Replies

1. 
   Thooks | Apr 30, 2001 10:27pm | #1

   *
   I have built some "deck" (Deerhunting treestands) and the major problem I found was the growing of the trees. I also live in a Log Home and I shoulda thought to build in some sort of "shifting" access.

   I would cut slots in the beams/girders so that the floor can "slide" up and down when the trees bend with the wind and when they grow. And use screws.

1. 
   CaseyR_ | Apr 30, 2001 10:43pm | #2

   *You might want to check out the following links:http://www.uniquetreehouse.com/build.htmlhttp://www.btinternet.com/~fulton/treehous.htmhttp://www.treehouseplans.bigstep.com/http://gate.cruzio.com/~seaweb/corbin/treehouse.htmlhttp://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues97/aug97/treehouses.html

1. 
   Kyle_Bartlett | May 01, 2001 12:06am | #3

   *One thing I've learned is to keep the floor floating and to build walls and railings seperate from the trees. The way to achieve this is to build steel craddles to make a U. Bolt those to the tree and restof the beams in the brackets. This process allows the treehose to move seperatedly from the trees allowing the wind to blow and not take down the treehouse with it. One last thing is to bolt some 1/4" steel to the beams. This prevents friction from wearing through the beams.

1. 
   David_Thomas | May 01, 2001 07:28am | #4

   *I had a dog-mushing friend (finished three Iditarods), Gus, help me build my own house. He lives in a treehouse (really!), the rightmost picture in Casey's smithsonian URL, featured in Peter Nelson's, Home Tree Home and mentioned in Nelson's Treehouse Construction and Other Tall Tales. He does fine at -40F heating with a wood stove. Cooks and lights with propane. Does showers and laundry at friends' houses. 15 sled dogs in the dog lot outside. When a girlfriend moved in for a few years, he built her an art studio (on the ground). With her departure, it got converted to a sauna.10 feet off the ground feels pretty high in a tree. Being way up a tall tree is just too damn exciting when the wind blows.Another treehouse author is David R. Stiles, Tree Houses : You Can Actually Build

1. 
   Mike_Gabriel | May 01, 2001 08:08am | #5

   *they just ran a piece on him on TLC..Extreme Homes I think. Girlfriend was still present at the time. I envy the simplicity and the solitude of that life sometimes.

2. 
   Art_B | May 01, 2001 03:15pm | #6

   *As others have said,the biggie is the tree grows. . Kids built treehouse 30 years ago 25 ft up in Doug fir, may have to fell the tree soon as they had nailed right to the tree, tree has grown around 4x4s, now notched 6" deep on 3 sides, with 4x4s almost rotted away, and tree is 50 ft taller, afraid of next big windstorm.

3. 
   David_Thomas | May 01, 2001 05:42pm | #7

   *Mike: Since that piece has been airing on him, he's been getting mail (addressed to "Gus in the treehouse, Kasilof, Alaska") from people wanting that lifestyle, to escape the lower 48, lonely women, etc. So maybe the lesson is, Build a treehouse - meet women. -David

4. 
   CaseyR_ | May 01, 2001 06:09pm | #8

   *David - Yeah, I think 10' would be plenty for me. But how about a "tree tent" at 180' up. You probably remember the well publicised two year episode of Julia Butterfly Hill living in the redwood tree: http://ottermedia.com/LunaJulia.htmlDefinitely not a place for us acrophobics...

2. 
   James_Hunt | May 01, 2001 06:09pm | #9

   *
   Hi guys

   Has anyone had any experiance building a tree house deck, are ther any major problems that I maybe havn't thought of. By the way, I'm not a kid with a summer project, I'm a chippy with 20 yrs who thought I'd run this past a few more people

   James Hunt