How to Build a Treehouse – Introduction

This brief post will attempt to reveal the 3 things that you should avoid when building a tree house as a beginner…

The key factors to be mentioned when considering how to build a treehouse are the safety risks. As with any DIY job or home based activity, there’s always a safety risk. When a tree house is built incorrectly, this risk is huge.

All it takes is a rough nail or a loose plank and it could spell a hospital trip and a ruined summer for you and your children.

How to Build a Treehouse – Avoidance Measures

Now, exactly what do we need to avoid here? Listed below are 3 points you should specifically avoid:

Falling

Firstly, you will doubtless be working high up during the assembly stage so a secure harness or scaffold is strongly advised. The thinking behind this is the shear fact you are up a tree with power-tools and big pieces of lumber to consider. Hands free when working with tools is also good.

With pre-planning a scaffold or safety harness could be the most important decision you make concerning equipment hire.

Irritants

Second, things such as splinters, dust in your lungs and eyes, and the toxins in some substances you may use, need to be considered

And, the reason being?

When sawing or drilling into wood you are going to get a guaranteed amount of dust flying about. Many of these dust particles are in fact tiny splinters, and getting the dust in your eyes is no fun at all – especially at height.

There is also actually something pretty hazardous in the dust from plywood if you are exposed to enough of it. This contains formaldehyde in the glue that it is made with, and in case you don’t know, that is embalming fluid which can cause respiratory and other unpleasant side effects.

Poor Weather

Third, the weather. When you are elevated in a tree the effects of the wind on you will be greatly enhanced, so you need to be careful. Also remember the sail-like properties of any large boards you take up with you and avoid the board being dropped and hitting another unsuspecting person below.

Of course, if the wind is quite blowy you shouldn’t be up a tree in the first place, but even on relatively breeze-free days you need to take care with materials and yourself.

Just avoiding the dangers will not necessarily mean that you will win the battle when learning how to build a tree house as a beginner but it will make you mindful. Better Safe Than Sorry!

How to Build a Treehouse – Further Reading

Learn how to build a treehouse that is secure, weather resistant and something that both you and your kids will be proud of at the following website: How to Build a Tree House

How to Build a Treehouse Book

How to build a treehouse – 3 things to consider

I hope you enjoyed this short introduction on the things you need to avoid when considering how to build a treehouse.

Tree House Plans – Introduction

Welcome to my tree house plans introduction page. Every one of us wants to accomplish something special in life that we can be proud of.

Maybe, for example, you just want to be able to build a tree house for your children that is safe, dependable and something to be proud of. You wouldn’t be unique in wanting that. However, as with any building project, you cannot even start to build without a good set of tree house plans.

In fact, it can be relatively straight-forward once you know how. This post tells you how it is simple to build a tree house when following the 3 basic principles. If you need to understand how to build a tree house, the principles are not complicated and this will teach the chief components needed for your overall tree house plans in 3 simple steps, keep reading…

Tree House Plans – Step 1 ‘The Foundation’

Since the foundation of the tree house can be constructed in a variety ways, a number much safer than others, tested and sound tree house plans are imperative and deciding what materials you wish to use and the size of your tree house at the start is of course a key factor.

In this 1st stage, avoiding complex designs that will require additional funds, time and expertise than you are prepared to lay out, not to mention expensive tools, will be key.

Accomplishing this 1st planning step completely and well is vital. Anyone who fails with this might encounter stress, disappointment, arguments and even the odd tear.

Tree House Plans – Step 2 ‘Picking The Right Tree’

The tree needs to be able to hold up both the tree house and the kids within it.

For this stage, ensure you avoid both new tree growth close by, that may ultimately crowd or knock your tree house out of position, and also ensure that the tree does not have any disease. Make sure it is sturdy and is in an accessible place to enable support posts to be connected to guarantee safety and security.

Tree House Plans – Step 3 ‘Getting Creative’

This step can be a significant one because now that you have the framework in place, you can plan the actual tree house in many innovative ways. But before you do, here’s a tip: Ask your children first!

In this last step it is crucial for you to avoid disappointed kids. You want them to be involved, and to really like the tree house itself. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting your efforts.

The fantastic thing is, once you have the core grounding and support structure, anything goes really. Clearly you will need to ensure that any extra features and design elements are stable and can hold the weight.

Further Tip

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

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

So that’s the basic principles. Once considered carefully and your tree house plans put on paper you can expect to build a structure that is not just safe and durable, but also looks fantastic too. You will enjoy every single one of the benefits that will come with your success!

Tree House Plans – Further Reading

Uncover the way to give your kids a great gift that they will enjoy and remember for years by visiting the following website at: Tree House Plans

Tree House Plans ebook

Tree house plans – 3 Things to Avoid

I hope you enjoyed this introduction page and it has given you appetite to go ahead with developing your own tree house plans.

Treehouse Plans – The Basics

Before designing your treehouse plans, let’s consider some basic information about treehouses.

Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are huts usually made of wood and built among the branches, around or next to the trunk of one or more mature trees, and are elevated above ground. Tree houses can be used for work space, habitation, observation platforms, or as temporary retreats. However, they are mainly used as childrens recreational spaces.

Shelter

In some tropical countries, houses are built in trees or elevated on stilts to keep the living area above dangers at ground level (such as water, including flooding), and to keep the occupants and any stored food out of reach of scavenging animals.

Tree houses are an eco-friendly option in remote forest areas, as they do not need the felling of trees. Furthermore, the climate and light at ground level in areas of dense close-canopy forest is not well suited for human habitation.

Materials

Wood is commonly used for structural parts of tree houses and cladding due to its strength, light weight and low cost. Steel is used for brackets, cables and bolts. Sometimes recycled materials or parts, such as reclaimed window frames, doors are used as well as second-hand lumber.

Growth

In the past 20 years, recreational tree houses in the USA and Europe have seen a rise in popularity. There have been various reasons, including wealth, better building techniques and increased awareness of environmental factors.

Specialist companies across the world have developed to feed this growth industry, but there has also been a big increase in DIY tree houses.

Treehouse Plans & Building Laws

Whilst regulations for the building of tree houses may be lacking, it is important to ensure that structures are safe, for the sake of the occupants and anyone that might be below the structure.

Some countries have no specific planning laws for tree houses, so the legal issues can be confusing to both the builder and the local planning departments.

Occasionally tree houses are excluded from normal building regulations, as they are not considered to be a typical building. An exemption may be given if the tree house is in a remote or non-urban location.

Sometimes, however, a tree house may be classed as a “temporary structure” (i.e. like a garden shed). Also, you need to consider height, distance from boundary and privacy for nearby properties. There are various areas that are difficult to define in these laws, as they were generally no designed for buildings in trees. A very small number of planning departments have set requirements for tree houses, which detail what is and is not acceptable.

For the ultimate in Treehouse Plans, click here

Treehouse Plans

I hope you enjoyed this Treehouse Plans (The Basics) post, further information can be found at the following link.

Treehouse Plans – 3 Basic Principles