supposed to look like a cookie-cutter suburbia house up in the trees. So a personalized touch is all the better as long as it doesn't adversely effect structural stability and safety, of course... Thats why I stay clear of major projects in my own house! thats where it does have to be square and plumb and perfectly level :)
So, as you can see I extended out two of the side joists purposefully, thats was to better attach posts for the front deck and provide some support in case I decided to cantilever out a support for a drop-bucket or some other fun thing to have off of the porch. Also, you can still see the pulley up and operational on this photo. I used the pulley line to hold up the long side joists so I could screw them in place by myself. It's definitely something that with 2 or 3 people could have been done without a pulley, but as I pretty much worked solo on this, I was always coming up with different ways to get pieces where I needed them in 3D space. A pulley line helped a lot for this...
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