OK everyone….here it is. I started building this cat tree in September and finished it between Christmas & New Years Eve. I only worked on this on Sundays. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
OK….this is a picture of the cat tree I modeled mine after. Through the Drs Foster & Smith catalog, this tree was $299.
I figured I could make mine for under $100 and was determined to do it. Unfortunately, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t quite succeed. I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t succeed because I changed my mind about the crows nest on top while I was in the process of making it. My total in the end was $138.76. If I would not have changed my mind about the crows nest, the total would have been $105.47…..still not making it for under $100, but pretty darn close. Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a price breakdown of my materials & cost:
- 3/4†plywood – free from construction sites
- posts – free from work & from the core roll of freeze cloth my dad bought from a plant nursery
- carpet remnants - $40
- 3/8†unoiled sisal rope (732â€[emoji]8482[/emoji]) - $32.21
- faux lambs wool - $15.06
- Quikrete Quik-Tube - $10.46
- canvas - $6.20
- staples - $2.96
- glue - $9.62
- 3 cans spray polyurethane - $17.38
- adhesive velcro - $4.78
The differences between my tree and the one from the catalog are this:
- Their base/platforms are 18†square….mine are 22†square
- Their post lengths are 30â€, 18â€, & 11â€â€¦..mine are 36â€, 24â€, & 12â€
- I ended up adding a 3rd post between each level for stability
This is an early picture of the materials all together. Since I changed my mind during the building, not everything is pictured here. Whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s in the picture is:
- carpet remnants
- 3/4†plywood
- Quik-tube
- posts
- 3/8†sisal rope (in box)
- Santos Mahogany (pictured on top of box...this is for the crows nest)
- faux lambs wool (in bag underneath my momâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cat, Thumper)
Close-up of the 3/4" plywood for the 3 levels. Note the top piece has a little platform on the corner. It was supposed to be for them to get into the crows nest through a small door since I had planned to eliminate the hole in the bottom of the crows nest for access. Well, I changed my mind and put the hole, so I eliminated the little platform on the corner of the board.
These are the posts that will go between levels. There are only 6 pictured here. I ended up adding 3 more so that there would be 3 posts between each level instead of 2….more stability.
Close-up of one end of a post showing the stud bolt (my dad actually came up with that idea and did it for me).
Another close-up of the end of a different post.
Close-up of carpet remnants and box of 3/8†sisal rope.
732 feet of 3/8†unoiled sisal rope.
Top & bottom pieces of 3/4†plywood and just a few pieces of the Santos Mahogany that will make up the crows nest.
The quik-tube and the faux lambs wool for the hanging tunnel. The lambs wool also goes inside the crows nest. My momâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cat, Thumper refused to get off of if for me to take a picture. I cut the quik-tube into 3 equal sections. Then for 2 of them, I sliced them open. I then pulled one open and slipped in over the one that didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get cut…..and did the same with the 3rd one….reinforcing it and making it 3 thick instead of 1 thick. I stapled the 3 of them together.
This may have been overkill, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had such a problem with Ansel (in the background) peeing on things, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to take any chances. I covered the boards in plastic before I put the carpet on them. Also, notice in the upper right hand corner, there is a t-nut in the wood. This is for the posts to screw into.
Cutting the carpet.
continued in next post
OK….this is a picture of the cat tree I modeled mine after. Through the Drs Foster & Smith catalog, this tree was $299.
I figured I could make mine for under $100 and was determined to do it. Unfortunately, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t quite succeed. I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t succeed because I changed my mind about the crows nest on top while I was in the process of making it. My total in the end was $138.76. If I would not have changed my mind about the crows nest, the total would have been $105.47…..still not making it for under $100, but pretty darn close. Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a price breakdown of my materials & cost:
- 3/4†plywood – free from construction sites
- posts – free from work & from the core roll of freeze cloth my dad bought from a plant nursery
- carpet remnants - $40
- 3/8†unoiled sisal rope (732â€[emoji]8482[/emoji]) - $32.21
- faux lambs wool - $15.06
- Quikrete Quik-Tube - $10.46
- canvas - $6.20
- staples - $2.96
- glue - $9.62
- 3 cans spray polyurethane - $17.38
- adhesive velcro - $4.78
The differences between my tree and the one from the catalog are this:
- Their base/platforms are 18†square….mine are 22†square
- Their post lengths are 30â€, 18â€, & 11â€â€¦..mine are 36â€, 24â€, & 12â€
- I ended up adding a 3rd post between each level for stability
This is an early picture of the materials all together. Since I changed my mind during the building, not everything is pictured here. Whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s in the picture is:
- carpet remnants
- 3/4†plywood
- Quik-tube
- posts
- 3/8†sisal rope (in box)
- Santos Mahogany (pictured on top of box...this is for the crows nest)
- faux lambs wool (in bag underneath my momâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cat, Thumper)
Close-up of the 3/4" plywood for the 3 levels. Note the top piece has a little platform on the corner. It was supposed to be for them to get into the crows nest through a small door since I had planned to eliminate the hole in the bottom of the crows nest for access. Well, I changed my mind and put the hole, so I eliminated the little platform on the corner of the board.
These are the posts that will go between levels. There are only 6 pictured here. I ended up adding 3 more so that there would be 3 posts between each level instead of 2….more stability.
Close-up of one end of a post showing the stud bolt (my dad actually came up with that idea and did it for me).
Another close-up of the end of a different post.
Close-up of carpet remnants and box of 3/8†sisal rope.
732 feet of 3/8†unoiled sisal rope.
Top & bottom pieces of 3/4†plywood and just a few pieces of the Santos Mahogany that will make up the crows nest.
The quik-tube and the faux lambs wool for the hanging tunnel. The lambs wool also goes inside the crows nest. My momâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cat, Thumper refused to get off of if for me to take a picture. I cut the quik-tube into 3 equal sections. Then for 2 of them, I sliced them open. I then pulled one open and slipped in over the one that didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get cut…..and did the same with the 3rd one….reinforcing it and making it 3 thick instead of 1 thick. I stapled the 3 of them together.
This may have been overkill, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had such a problem with Ansel (in the background) peeing on things, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to take any chances. I covered the boards in plastic before I put the carpet on them. Also, notice in the upper right hand corner, there is a t-nut in the wood. This is for the posts to screw into.
Cutting the carpet.
continued in next post