World treehouse list

Erik Goddard

29 November 2005

I am a builder of model treehouses (1/12 scale) based on versions of my actual full-scale treehouses in the past. Looking for thoughts on showing a wider public some photos and to hook up with anyone who might want to buy or find out more about the models. These models are not simple sticks and planks, but elaborate works of art. Thanks!

David Blood
Pacific NorthWest

11 November 2005

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I had to wait until I was 49 years old to build my Treehouse in Auburn Washington, a little drive from Seattle. One day My friend Mick "The Masterbuilder" said "we could build a Treehouse in that tree". So the seed was planted and within 4 months we were just about completed. There isn't a day that goes by that somebody doesn't stop and ask questions or want to go inside. What a project to embark upon. No plans other then a vision, perhaps a little pencil drawing on a 2x4 cut off. All cedar with punch out windows and back bed area.

Oliver

11 November 2005

I recently built my own tree house and found it very helpful to use a hammock as a platform to work from when starting the build.

John Underhill
Auckland, New Zealand

30 October 2005

I have just completed my third treehouse, 5m up in a Kanuka tree. A triangular viewing platform with a seat and enough floor area to sleep, if one wishes. Built from H3 treated rough sawn, anchored to one branch with 12mm galvanised bolts and sliding on bearers on two others. Prevoius works include a two story packing case arrangement in an oak tree as a kid, and a sleeping platform 4m up in a Ghost Gum in Broome, Western Australia with a view of the Indian Ocean in the 1980s.

Luxury countryside
Dijon, Burgundy, France

luxe.campagne.free.fr/tree-house.html
23 October 2005

Our treehouse is built in an ash-tree, that has four branches. This house is in lost french countryside, near a little pond spring. We built it entirely with recovery materials: pallet boards...

Jeremy Hall

21 Octobr 2005

Use a garage door open to lower a ladder, rope, rope ladder etc... I used this, and I never had a problem... I had the remote :)

Nick Kaplan
Westerville, Ohio

18 September 2005

I am a landscape contractor in the central Ohio area and have recently finished my first tree house. The adventure began with a referal from a fellow landscaper who turned down a client's request to build a treehouse. After doing a few days of research online and at the library, as well as collaborating with the home owners' 8-year-old son, I created a working drawing and started buying materials.

I have my own mig welder and fabricated all of the mounting brackets by copying the brilliant G.L. system. (4)1" X 14" bolts hold the (2) 2" X 12" x 12' treated beams in place. The most frustrating part of the project (besides interacting with and working for the homeowners!!) was installing the bolts into the tree. Somewhere along the way I read that drilling holes 1/8" smaller than your bolts is the way to go. I had to literally leap into the air (with a tree-climbing harness on) and put all of my free-falling weight on the biggest pipe wrench I could find (24"!). It took one whole day to get 4 bolts in. I hypothesize that part of the problem was that my bolts were only threaded on the first 5" of the bolt and were smooth after that. Maybe the slightly thicker diameter of the unthreaded part caused the problem. On the bright side however, those bolts aren't going anywhere during my lifetime.

I reinforced the floor joists with angle iron and used 5/4" treated decking for the floor. I attached more bolts higher up the tree and hung 1/4" cable with turnbuckles from a custom hanger.

My favorite part of the project is the aircraft cable spiral staircase. I have done a lot of searching and have never seen anything like it. I would love to see someone else's attempt at something similar so please forward me contact info if you have it. It is made of nearly 400 feet of 1/4" cable, about 200 cable clamps, (9) 18" galvanized turnbuckles and 5 sheets of treated 3/4" plywood. The circle of 9 cables (8 circumference and 1 center cables) has a radius of 26" and is attached to 10" eye bolts that are set in a round concrete foundation. In theory, the points of attachment at the base and at the treehouse were supposed to be identical thus creating perfectly vertical and parallel cables. It didn't quite work out that way...but it still works!

If you don't have access to a welder or metal fabrication equipment please contact me if you would like to order any of the bolts, brackets or metal parts I have mentioned. A liability release form is required if you want me to make any parts for you.

Although I had loads of fun and learned a ton about treehouse building I am really kicking myself for doing my first treehouse as a paid project. I basically paid my clients to let me build a treehouse for them. In addition to that, and worst of all, they were the pickiest, most critical clients I have ever worked for in my 16 years of business. Here are several suggestions I have to offer contractors. However, if you are as excited as I was about building a treehouse you will probably ignore everything I have to say and jump right in anyway... -Don't build your first treehouse for $. -Estimate the cost of materials and labor; then double or triple those numbers and maybe you will break even. -Don't build a treehouse for people you don't know. Rigid, particular and know-it-all people may make the process miserable. -If you do contract with homeowners, apply these rules of thumb for billing purposes: 1)Charge your normal hourly rate if the clients promise never to come outside. 2)Charge 2x's your normal rate if they want to watch. 3)Charge 3x's your normal rate if they want to make suggestions. 4)Charge 4x's if they want to make suggestions and help. 5)Drop everything and RUN if they want to direct the project!

D. Brown
New Boston, Texas, USA
16 September 2005

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This is what my boyfriend built over one summer when he was married to his ex and couldn't get away from her enough. I can only imagine what he could do if he was motivated. The entire thing is built of scraps and logs from the yard; the roof inside is old interior doors. There's electricity inside, a window on the back wall, and it's insulated enough to live in. As a matter of fact, we had my best friend as a guest all last year.

Shawn Kisielius
Ottawa, Banff, Montreal, Calgary

12 September 2005

This is my prototype suspended treehouse, a model for the Big Picture, a fully suspended and sustainable adventure center in the temperate rainforest of BC.

This one is in Dorion, Near Montreal, Que. Is made fully suspended 30 feet off the ground, Its a basic toolshed built to code, 3 trees, looped around with 2x4s to prevent digging in and rubbing. Rope ladder up, rope bridge across, and a zipline to a cottage, released on to a trampoline.

Paul Flatman
Goleen, Co.Cork Ireland

27 August 2005

This treehouse is half finished. The more time I spend on it the grander the design seems to be becoming. The basic shape is octagonal, about 14 feet across, and is 12 feet up in a very large ash tree.

Wayne Barnes
NY, USA
13 July 2005

I helped some friends build a tree house in central park in 1980. It was located on the west side of the park near the museum of natural history. We would go to the east side and get materials from dumpsters. The tree was impossible for most people to climb as it was large in diameter and had no branches below about 20 feet. My friends were expert climbers and would move up the tree like a jack. We made a rope bridge which led from another tree. Eventually we found strangers in the tree and dismantled the bridge in favor of dropping a rope after one of us had climbed the tree. A policeman on horseback would pass under the tree daily and we would hold our breath. One day in late summer I arrived at the tree to find a crew with a cherry picker tearing the house down. It was stuff kids dream about!

Guy Mauchamp
Flavigny sur Ozerain, Burgundy, France

15 June 2005

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I have build a hut in a cedar of my garden in a small medieval village of Burgundy. It is intended to my children but I also dream to build other huts to live there and work there.

Leah Reuter
Decatur, GA , USA
13 June 2005

We built our treehouse a year ago for my 5 year old daughter's birthday and as a place for both children to escape to during the remodeling of our house. As it turns out our two dogs love the tree house more than anyone and spend hours in it every day!

Mark Perez
National City, San Diego, CA, USA
20 May 2005

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My treehouse has 3 levels . The main deck, then a loft, and off of the loft is the "sky nest". My treehouse has the 3 things that make a 'true' treehouse. (1) a trap door (2) the stairs do not touch the ground, and (3) has a bucket on a rope. All the windows are plexi-glass because of birds flying into them. The tree is a pepper tree that must be around 90-100 years old (huge).

K.Koo
Sydney, Australia
7 May 2005

Possibly two of Australia's best treehouses, two treehouses of different designs, one classic wooden 2 story ski lodge and one (really two) side by side houses sharing the same roof sail. Different in construction than any other treehouse using lightweight sheet metal for the roof, painted bright blue, corrugated plastic board on the walls and plexiglass and clear roll up windows, Christmas lighting for night light and nuts,bolts and duct tape assembly allows the whole treehouse to be rebuilt in many different ways. Was shown on 60 Minutes TV show in July 2003.

Suresh.P.R
Vythiri, Western Ghats, North Kerala, India

palmlandtours.net
8 May 2005

Green Magic Treehouse. Two treehouses in 500 acres of tropical rain forest in the western ghats in North Kerala, South India. 400 feet above sea level, 100 feet above the tree with with flushing toilette, telephone shower, wash basin with running water, carpeted veranda and sit-out. The access to the house is by a hanging bridge and a lift which works by a counter wait of water comes from the mountain. You are invited.

Keith
South Haven, MI, USA

www.i2k.com/~keithandlisa/main.html
22 April 2005

The first treehouse I've built. The tree selection in the backyard was limited... so it was designed around two pine trees. Check out the site for details. Take any picture if you want to post one at this site.

Kyle
Crescent, IA, USA
13 April 2005

We have had a tree house for many years and I now have to rebuild it do to it rotting. Our tree house lasted about 8 years. it is built in one tree.Our tree house isn't real special. it is pretty secluded and it is about 10 feet up. the previous owners of the house built it. the tree house has one floor and isnt real big. It is about 5'x4'

Ian Brondolo
Stony Point, New York, USA
22 March 2005

I have a nice tree house built in an old oak tree that i am renovating, when it is finished it will be pretty nice. Good luck with your site! You are doing a very nice job.

Adam Willis
Woking, UK
20 March 2005

I've got a wicked tree house that me and my dad built its great!

Neil Blackburn
Location

www.ferniecastle.demon.co.uk/treehouse.htm
19 January 2005

Fernie Castle Treehouse perched in six lofty sycamores, the first glimpse of the house is through the pines, rowans and elderberries, the sun glinting on copper roof tiles. It appears to grow out of the trees with the sycamores bursting right through the floor and up out of the roof.

Entry is via a flight of stairs to a fairy light-festooned balcony where double doors with striking stained glass lead you into the bedroom. The bedroom has a huge elm kingsized bed and other specially designed furniture all hand made with total comfort in mind including electricity, plumbing, heating, an alarm, telephone, flat screen TV, DVD, CD player and coffee maker, plus a fridge full of champagne, chocolates and other goodies.

Climbing up what appears to be the inside of a hollow tree, one emerges into an octagonal bathroom with walls painted twilight blue and a frieze of fairies who flit among trees overhanging pools of water. The ceiling is awash with stars and a pale moon shines onto grazing unicorns, in the centre sits a huge slipper bath under a chandelier of leaves and flowers.