Building a Treehouse

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Tuco

I got Tuco'd!
<Gold Donor>
45,320
73,376
Sup bros. I'm going to be building a tree house and am looking for some ideas. I'm hoping to spend less than $1000 on all the materials and not need much carpentry skills or uncommon tools. The treehouse will be ~6 feet from the ground and be affixed either to one large straight tree or to a different tree that splits into a Y just a few feet off the ground.

Any ideas or protips?
 

Zhavric

Molten Core Raider
454
534
Protip: construct it as a platform that goes around the tree. You dig four holes around the tree , put in four posts. Measure and make sure everything is straight. Build a platform on the four posts with the tree coming through the middle. MUCH sturdier and much safer.
 

Vegas_sl

shitlord
848
6
This one is quickly done and you will be back with your beer
6f7bb3278e6a18b7bedd3718c44e94a2.jpg
 

Caliane

Golden Baronet of the Realm
14,421
9,788
1000 seems low, believe or or not.


Not sure where you live. But you may need a building permit. Also, the tree itself needs to be pretty sturdy.

Keeping it simple with 4 4x4's and a floor/roof indeed. 2 windows?
 

Tuco

I got Tuco'd!
<Gold Donor>
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I haven't picked out a design. The trees we're looking at are massive. Some of the treehouses I've seen look like they'll kill the tree in a few years, heh.
 

Zhavric

Molten Core Raider
454
534
Start with something like this. You can add on to it later. If you have small kids, I recommend railings. Next year, add a slide.

rrr_img_75056.jpg
 

iannis

Musty Nester
31,351
17,656
Sink the posts though, you need a few feet below ground. Dunno why he built a platform that looks like it rests on the ground. I guess because you'll hit roots and stuff, it makes sense. But still. You'd only need to sink it 2 or 2 1/2 feet. Maybe those are concrete plugs, maybe he did sink it. They look sorta like furniture castors.

I would build a platform instead of attaching it to the tree. Plywood has gotten expensive. 1k might be tight.
 

Sledge

Trakanon Raider
916
2,000
You'd only need to sink it 2 or 2 1/2 feet.
Going to be pretty tough doing that around a tree big enough to support a nice tree house. You certainly wouldn't need to go that deep anyway to clear the frost line.
 

Drakurii

Golden Baron of the Realm
14,210
45,232
Sup bros. I'm going to be building a tree house and am looking for some ideas. I'm hoping to spend less than $1000 on all the materials and not need much carpentry skills or uncommon tools. The treehouse will be ~6 feet from the ground and be affixed either to one large straight tree or to a different tree that splits into a Y just a few feet off the ground.

Any ideas or protips?
Watch.

Treehouse Masters: Animal Planet
 

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,364
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Posts to the ground do not make a fucking tree house. That is totally cheating. A chance of death for anyone entering it is part of what makes a treehouse a treehouse.
 

fris

Blackwing Lair Raider
1,973
2,140
and you're supposed to use wood you stole from the neighborhood, rusty nails, and continuously adding to it till it falls to the ground
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
<Silver Donator>
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Start with something like this. You can add on to it later. If you have small kids, I recommend railings. Next year, add a slide.

rrr_img_75056.jpg
build this without the tree and turn it into a shed once the kids outgrow it.