1999 Tree House

The Tree House

My kids wanted me to make  them a tree house, and we had a suitable tree in the yard.  It had to be
multileveled.   Just a box up in a tree would be boring after a while, because there's just so much you can do in a box.

I designed the tree house in my head before and during construction.  No drawings were made.  Something I try to avoid now.  A lot of time and money can be wasted if details are not worked out ahead of time.  For me, drawing out my ideas almost always improves the final outcome.


I didn't want to kill the 100+yr. old post oak, so the structure is supported by four 4X4's resting on large stones at the base of the tree.  The tree is mostly used for lateral support.   The structure is lag screwed to
the tree at only two points.


Going up and down and working off ladders made construction tedious over time.  My neighbors all thought I was nuts, but all in the kids in the neighborhood loved it.


Great project.  As always, I'd do it different now, but as they say, it's all about the journey not the triumph.

See the slide show to view all the pictures