Tree House

There are three main components to building a tree house: the foundation, the posts and the rest of the structure.

When you get these three elements working together properly, you will have a truly safe, long lasting and visually stunning tree house that your kids will adore. It is important that if the tree is going to be supporting the entire house, that it is sturdy. If not, this can lead to major accidents and tricky building conditions.

tree house Tree House

So a sturdy tree is a must, but you’ll also need posts.

The tree will often act as the main supporting leg of the house, but posts make the tree house truly secure and safe.

We’ll use posts as legs to create a basic structure, so that the tree acts as only one leg supporting the house. Alternatively, when using posts you can have the tree go through the middle of the tree house for a really cool “look out tower” effect.

This is where blueprints or sound, tested treehouse plans are very useful. The foundation of the actual house can be built in many ways, some much safer than others.

It depends on what materials you choose, and the size of your tree house of course.

A simple design would involve laying flat boards across the posts that you’ve installed and then simply nailing them all together.

Now that you have the framework in place, you can design the actual tree house in many creative ways. But before you do, here’s a tip: ask your kids first!

You want your kids to be involved, and to actually like the tree house itself. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting your time.

The great thing is, once you have the core foundation and support structure, anything goes really. Obviously you will need to make sure any additional features and design elements are sturdy and can hold the weight.

Remember, there will likely be several kids in the house at any one time, so don’t just base it on a single child’s weight.

There are many different designs that are proven to be popular with kids, such as the open air model which allows your kids to be visible and able to get out in an emergency, without being completely enclosed and boxed in.

The more you can incorporate the tree and surrounding environment, the better. After all, the whole point of building a tree house is so your kids remember they are in a tree when they are actually inside it!