One of the a good number critical things when building a treehouse is always sit down and create your treehouse design. The way to do this is to firstly look at your tree and decide whether you can build a treehouse in the tree. This means the platform, which is going to hold your treehouse will be placed up higher than the central trunk of the tree where the branches start to divide. Usually the entire treehouse will be supported directly off of the tree which means if your tree moves in the wind, so will your treehouse.
The major detail to remember with this design is that branches move in different directions in the wind. So while fixing your platform down to your tree, you will need to identify any branches that you’ll be fixing to that move in different directions. You can still fix to these branches but you need a flexible fixing position to allow it to move without ripping your treehouse apart.
If your tree is not big enough or strong enough to build and support the treehouse, you will need to look at a different tree house design that will allow you to build your treehouse around or beside your tree. Building a treehouse in this way is much easier to construct mostly because you are not using simply the tree to support your treehouse. It’s also supported on posts that are concreted in the ground which allows you much more freedom when designing your treehouse floor plans.
With this type of design you can build more than a single platform; you can have one platform to build a treehouse on and an additional platform to create a balcony or viewing point. By coming off the tree in different directions with two platforms, you can add a few real creative shapes to your treehouse plan.
Things to remember while building your platform on posts and against the tree: Always use flexible fixing points against the tree to allow your tree to move independently from the concreted posts in the ground. If you’re not fixing to the tree but building your platform around your tree, at all times leave a gap between the tree and the deck to allow for movement and growth.
Once you have decided what type of deck you’re going to build, you can then design your treehouse plan to go on top of it. Provided you make the deck right, you can lay in the least type of design on the platform, from a building with a walk out deck or simply a treehouse with windows. You can even build a treefort with sides and no roof, the choices are endless… you can let your imagination go wild!
But on that note, remember… whatever you build constantly think safety while you’re designing. It has to be fun and exciting for your children but it as well has to be safe.
