Need advice creating trees

Hello, I have been a mason for 12 years and am now the owner of Steadfast Masonry. Recently I have attended Stonemaker's Veteran training and was introduced to vertical concrete. As a experienced mason I know I have only scratched the surface of this world and I've become obsessed with learning more. Currently, I have incorporated what I have learned into a former customer's home and will be forming trees around the deck support columns. There is a total of 8 posts at 12' tall with 2 of them continuing above the deck supporting the overhang. My plan as of now is to decide on one of two ideas. Plan one is to frame up a structure with steel tubing and or rebar, wrapping it with spiderlath and then a scratch coat followed by a final carved/textured coat. Plan two is to mold gfrc panels that I can hang from this structure, fill in the voids, and apply a final texture coat. I also need to find the best way to create strong, realistic limbs/branches. Strong enough to possibly hold a hammock but for sure decorations. Long story short, I want this to be done correct and long, long lasting. Any advice if I'm in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

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Permalink Reply by Nathan Giffin Vertical Artisans on April 22, 2013 at 8:10pm

Bark Textures can be purchased at www.WaltTools.com

There is a course on www.VerticalArtisans.com with Earl Senchuk on tree building....

THere will be in a about a week or so a class on Epoxy 101 with Mike Vernelson Some of the most realistic trees on the planet.

I aslo suggest you look through this site for other trees that have been done to give you a clue as to shapes and size... In your case no matter what, it will be difficult to get a very realistic look if you have them all in a row to follow a footings layout.

You may want to try to place trees in a natural configuration......use steel framing to off set as many trees with more structural branches. Just a suggestion

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Permalink Reply by Matt Wagner on April 22, 2013 at 9:34pm

Thanks Nate, I will definitely be following up with offered courses. Would you suggest spiderlath over galvanized or is there much of a difference? regarding tensile strength

Nathan Giffin Vertical Artisans said:

Bark Textures can be purchased at www.WaltTools.com

There is a course on www.VerticalArtisans.com with Earl Senchuk on tree building....

THere will be in a about a week or so a class on Epoxy 101 with Mike Vernelson Some of the most realistic trees on the planet.

I aslo suggest you look through this site for other trees that have been done to give you a clue as to shapes and size... In your case no matter what, it will be difficult to get a very realistic look if you have them all in a row to follow a footings layout.

You may want to try to place trees in a natural configuration......use steel framing to off set as many trees with more structural branches. Just a suggestion