A childhood dream for many of us, but never did we expect it to become our adult nightmare. When your child asks for a treehouse many of us laugh and say that they are things of films. But they don’t have to be; they don’t have to seem impossible. Part of the fun of a treehouse is being creative and seeing what works for your tree of choice, but let us give a few tips and tricks to get you started.

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First things first, you need to make sure you have a healthy, preferably well aged, hardwood tree. Large sturdy branches are a must, and you don’t need to go extreme and search for high up locations. Just something a few feet off the ground will give the desired effect.

When it comes to building the primary platform, make sure it is as close to the trunk as possible and if you can add diagonal beams for even extra support. On windy days your treehouse will take a battering and can put strain on the tree, so try to make sure while your treehouse is in the air it isn’t too far up the tree. High up will increase the chance of damage to both treehouse and tree. In these modern times, many budding tree house creators like to look into machinery hire to make sure they have everything on offer to them.

Leaving a few inches gap around the tree, if it passes through the center of your treehouse, will prevent your house from strangling the tree. As previously mentioned it’s always best to spread the weight of your treehouse, using beams, across as many branches and trunks. A top tip amongst treehouse builders is to create the larger main parts of your house (basically everything apart from the base platform) on the ground and then hoist it up into position. This prevents you having to work on a potentially incomplete and unsafe platform. It also prevents a possible unfinished treehouse being battered by strong weather.

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Tree consideration is paramount, using one large bolt will give the same strength as many smaller bolts and will cause less damage to the tree. Never run a bolt all the way through the tree either. Just try to think of ways to make your treehouse work, with minimal damage to the tree. It is there to help you support your treehouse as long as you don’t puncture it all over. 

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Creating a treehouse is an experience to be had. It’s going to take a lot more careful planning than initially expected (and can become quite costly). The fun part really begins straightaway, where you can start imagining the design and how to decorate it. However, the fundamental rule here to be remembered is to make sure you even have the right tree to begin with; an array of branches will allow for a safer more secure treehouse. We’ve given you a few basic tips, the only way to find out now is to get out there in the garden and see what kind of wooden palace you can create.

Guest Article: Carol

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