For the kid with everything: designer treehouses

For kids lucky enough to have one, a treehouse is a kids-only haven of secret club meetings and imaginary adventures. If the one your Dad built you in a hail of thumb-hammering profanity was a bit of an eyesore, take a look at these magnificent pre-fab treehouses from California, built around dead or recycled logs and delivered to your back yard in six weeks. Stunning!

We've had a lot of interest in treehouse stories before, so we couldn't resist this jaw-dropping catalogue from Daniels Wood Land, featuring some of the most exquisitely designed and fabricated kids' treehouses we've ever seen.

With all the quirky feel and character of a Disneyland ride, DWL's range of package treehouses, each built and delivered on a huge, recycled log base, would make a stunning addition to any backyard - or theme park, for that matter.

Packages include the quaint "Original," the vast "Monstro" clubhouse, and the fantastic "Scallywag Sloop" - half house, half pirate ship. Beyond this, the company frequently takes orders for elaborate custom treehouses which now adorn backyards around the world, including those of Clint Eastwood and Vanessa Williams.

How does a venture like this get started? "We just see what kinda' ol' junk we have around the yard and we act a lot like we did when we were kids back home on the ranch," say brothers John and Ron Daniels, "Those were the days that we were allowed to manage our free time however we saw fit... as long as Dad didn't think we looked bored... like if we watched TV he'd say "C'mon guys... ya look bored... I've got some work fer ya ta do!" "No thanks" we'd say. "We got plenty to do already!" So we grew up like Tom Saywer and Huck Finn... and we built clubhouses outta' stuff from around the ranch... a lot like what you see here!"

The company is also putting together themed environments and shooting galleries for entertainment venues and fun parks, as well as custom characters and animatronics to bring playgrounds to life.

What fun! The Daniels brothers have produced a collection full of character and imagination. They're not cheap, and some would say the building process is the most fun part of having a treehouse - but there's no doubt one of these in the back yard would make any kid popular with his school mates. We look forward to seeing what they come up with next!