Anyone out there ever built a treehouse?

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5 Answers

Ancient Hippy Profile
Ancient Hippy answered

Yes. I've built a couple for my kids and one for a customer.

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Ray  Dart
Ray Dart commented
How big? Big enough to sleep in? How did you compensate for the tree's growth? Did you make it secure from entry by wildlife?
Sorry - too many questions.
Ancient Hippy
Ancient Hippy commented
To compensate for the growth of the tree, any boards attached to the tree were kerfed with a circular saw to allow the tree to grow and move. A kerf is a slot cut through the board where the bolts are positioned. Another tactic to use is to bore a 1 1/2 inch hole at the bolt site and use a large fender washer on the bolt.

They were all big enough to sleep in and all had window openings (no glass windows though) and operable shutters.

I used a rope ladder on one of mine and a permanent wooden ladder on the other.
Ancient One Profile
Ancient One answered

i made one a long time ago. I did not want to endanger the tree so the tree house was built around the branches and trunk. At no point was any part of the house actually touching the tree. It was built on stilts and anchored into the ground. I guess technically it wasn't a "treehouse". Since then I have found many building plans on line.

Walt O'Reagun Profile
Walt O'Reagun answered

Yep ... When I was in middle school.

There's a show on called "Treehouse Masters".  Very interesting to watch, if you're into nature or architecture.

PJ Stein Profile
PJ Stein answered

No. The trees where I grew up weren't the kind you could build on. My brother started to build one for his kids, but a neighbor called the city, and he was told to take it down. In Florida you have to involve an engineer and show in your plans that it can withstand +100 mph winds because of hurricanes.

Nealious James Profile
Nealious James answered

Hi Ray! Yes, I did it once, but I was a kid and had no carpentry skills. I built a hut-like structure in a medium sized tree, but I soon ran out of wood to solidify it. When I finally got the funds to carry on with the works, I noticed that bugs were already eating my house up! I eventually gave up and never got to complete it! All the best with your project!

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