Tree house?

[mailee]

Can anyone help me with this one? During a visit to my Physio she asked me if I could build a tree house, I of course said yes for the job. Problem is although I have built many summer houses, sheds and gazebos I have never built a tree house? Anyone got any tips or info for me, thanks?

 

[matt]

Top tip: Don't cut the tree down and turn it in to timber.

 

[Rob_H]

During a visit to my Physio she asked me if I could build a tree house

Must be some new trendy type of physiotherapy exercise programme

 

[NikNak]

Biggest tip would be..... check first to see if planning permission is required




Nick

 

[Fergus]

A friend of mine built one a few years ago and basically made a free standing platform that assembled around the tree,so not to actually put any loading on the tree. He then sort of built a small wendy house on one side. As his kids got older they removed the wendy house but left it as a raised seating area, as it had a nice look over the garden.

 

[MikeG.]

There are a couple of companies that specialise in tree houses, but the best I have ever seen was a French outfit, whose name escapes me, but they have a massive coffee-table book with pictures of the most incredible structures.

Here is a link to something with a few ideas.......

http://cabanes-arbres.lesormes.com/

Mike

PS, Don't forget that you will probably need planning permission due to the the height of the top of the building. Sad, but true!

 

[wizer]

I think you need to go and assess the site and see what their definition of a tree house is. It could be a 30ft tree which they seem to think the 'house' should be at the top of. On the other hand it could be an 5ft apple tree.

Sounds like fun tho. I'm thinking about building a raised house for my daughter next year. No trees, so it will just be on posts.

 

[DMD]

I built a hexagonal house many years ago, a house on stilts amongst the trees which were too small for load bearing, larch roof and cladded sides, i think 3 inch poles buried in ground for support. Max height before planning is 4.5 m but check your zone

 

[studders]

Anyone got any tips or info for me, thanks?

A tree is fairly essential for this project I believe. Are they supplying the tree? :lol:

 

[virtu]

I would recommend you to get this one;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Treehouse-Book- ... 560&sr=8-4

It covers all the basics and then some... Reading this book fills voids of escapism in a similar way as reading some wooden boat literature, actually quite imagination provoking book.

 

[user 5053]

Don't knock any nails into the tree because it will damage the saw blades when it eventually gets felled and will cause disease if the tree.

 

[Dave S]

Not exactly treehouses, but these may provide some inspiration? Big enough for adults, all taken at Bewilderwood, a children's fun park in Norfolk.

First pic is actually a model, but the rest are real.




















Dave

 

[joiner_sim]

I remembered that richburrow made one back in April, here's the link to his WIP thread....

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31882&highlight=

Hope that helps.... :wink:

 

[JonnyD]

These tree houses are pretty cool

http://www.freespiritspheres.com/

Jon

 

[misterfish]

Some time ago there was a series on TV (Real Time) called 'Tree Team' where they built 5 different tree houses. Theae were real tree houses with a wide variety of designs and structures. There are a few snippets on Youtube.

Maybe somebody has videos of these as they went into some detail about support structures as well as the buildings themselves.

Misterfish

 

[PowerTool]

Yes,I remeber watching that - thought it was a good series.They basically all started from a platform/raised deck built around the tree,supported by diagonal braces from the trunk ; if I remember correctly,all the diagonal braces were no more than 45 degrees (all about 40 to 45 degrees from vertical) and they used metal "shoes",a bit like joist hangers,to support them on the tree - deliberately fixed in a staggered pattern so as to avoid damage to the tree itself.

Andrew