Tree Houses

TopBanana

TopBanana

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Does anyone here have a treehouse in their garden? my daughter is at an age where she'd love one, so I'm after some inspiration for what to build.
 
I used to have one when the kids were young ( they're 21 and 19 now!).
You don't need a tree for a tree house!
I concreted in 4 large fence posts (4 x 4) and then built a platform, on 3 x 3 horizontals, 2/3 of the way up the posts. This left the top third for the walls (decking boards) and a pitched roof on top made out of outdoor ply, covered in felt( wear eye protection as felt chips get in your eyes if working above your head). Coach bolts to hold the main structural parts together. Off cuts of the decking boards screwed to uprights for a ladder. Everything was tanalised timber so that it would last.
Bark chips placed all around just in case of falls.
 
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Used to have one but not now. First things what tree do you have in mind ? If you've a big old tree then great but if it's young tree then can always do something like top banana said but have the tree growing through the platform. Give it room to grow and don't fix the platform to it as your fixings will soon move upwards as the tree grows. It's a great way for the kids to be up amongst the foliage and see how it changes through the seasons.
 
We didn't have a tree house, there were 3 trees along the canal near our house that we played in though: 'the water den', 'the den' and 'the climbing den'

I remember finding some old carpet once and making 'the den' into a house. We used a shopping basket as a TV and just sat staring at it :p
 
At our Paris house my daughter used to have a massive tree house contraption thingamabob - It had an up stairs & down stairs, a slide, a swing rope and some swings
 
kendo1 said:
I used to have one when the kids were young ( they're 21 and 19 now!).
You don't need a tree for a tree house!
I concreted in 4 large fence posts (4 x 4) and then built a platform, on 3 x 3 horizontals, 2/3 of the way up the posts. This left the top third for the walls (decking boards) and a pitched roof on top made out of outdoor ply, covered in felt( wear eye protection as felt chips get in your eyes if working above your head). Coach bolts to hold the main structural parts together. Off cuts of the decking boards screwed to uprights for a ladder. Everything was tanalised timber so that it would last.
Bark chips placed all around just in case of falls.
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Wow, that sound great, so was it completely enclosed? And what sort of size was the platform? Any pictures?

dinners said:
Used to have one but not now. First things what tree do you have in mind ? If you've a big old tree then great but if it's young tree then can always do something like top banana said but have the tree growing through the platform. Give it room to grow and don't fix the platform to it as your fixings will soon move upwards as the tree grows. It's a great way for the kids to be up amongst the foliage and see how it changes through the seasons.
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That's a good point about leaving room for the tree to grow. The previous house owner had started putting together a little platform in one of the trees and I was thinking of just trying to improve on that. I'll see if I can get a picture when I get home later as its got a few trunks which will help in supporting the house.
 
It was completely enclosed and weather proof, with a window and entrance, Size: about 4 to 5 ft sq., big enough for 3 to 7 year olds.
Pictures are on film, it was about 16 years ago.
 
Check these guys out on Animal Planet if you get that channel. some of the stuff they build is just unreal. They're like proper houses in trees.

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1GIWA_enGB588GB588&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=treehouse masters

I've just started building a tree house for my kids (4 and 5 years old). I'm going to make proper steps up to it but also a rope ladder round the back for a "secret" entrance :D i'm going all out on it though so it will stay for years to come. It took me ages to find the right part to build. I managed to find four trees in a square with a wider one right in the middle. I've made the floor to attach to the four trees and the middle one will grow up and through the tree house. So far the floor is 4mx4m and if possible I'll make it two story as well but i'll have to use big wodden posts for more support.

I've only made the outline of the floor so far so when I get more done I'll get some pictures up (y) I love building stuff like this
 
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Whatever you build, however basic or fancy, include your daughter in the process. She might seem to be in the way of creating sometimes but trust me, it's an experience she'll remember for the rest of her life. ...the Tree House she built with Dad.
 
Some of my best memories are of times when I did stuff together with my daughter
 
viv1969 said:
Whatever you build, however basic or fancy, include your daughter in the process. She might seem to be in the way of creating sometimes but trust me, it's an experience she'll remember for the rest of her life. ...the Tree House she built with Dad.
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Really good point. Although I have strong suspicions that her design will be somewhat similar to Elsa's ice palace in Frozen :rolleyes:
 
TopBanana said:
Really good point. Although I have strong suspicions that her design will be somewhat similar to Elsa's ice palace in Frozen :rolleyes:
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So, easy then ;)
 
I'm not quite up to making a tree house but I made a table den for my 2. My 3 year old likes to tell everyone that comes into the house that "mummy made it with the snip snips and the machine"

A tree house would be fun though :) we have a standard, ground level, playhouse with kitchen, art easel and plastic workbench. It's very well used by them. It has jigsaw lino on the floor, white walls inside and is green on the outside.
 
Here's the tree in question, along with the previous homeowner's attempt. I was thinking I could put it a big higher and therefore get a slightly bigger floor area.
17599993405_539259188c_z.jpg
 
Middle bit is some of the floor area, but extend it outwards with posts so the tree isnt taking all the strain. I'd work around the tree so the platform is larger than the tree so it looks like the tree has grown through. But then I may have watched too much treehouse masters.
 
Byker28i said:
This campsite outside St Malo we stayed at had some stunning treehouses to rent

http://www.lesormes.com/en/vacances-a-sejours/hebergements/atypique/cabanes-dans-les-arbres

Eurocamp go there
http://www.eurocamp.co.uk/accommodation/other-accommodation/treehouses
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Those look like they'd be great fun to stay in! I think there are some similar ones at Centreparcs too.

I looked up some images from treehouse masters and its just incredible stuff - a significant amount beyond my budget, time, and skill though :(
 
A couple at that park looked quite high up, but one did have a zip line down :)
 
Are you certain it's for your daughter and not yourself? ;)
 
Just for info, the book "the dangerous book for boys" has a section on building a tree house. Its by Conn Iggulden and has loads of other boy related stuff in it. Rules of conkers, how to build a go-kart, history of the battle of thermopylae, paper aeroplane designs, all sorts. Ideal lavatory reading basically. link
 
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A mate of mine builds them for a living,will even knock out the odd pirate ship now an again.Must be doing alright as he only needs to work five months of the year.

1262747_10201519702687375_944607518_o_zpslcgzsu2z.jpg
 
If you click on the private use image there is a small slideshow that may give you a couple of ideas @TopBanana
 
u8myufo said:
If you click on the private use image there is a small slideshow that may give you a couple of ideas @TopBanana
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I've just had a look, thanks. There are some great ones there, and it has given me some idea. I've got another tree which might be more suitable but that would overlook the neighbours' gardens so I think I'm better off using the more private one. I'll hopefully climb up and take some measurements this weekend :-)
 
TopBanana said:
I've just had a look, thanks. There are some great ones there, and it has given me some idea. I've got another tree which might be more suitable but that would overlook the neighbours' gardens so I think I'm better off using the more private one. I'll hopefully climb up and take some measurements this weekend :)
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Funnily enough I just had to speak to him anyhow,I mentioned what you were looking at doing.He said if you email him, mention my name (as in Rich) and ask him for a copy of the planning standards,he will send them to you.Whether or not you abide by them is up to you :D
 
There are planning standards for tree houses :eek:
(well I can understand it for the scale of project your friend does, but is it wishful thinking that attaching a few bits of wood to a tree would be beyond the scope of regulation)
 
TopBanana said:
There are planning standards for tree houses :eek:
(well I can understand it for the scale of project your friend does, but is it wishful thinking that attaching a few bits of wood to a tree would be beyond the scope of regulation)
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How well do you get on with your neighbours? :D From memory I think there is certain guidlines,more to do with how high off the ground it is to the underside, and also certain distances from any given boundry.Always best to double check especially after putting a lot of time and effort into it.
 
u8myufo said:
How well do you get on with your neighbours? :D From memory I think there is certain guidlines,more to do with how high off the ground it is to the underside, and also certain distances from any given boundry.Always best to double check especially after putting a lot of time and effort into it.
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Look on the governments planning portal for guidelines. The rules for permitted development require that you can't build higher than 2.5 meters if it's within a meter of your boundary or (I think) 4 meters if it's a bit further away. We are currently having our lives made a misery by neighbours who have not obeyed these rules and now have an intrusive monstrosity just inches from the boundary. Be prepared for a planning battle if you fall foul of them. My advice would be to chat with your neighbours and local planners before starting to build.
 
Quicksnapper said:
Look on the governments planning portal for guidelines. The rules for permitted development require that you can't build higher than 2.5 meters if it's within a meter of your boundary or (I think) 4 meters if it's a bit further away. We are currently having our lives made a misery by neighbours who have not obeyed these rules and now have an intrusive monstrosity just inches from the boundary. Be prepared for a planning battle if you fall foul of them. My advice would be to chat with your neighbours and local planners before starting to build.
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Thanks for the info @Quicksnapper . What have your neighbours been building? Are there still loopholes with wooden structures (like sheds, garden rooms, etc) being considered temporary structures and therefore not covered by planning requirements?
Calling my project a 'build' is a bit of a misnomer as it won't be anything impressive and will be temporary at best!
I'm also lucky in that there are areas of my garden which the neighbours can't see (and we can't see their garden from those places), so there wouldn't be any complaints about a tree house (they reserve their unfounded complaining for parking, rights of access etc)
 
Our neighbours have built a free standing structure under a large sycamore which stands immediately next to the boundary fence. It is higher than the rain gutters of our property and seriously compromises our privacy (hence my in-happiness with the thing). Essentially, we are living with a watch tower overlooking our back garden which is very intimidating. If you,look at the rules for permitted development which are easily available on the governments planning portal with a quick bit of googling, you'll see that you can't built anything higher than 2.5meters, even if it's a shed/temporary structure without planning permission. I'm pleased your proposed location isn't so close to a boundary, but I'd urge you to spend a few minutes looking at the rules for permitted development before you proceed.
 
TopBanana said:
Thanks for the info @Quicksnapper . What have your neighbours been building? Are there still loopholes with wooden structures (like sheds, garden rooms, etc) being considered temporary structures and therefore not covered by planning requirements?
Calling my project a 'build' is a bit of a misnomer as it won't be anything impressive and will be temporary at best!
I'm also lucky in that there are areas of my garden which the neighbours can't see (and we can't see their garden from those places), so there wouldn't be any complaints about a tree house (they reserve their unfounded complaining for parking, rights of access etc)
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Further to the above .... http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/outbuildings/ Here you go. Tree hourse are included in this.
 
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