how do i build a tree friendly tree house?

treestyle

Hello,

looking to build a tree house in a euc at approx 15 - 20m up. tree not yet selected.......thinking some thing with plenty of branches will be needed though. the unit needs to be big enough to support a bed and have a spacious deck area. must be water proof and over all quite comfortable for a night off the ground with no need to be tied in as the structure will be safe enough, ensuring that death does not occur.

how should i attach this unit to the tree with out causing harm to the tree? thinking maybe something like the cobra cable system and over time i can make the supporting loops bigger as the tree grows......this could still be detrimental though.

any ideas?

Thanks.

Treehouse Guy

You can inquire about the required live loading requirements per square foot, and estimate the weight of your lumber list, and then design the fastening systems that will be sufficient. If it's residential (not being rented out, etc) then these will be much lower than commercial.

My preferred method is to penetrate the tree with large fasteners, albeit as few as possible of them. These special tree House bolts are expensive but extremely well made parts and can support thousands of pounds (in some cases 10's of thousands) per attachment point.

If you would rather not drill into the tree, various clamping styles have been used in France and Japan, to my knowledge. You could also try heavy slings. While doing less short term damage, these methods will either require regular high skill maintenance or they do more long term damage than the drilling. I know, it's a tough choice, but if it was up to the tree, we would probably be building on the ground!

You might also contact http://tinyurl.com/ybk443a for another opinion or any of the treehouse builders across the globe. Good Luck and let us know what you end up doing!

second-gen_monkey

a euc has good enough scaffolding brances to allow for a suspended house (it actually will sit on the tree but the weight is also distributed by slings from higher branches) i mentioned in the welcome thread that you can also use friction material (such as artificial cork) against angled support beams and use strapping (such as the afroementioned cobra cables) with adjustable connections (think high-strength turnbuckles) and strong hinges (attaching them to the platform, not the tree) to allow for the tree to grow with minimal damage. if you really want to be tree friendly you should no use any bolts, screws, nails etc. though these are honestly the safest (for you) methods.

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oh, slings/ straps need to be friction reducing material so the can be moved periodically without having to re-distribute weight or replaced regularly (not in the same spot) so the tree won't grow around them, becoming girdled and compromising the structual integrety of your supporting scaffold branches.

Brent Ferris

Why wouldn't you use long posts 16 ft plus and build your tree house among the branches of the tree, but utilizing the posts and not the branches. Minimal tree damage occurs - especially if you leave enough clearance from the trunks and branches. The tree house can last much longer, and so can the tree.

TreeSpecialist

Two sites you need to visit before starting.

The hardware they have developed may save your life while also saving the tree(s.)

http://tinyurl.com/28nbt7a

http://tinyurl.com/2aku26k

I'd strongly suggest building your first tree house only 5 meters off the ground. Might save your life.

20 Meters off the ground is a long way to haul and or fall.

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gchalmers

Hi, just trying to piggyback on this (old) post and the replies to it. I too am looking to build a tree-friendly tree house - but would like to not have posts from ground up for aesthetic reasons. The handyman/carpenter who is helping me out on the project suggests a "hanging platform" of the type suggested in one of the replies. In this case (a big oak) the tree house would be quite basic - just a kids' fort more than anything the platform would be at about 8-10 ft from ground, and would be secured from above, with ropes slung around a V split in the tree, about 40 ft from the ground (since it is a V split, the "branch" it would go around is very thick, probably 1.5 ft diameter). Questions for arborists and those that know more about both trees and ropes than I: does this sound feasible? what ropes (or whatever synthetic material) would be recommended? What kind of life expectancy might I expect, roughly, from such ropes, given that they will be exposed to all the elements all day every day? Any maintenance needed? Where might I buy that kind of rope? and would other rig hardware be advised (or can we do it all with the proper knots at the right places?) Thanks very much for any advice. Geoff

Eric Frei

If you were going for a suspended platform that is going to be there for years then drill and cable it.

Dynamic cabling systems in trees using rope style products have little to no load on them at rest but yours will have weight on it all the time so it is likely that it will do damage.

Here's a sponsors link for cabling stuff.

Tree Stuff - Cabling & Bracing

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gchalmers

Thank you very much for the advice - the cable (I have heard nylon-wrapped is good choice for something like this, you agree?) seems to make sense. Just to clarify, when you say "drill and cable it" do you mean I am better off drilling/bolting through the tree as opposed to slinging the cable around the "V" split? Or did you mean something else by "drilling"? Thanks! Also, any advice on how to best determine the width/strength needed? I have read that to be conservative aim for a MBS of roughly 3 times what I expect the maximum weight to be, does that seem right?

Geoff

Eric Frei

Yes drill the tree, whether it is through or not depends on loading angles etc.

Perhaps you should hire an arborist who is up to speed on cabling and bolting etc.

SWL of system is a tough one, most hardware is designed for 5XLOAD safety. So a 1000lb load should have a 5000lb cable etc.

Other threads.

Zip line | zipline (recreational) attachment technique?

will an eyebolt through a branch hurt the tree?

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jmcg.insight.gardens

TreeSpecialist

My reply back in 2008 still stands. (See above)

I usually ask why someone wants to build a tree house. If it's for kids, I point out that the treehouse will only have a useful (used by the kids) lifespan of 6 to 8 years before other interests take precedent.

A free standing tree house built on 12 to 16 foot posts that puts the treehouse up into the branches without touching or harming the tree is the very best solution.

Once the kids out grow it, it can be removed with no harm having been done to the tree or the tree's value to the landscape.

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