How to build a tree house

I still remember the first tree house I built for our kids. It was the first spring that they were old enough to be of much help outside cleaning. We were rakeing leaves and grass around an old willow tree and my daughter noticed some "strange looking branches" on the tree....I laughed and said "those are climbing steps to an old tree house we had when I was little"...."whats a tree house?"....ok...stop the bus....a woodworker,creator,toymaker, who's kid doesn't know what a tree house IS! ...We started that very moment..

First rule of tree house/fort building...pick a solid tree...but not one you plan on makeing anything out of in the future....sawmills and tools don't care much for nails...also what is handy is a group of trees realatively close to one another. As a pureist I only used lumber and materials that were old or used...but still structerally sound...straightening old bent nails will bring you into a realm of youth and "making do"....I've always wondered what "DO" is and how one makes it.....

The fine art of tree house building also requires you to be a good "scrounger" finding building materials that won't be missed....I need to get some work done this morning so I will continue this later...in the mean time...pick a tree close...but not to close...sound...and one you won't mind looking at for oh 20 years or so....

Hmmm...where was I ,ah yes...After locating your tree or trees...the MOST important aspect of above ground construction stares you straight in the face....HOW FAR OFF THE GROUND SHOULD I BUILD THIS?...several things to consider..a: how old and how many children do you have? and b: Do you have health insurance?....that covers tree climbing....about this time most parents opt for a back yard play house....still interested?....OK The reason one needs to consider how many children they have is because there is a direct corilation between numbers of children and shoving....pushing and shoving in a sand box is one thing...ten feet in the air is another...pay close attention when we cover handrails and saftey ropes....

I have to stop for a minuet because I need you to know that I am overly qualified to speak on such matters....case in point...our two boys...ages 8 and 10...the ten year old had gotten a chainsaw...yes chainsaw ...from his grandpa for Christmas that year to help with fire wood...SO it is spring and no need to cut fire wood...time for building tree forts....I step out of the house one day and I here a chainsaw running....nothing to be alarmed about after all we are in Alaska...in the woods...but what troubled me was the DIRECTION it was comeing from....UP...I followed the sound and located it...along with our two sons..about 20 feet up a tree...hmmm... not wanting to make any sudden sounds or moves I calmly said "How's that saw running?"....seemed an appropriate question...my wife on the other hand came out of the house about this time and had ALOT more to say....the boys are still alive allthough there mother was MUCH harder on them than anything that chainsaw could have done...:)....now 18 and 20....I got a BUNCH of those stories let me tell ya...any way...tree houses..

I suggest several levels....start close to the ground...but not so close the neighbor kids call you a wimp....6 feet works pretty good for a stageing area for the next level.....plus it is close enough to the ground you can hand things up with out a ladder.....more later

I have been reading back through this and wondering if I left out and important consideration...tree house...or ....tree fort...there is a difference. A tree house looks like the back yard play house blew up into a tree....a tree Fort is something altogether different. Tree forts need places to keep prisoners....weapons stashes....food rations for the duration of impending attacks....and a lookout post as high as anyone is brave enough to build one....that last one is for experienced fort builders only..

Back to building...the base platform...the MOST important part...obviously we need a group of heavy sections of tree to get this started....although I have had very good luck building on a single straight tree by using it as the "Anchor" on a three sided platform....the other two points being posts or the top of an abondoned car(which also serves well for a holding cell)....

Trees grow in groups usually and lets just assume you have such a situation. Here is a point you don't want to scimp on...and you may even...I can't believe I am saying this..BUY some heavy planks say 2 x 8 or 2 x 10 depending how far apart your trees are...these planks can span 8- 10 feet and rather than nails it is a good idea to lag bolt them into the tree(it won't feel it) ..use galvanized bolts for this they won't rust away on you...and attach them any way you can to the other two supports creating a triangle.....if you are fortunate enough to have an abandoned mini van around some of them have luggage racks that can be attached to easily....make sure the van IS ABANDONED...very inportant....check the plates...if they are more than 5 years out of date it is safe to say it is dead in the water.....but if the plates say 1925 - 1970 DO NOT BUILD ON THE CAR OR VAN no matter how bad it looks...trust me.

Once you have a solid platform literally the sky is the limit....more later

Now that we have a border around our tree, trees, branches, minivan ect.. we need to put flooring down, before you cover your platform it is a good idea to figure out just how you are going to get up there when it is covered....you could build or borrow a ladder, make a snazzy rope ladder(good for attacks as they can be pulled up) or just nail some short boards to the tree trunk and call it good...your choice. Also for more advanced builders an enterance built into the floor with a hatch is very cool but difficult.

Now that you have a soilid base on which to add on, the style is completely up to you and your imagination and the materials you are able to scrounge....remember saftey rails as you go along.

What happens about this time is that the crew has differing opinions as to the construction and style and heads out to "build our OWN fort" usually the next tree/abandoned car over....we have four kids and one year when the leaves fell in the fall I was out enjoying a cup of coffee on a crisp fall day and noticed several "structures" in the nearby trees....four actually in different stages and styles of construction...it was a bumper crop for forts that year....but it gave them something to do all summer...no one got hurt...well not badly anyway...and hopefully they learned a bit about elevated living....

Our kids are past all this now and I am left to build forts on my own....actually I am going to build a Pirates ship...so I can have deck parties in my old age...

Happy Trails