Build a tree house yourself step by step

If you build a tree house yourself, this is play, fun and excitement for your child - but also a retreat. We'll show you what is important when building your own home.

Build a tree house yourself - worth knowing

The first step, if you want to build a tree house yourself, is the successful search for a stable tree. An old apple tree often has suitable branches for a tree house for children between five and ten years old.

Ideally, the platform hovers about one meter above the ground. It should be secured by a railing that is at least 75 centimeters high and has no gaps that are wider than 10 centimeters. The construction of the access is particularly important, as most accidents happen here when the kids run to be the first up or down. To make it really safe, you need to build a staircase to the tree house, or you can attach a ladder with railings at an angle of 60 degrees. The ladder should have rounded rungs with a diameter of approx. 25 to 38 millimeters in order to offer optimal support for children's hands.

The floor under a tree house dries up quickly and then becomes hard as stone. It makes sense to make a soft landing at the foot of the ladder through sand, gravel or bark mulch. Small children also need constant supervision. The most important step in the construction of a tree house is the establishment of a stable and horizontal platform in the tree. Everything that comes after that is comparatively simple.

How to build the tree house platform

Nail two planks (50 x 150 millimeters) on opposite sides of the tree. Align the planks horizontally. Use higher branches and a rope to temporarily hang up the screed where it is to be attached. The frame of the platform does not have to be rectangular, but it has to be horizontal ! Do not fasten the frame of the platform with nails, but with large (10 x 100 millimeters) stainless key screws. The components should not be longer than 2.20 meters.

Crossbars are screwed on - this is the first step when building a tree house.

Photo: David Stiles

Nail two more planks (50 x 150 millimeters) at right angles to the first two planks. Check again whether the frame is horizontal. Watch out! Do not stand on the frame before the struts are attached.

Longitudinal beams are screwed over the previously installed planks.

Photo: David Stiles

The base of the tree house

Build a frame with planks (50 x 150 millimeters) as shown in the picture. Pine, spruce or even lark are particularly suitable for this. These types of wood are easily available in the hardware store and in the required sizes and lengths and are also affordable.

The frame of the platform is installed here.

Photo: David Stiles

Stabilize the tree house

The corner and cross struts are now missing for the stable tree house. And this is how you saw and screw them:

Next, assemble the struts - these ensure the stability of the tree house.

Photo: David Stiles

Cross struts

The best way to stabilize a tree house is to support the planks and beams with cross braces. After you have aligned the beam and the strut, use the jigsaw to saw a notch in the beam and screw the two parts together. (see drawing above)

Corner braces

Saw the struts from planks (50 x 100 millimeters) as shown here. Since each tree has a different shape, the struts must be cut individually to length.

Bring the struts to the right length so that they can also be stable.

Photo: David Stiles

When it comes to the floor in the tree house, there are a few things you need to consider

In order for the children to enjoy the tree house for a long time, the material and spacing on the floor must be right. How to build the underground:

Slats are laid for the floor of the tree house.

Photo: David Stiles

Many tree houses are too damp and therefore susceptible to pests and mold. If you do not build your tree house with watertight walls, windows and roof, it is recommended to install the floor boards at a distance of five millimeters. This way, the water that gets into the house can flow out again.

Attach intermediate supports (50 x 100 millimeters), the distance should never be less than 40 centimeters. Don't forget the trap door. Build a plank frame (50 x 100 millimeters) around the opening and lay the floor around it. Use plywood or board scraps of uniform thickness for the floor.

For the necessary safety of your children, scaffolding and walls are placed on the floor of the tree house. Read here how it works.

Slats are screwed tight

Photo: Illustration & Designs: David Stiles

framework

The height of a railing should depend on the size of the residents. You do not have to install the railing at a height of one meter if the tree house is mainly used by children. If possible, the railing slats and rungs should be attached to the inside of the posts. Otherwise the construction can fall out if nails come loose.

walls

Walls can be boarded horizontally or vertically. You can also use shingles or formwork boards, but then a plywood substructure must be built first, overlap the boards 40 millimeters so that rainwater can drain off. Half-height walls let plenty of light and air into the tree house.

Structure of the scaffold.

Photo: David Stiles

Finally: the tree house roof

First attach the corner girders, then the intermediate girders. Nail the slats (25 x 100 millimeters) onto the support as a substructure for the covering.

Roof is covered

Photo: Illustration & Designs: David Stiles

Wooden roofs should usually be covered to keep out the rain. Usually, tar cardboard is enough for a tree house, you can expect it to last for several years. Permanent solutions are asphalt shingles or covering material from the roll. A really elegant roof can be made with wooden shingles.

Roof is covered

Photo: Illustration & Designs: David Stiles

If there is enough space, add a few extras such as a rope ladder, a climbing net or a trapeze swing and soon the tree house will be the most visited place in the garden by the children.

Never forget that security is a top priority. Check tree and house at least every two years.

Book tips

Did you like a little retreat in the green? These books show you how diverse tree houses can be. In addition to important safety instructions and basic building instructions, you will find clever ideas for simple tree houses to small castles that span several trees.

Castles in the air and rustic homes in mini format: From the small tranquil tree house to quaint Tarzan huts - there is something for every adventurer here.

This book is dedicated to children and their (grand) parents. Many drawings show how simple and stable tree houses and huts can be built without great expenditure of time or money. With detailed step-by-step drawings of various tree house constructions and other small buildings that are interesting for children, as well as a photo section in which self-made tree houses and huts are presented, as can be found everywhere in Germany's gardens. They show the great scope of construction that is possible when building is done individually and depending on the situation.

David Stiles, "Small Tree Houses and Huts", 94 pages, 12.95 euros, Ökobuch Verlag, 2008

Photo: Ökohaus Verlag

If your child has now also taken a liking to garden life, this book offers many child-friendly suggestions for your little gardener. Children find it fascinating when the first plant sprout from self-sown seeds or exposed cuttings and strawberries and lettuce can be harvested by yourself. Whether a beautiful rock garden or a gourd for birds: Little gardeners learn imaginatively and playfully in over 35 projects how to use soil, shovel and watering can. Easy-to-understand instructions, clear checklists and simple tips for crafting and playing make it easy to introduce children to the garden in a playful manner and to a responsible approach to nature.

Catherine Woram, Martyn Cox, "Garden gnome + daisies", 144 pages, Callwey Verlag, 2008

Photo: Callwey