|
 |
Here is a photo of the tree that I started out with. It is in the shape of a "Y", so I researched ways to build a treehouse in this configuration.
|
 |
The most common way I found to build a treehouse in this configuration was to attach beams on either side of the "Y" like so.
You must attach your beams at points on the tree that are large and strong enough to hold the weight of the treehouse and occupants, though.
|
 |
I used a couple of temporary nails to lay the beam in place and to get it level before attaching it.
I used lag bolts that go at least a few inches into the tree to attach the beams.
It's not shown in this particular photo, but I also used washers on the lag bolts.
When bolting to wood, it is always a good idea to use washers to add strength and stability to your attach points.
I predrilled the hole into the beam and hammered the lag bolt into the tree just a bit before screwing the lag bolt into the tree.
|
 |
You know the lag bolt is solid into the tree when it countersinks into the beam during the last few turns.
Most people ask at this point, "Don't the lag bolts hurt the tree?"
The simple answer is that usually a tree will recover fine and just grow around something like that.
|
 |
So I attached two main beams to the "Y" of the tree ... one on either side.
Make each beam level and then make the two beams level with each other.
This is the base that the rest of the treehouse is built upon, so if it's out of whack everything else will go downhill from there.
|
 |
After the two main beams were attached, then I started attaching crossbeams to the main beams.
These crossbeams are the floor beams for the treehouse.
The decking will be installed later on top of these floor beams.
|
 |
Each floor beam that is next to the main tree branches is attached with a lag bolt to the tree branch for strength and stability.
The floor beams that are attached to the branch at an angle instead of straight up and down will cause the flooring to not be perfectly level, but I wasn't concerned about that.
I'd rather the floor beam be solidly attached to the tree than have a perfectly flat floor.
But you could shave off a corner of your floor beam on a table saw if you really wanted to be a perfectionist.
|
 |
The floor beams that are not next to the tree are just toe nailed down into the main beams.
All these floor beams will become solid when we box in the whole thing later.
Just make sure you install your floor beams straight and that their ends are all flush with each other in a straight line.
If the ends are not all in a straight line, then it will be difficult to box them in to make a stable platform.
|
 |
In this photo, I've started to box in the flooring beams.
I'm creating a square stable platform ... well, it will be completely stable after I install some braces from the four corners down to the trunk of the tree.
|
 |
Here is a photo from below of the flooring beams after they were boxed in.
|
 |
Now it's time to stabilize the platform that I just built.
I will stabilize the platform by attaching braces from each of the four corners of the box down at an angle to the center tree trunk, below where the tree splits into a "Y".
This photo shows an attach point mounted onto the center tree trunk where a brace will be attached.
|
 |
This photo shows a test cutout of how I expect the brace to lay on the above attach point on the center tree trunk.
I want the brace to rest primarily on the attach point, but I want some of the force to also be pushing into the tree trunk itself.
|
 |
Then I used the test cutout as a template to mark the brace for cutting.
I made sure to cut each brace a little long to provide upward force onto each corner of the platform.
I'd rather have a little upward force during construction than start out with it sagging.
|
 |
Here is one of the four corner braces after it was installed.
|
 |
This part got a little complicated, but basically once the square platform was finished and stabilized I expanded the platform all the way to the ends of the main beams with some angled beams.
You can see from this photo that I added some small blocks to the sides of the ends of the main beams to give me more area to set the other beams on top of.
|
 |
Here is a close up of the intersection of the original square platform and the expansion of that platform.
I just securely attached a block underneath the corner of the original square platform that was used to set the new expanded floor beam onto.
|
 |
Here is a photo of the final finished platform.
|
 |
The next step is to install the flooring planks.
I started by installing the center plank and then installed outwards from there.
|
 |
Here's a photo of the platform after all the flooring planks were installed.
|
 |
Here is a photo of the floor from below.
|
 |
Now it's time to install the railing uprights.
I installed the railing uprights by using two lag bolts as shown in this photo.
|
 |
Here is what the railing uprights look like after they were all installed.
|
 |
Another angle of the finished railing uprights.
|
 |
Then I installed a horizontal railing piece around the whole thing and screwed them all together for stability.
|
 |
After that, it was time to install the final railing bars all around the whole treehouse.
|
 |
Here is the final completed treehouse, ready for kids to come and play.
|
 |
Another angle of the final completed treehouse.
|
 |
Another angle of the final completed treehouse.
|
 |
The treehouse in use.
|
 |
The treehouse in use.
|
|
|
