Tree houses are fun and bonding activities you can do with your friends or family, and can provide a unique and ideal place to hang out surrounded by mother nature. In my opinion, one of the biggest differences between treehouses and other in-ground add-ons you can build on your property is the fact that a treehouse sways, to varying degrees, depending on height and size. of the tree and branches, and thus can add a unique and relaxing feeling.
There are several prerequisites that must be met before this particular project is considered feasible for you. The first ones are also the most obvious:
- Do you have a suitable tree within your property that you can build your tree house on? This question may be ambiguous for some, since what type of tree exactly is considered suitable? Well, this largely depends on the size of the structure in question, as well as the expected load: number of people, furniture, etc. The bigger the tree house, the bigger the tree needs to be.
- How are you with heights? Now is not a good time to kid yourself or anyone else if you have an abnormal fear of heights! We’re all scared of heights to varying degrees, but if you don’t have the courage or ability to comfortably work at the necessary height, this project may not be for you. Of course, it can also be built relatively low to the ground and still be called a “tree house”, in which case, this may not apply.
Now that we have them out of the way, we can get into the other aspects of the build. When compared to a structure on the ground, a tree house may seem like a simpler project due to the fact that some of us have grown up “dropping” little tree houses here and there. However, it’s important to remember that any halfway decent structure, whether on the ground or high up in a tree, requires careful planning and implementation of standard security code.
Here are some other questions You should ask yourself before you start the planning stage:
- What will I use the tree house for? Depending on your answer, you may want a roof and walls, or you may find it unnecessary. In any case, a railing and/or walls at least one meter high are recommended for safety.
- How long do I want it to last? You may think the answer to this question is obvious, but you need to understand that the lifespan of your tree house depends largely on the materials you use and the quality and number of coats of your protective stain. Treehouses, by virtue of their definition, are located within and below the canopy of the tree they are built on. Because of this, they are more susceptible to premature rot due to prolonged shade and the moist nature of their environment. Fallen leaves and twigs strewn across the canopy also serve as decay accelerators unless removed regularly.
Foundation and floor-form
One of the unique beauties of a tree house is the fact that you can simply build around the various branches. leaving them exposed inside your tree house, enhancing the “natural” atmosphere. As with an above ground structure, you need to start with the construction of your base and floor. You may face complications with the shape of your floor due to the limitations of suitable branches to stand on.
Because of this, there is a chance that you may have to settle for a non-square shape. This may be what you want, or this may be a problem for you. In any case, you should understand that there are some limitations imposed by the particular tree you are working with. All branches used for a base should be able to carry several hundred pounds, and more if you expect higher traffic.
Tree wood density and fastener quality
Large tree houses that weigh more than the collective weight of their occupants should be carefully designed, as several factors, such as the hardness of the tree and the quality and design of the fastener, come into play. The wood will compress where the fasteners connect to the tree to varying degrees depending on the hardness of the tree in question, causing the treehouse to collapse.
Professional Grade Treehouse Fasteners: Are They Necessary?
There are several tree house fasteners available on the market today that are specially manufactured for your unique needs. However, the question invariably arises as to how necessary these custom studs and brackets are compared to the regular ones found in home centers due to their price. They often cost anywhere from one to several hundred dollars each!
The first thing to consider when contemplating the pros and cons One of these rather expensive pieces of hardware is that trees are living organisms and are still growing, moving, and changing shape. Therefore, your tree house and the hardware it is mounted on must accommodate this movement. Simply screwing the beams into the branches of the tree results in a fixed fixture that will force the tree to pull the screw through the beam or try to grow around the beam.
The first of the two will result in a sudden and dangerous failure., while the second will result in unhealthy and unnatural growth around the beam, potentially causing disease and decay. Custom studs and brackets are made with tree growth in mind, with a stud section that embeds deep into the tree’s heartwood and a large shank that allows axial movement along with a female portion that clamps to the beam.
So to answer the question of whether these expensive custom parts are necessary, the short answer is yes and no. Yes, if you don’t have the knowledge to find parts that accomplish the same purpose as professional parts, and no, if you do and it doesn’t require your tree house to last fifty years. Home centers sell bolts and hardware with large diameters and lengths that can be used, but cannot be threaded all the way through.
The half or so that is embedded in the tree should be threaded, but the rest that acts as a cushion to compensate for tree growth should be smooth. You also need a female piece that fits around the smooth stem that has a bracket that can be screwed into the beam. This female support is then free to slide along the smooth shank axis of the bolt as the shaft grows in circumference. All parts must also be stainless steel; others can corrode and fail.
Obviously, the big tree house construction companies would not agree with the above opinion, and it is ideal to buy these pieces. I only offer an alternative for those who do not have a big budget but still want to build a safe and environmentally friendly tree house. There is also the possibility that you may not be able to find hardware that meets the criteria, leaving you with no other option.
The professional judgment when it comes to attaching the tree house to the tree seems to be “hanger, not pin”. I totally agree with this principle and any alternatives I gave above should not contradict this. But not everyone looking to build a treehouse is willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars, so your budget is a major factor in determining. the quality plus what type you would build
In any case, it should be a safe and fun place to accommodate any activity you can imagine. Taking into consideration the damage inflicted on the tree as well as future complications that may arise such as those mentioned above when planning, you are simply responsible and consider your course of action.