Have you ever thought about building your own tree-house? This is a fun DIY project that the whole family can participate in because there is no better feeling than making or building something special with your children.
Today, Build it Hermanus is going to share some advice and tips for building your little house in the trees.
Is a Tree house legal?
Strictly speaking, in terms of the National Building Regulations, it depends on its size. A child’s playhouse that is no more than five square meters in size is categorized as minor building work, which means that you do not need to submit plans for a tree-house that is smaller than that. Great news! Now that we know we will not be getting into any trouble, let’s get started!
How to choose a tree to build your Treehouse in?
To build a standard 3×3 meter tree-house, choose a healthy, deciduous (hardwood) tree with a trunk of at least 30 cm diameter.
You can calculate the diameter of your tree by measuring all around the trunk with a tape measure, then divide the measured result by pi (3.142) to give you the diameter.
Deciduous trees have a denser wood that can support greater loads. The best trees include Cedar, Maple, Oak, Fir, Beech, Ash, and Hemlock.
If you are considering building your tree-house in a softwood tree like a Pine Tree or the Natal Mahogany, you will need a thicker tree trunk to support the load. Building your tree-house too high can be dangerous for children so aim to make your platform about 2.5 meters high.
Building a safety rail around the platform will help to prevent children from falling off. The safety rail around the platform should be about 90 cm high, with a spacing between the vertical posts of not more than 15 cm.
Keep Stability in Mind
While it is very exciting and there are so many fantastic tree-house designs (add link at the bottom) you could get off the internet, the final design will depend on the tree you have chosen.
Building a house in a tree will require careful planning, so here are some structural matters to keep in mind while designing your tree-house.
- Build the platform close to the trunk as possible, and add diagonal bracing for extra strength, this will support any uneven loads.
- For heavy tree houses, consider building your tree-house lower to the ground as strong winds will put pressure on trees roots.
- A tree-house built low in the tree will experience lower wind speeds and will produce lower forces on the roots because the leverage effect of the trunk will be less.
- Try and choose a tree with V-shaped branches as this provides extra strength and support, this means you will have 4 fixing points instead of only 2, to secure your tree-house.
Do not Restrict the Trees Growth
To accommodate the movement and growth of the tree, allow enough space (about 5cm) around the branches and trunk. You can add spacers between the beams and the tree to allow movement.
Trees grow larger by expanding their diameter and growing new branch tips, not by stretching the entire tree.
New layers of wood are added during the spring and summer which increase the diameter of trunks and branches. The only part of the tree to get any higher are new shoots, extending from the ends of branches.
Once one season has passed, these shoots will not grow further but will expand as branches and the trunk do.
Use the Right Fasteners
You want your tree-house to last, so it is important to make sure that your tree stays healthy. The use of nails, screws, or bolts can cause health problems for a tree if not fitted correctly.
Any damage to the bark of the tree, whether by nails, screws, or bolts, is a potential entry point for infections and bacteria, so it makes sense to keep the overall number to a minimum.
The general recommendation for fixing supports is to use a single, large bolt fitted into a cleanly drilled pilot hole. Nails and screws are not strong enough for major supports without causing tree damage.
Allow for flexible supports, especially if you use more than one tree so that trees can move in the wind. Special floating brackets allow the tree to sway.
You can order floating brackets (add link to store) and treehouse fasteners (add link to store), they allow the tree more room to grow, can support heavy loads up to 12cm’s from the tree and they hold more weight than normal bolts.
Building your Tree-house
You won’t have to break the bank for this project. It is a great idea to build with exterior-grade plywood (which is weatherproof), and the floor can be constructed from solid shutter board.
Make sure that your floor is level and the center load is spread evenly, then building the rest of the structure becomes easier.
If you prefer, you could even fabricate the main sections of your tree-house on the ground and then hoist them into position.
Check out these incredible treehouse building plans to get started.
Now the possibilities become endless, you can add a trap door, shutters for windows, and timber steps that lead from the ground to the deck.
Use your imagination, this is the fun part😊
Please send us a photo of your new Tree House, we would love to see it, you can upload your images in the comments section!
Plan your next DIY project with Build it Hermanus and get the job done right, first time.
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Build it Hermanus offers local delivery, supplying the greater Overberg area with building materials, do-it-yourself home improvement tools, and expert advice.
Build it Hermanus offers added value services in respect of hardware retailing; embracing all activity within the building materials industry, focusing specifically on the building of; urban, township, rural housing as well as all home improvements and do it yourself.
Build it is a division of the SPAR Group Limited South Africa. A voluntary trading group of individually owned retail stores with more than 10 000 employees across the group, we currently have stores in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique with plans to expand into Botswana and Zambia in the near future. We view ourselves not only as a supplier of materials, but as a partner to our valued customers in accomplishing their building or renovating projects.
