Tree houses are fun and bonding activities that you can do with your friends or family, and they can provide a unique and ideal gathering place surrounded by mother nature. One of the biggest differences, in my opinion, between tree houses and other in-ground add-ons that you can build on your property, is the fact that a tree house sways, to varying degrees depending on height and height. property size. trees and branches, and thus can add a unique and relaxing feeling.

There are several prerequisites that must be met before this particular project is deemed feasible for you. The first are also the most obvious:

1. Do you have a suitable tree on your property that you can build your tree house on? This question may be ambiguous to some, as exactly what type of tree 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 your tree house, the bigger your tree should be.
2. How are you with the heights? Now is not a good time to fool yourself or anyone else if you have an abnormal fear of heights! We all have a fear of heights to varying degrees, but if you don’t have the courage or ability to comfortably work at the height you need, this project may not be for you. Of course, it can also be built relatively close 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 somewhat simpler project due to the fact that some of us have grown up “throwing” little makeshift tree houses here and there. However, it is important to remember that any fairly decent structure, whether on the ground or in a tree, requires careful planning and implementation of standard security code.

Here are some other questions. you should ask yourself before starting the planning stage:

1. What will I use the tree house for? Depending on your answer, you may want a ceiling 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.
2. 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 is highly dependent on the materials you use and the quality and number of layers of your protective stain. Tree houses, by virtue of their definition, are found in and under the canopy of the tree in which they are built. Because of this, they are more susceptible to premature rot due to prolonged shade and the humid nature of their environment. Fallen leaves and branches scattered across the canopy also serve as decay accelerators, unless they are regularly removed.

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 a structure in the ground, you must begin with the construction of its base and floor. You may face complications with the shape of your floor due to the limitations of the proper branches to rely on.

Because of this, there is a possibility that you will have to settle for a non-square shape. This may be what you want or it may be a problem for you. In any case, you need to understand that there are some limitations imposed by the particular tree you are working with. All foundation branches should be able to carry several hundred pounds without assistance, and more if you expect higher traffic.

Tree wood density and quality of fasteners

Large tree houses that weigh more than the collective weight of their occupants must be designed with care.as various factors, such as the hardness of the tree and the quality and design of the fasteners, come into play more. 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 sag.

Professional Grade Treehouse Fasteners – Are They Necessary?

There are several tree house fasteners available on the market today specially made for your unique needs. However, the question invariably arises as to how necessary these custom bolts and brackets are compared to the normal ones found in home centers due to their price. They often cost between one and several hundred dollars each!

The first thing to consider when contemplating the pros and cons One of these fairly 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 move. Simply screwing the beams into the tree branches results in a fixed fixture that will force the tree to either 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, which could lead to disease and decay. Custom bolts and brackets are manufactured with a certain tolerance for tree growth, with a bolt section that is embedded deep into the heartwood of the tree and a large shank that allows axial movement along with a female part that is attached 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 serve the same purpose as professional parts, and no, if so, and it doesn’t require your tree house to last fifty years. Home centers sell bolts and hardware in large diameters and lengths that can be used, but the entire stem cannot be threaded.

The roughly half that is embedded in the tree should be threaded, but the rest that acts as a cushion to compensate for the tree’s growth should be smooth. You also need a female piece that fits around the smooth stem that has a bracket that can be bolted to your beam. This female bracket is free to slide along the axis of the smooth bolt shank as the tree 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 the ideal is to buy these pieces. I am only offering an alternative for those who are not on a big budget but still want to build a safe and environmentally friendly tree house. There’s also the possibility that you won’t be able to find hardware that meets the criteria, leaving you with no other choice.

The professional judgment when it comes to fastening your tree house to your tree seems to be “perch, not nail.” I fully agree with this principle and any alternative I gave above should not contradict it. But not everyone looking to build a tree house is willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars, so your budget is a prime factor in determining. the quality more what type you would build.

In either case, it should be a safe and fun place to accommodate whatever activities you envision. Taking into account the damage done to the tree, as well as any future complications that may arise, such as those mentioned above when planning, is simply the responsible and considerate course of action.