How to Build a Homemade Treehouse

A tree house can be a simple structure your kids use to enjoy the outdoors.

If you want to have a place for your kids outdoors where they can feel away from it all but are still in the yard, a treehouse is a good idea. Treehouses are also fun projects to do with your kids because they can learn basic carpentry and building. Basic treehouses can be built over the course of a weekend using recycled building material or store-bought pieces.

Things You'll Need

• 2-by-6 lumber
• Hammer
• Drill and bit
• Wood screws
• Carpentry nails
• Plywood sheet
• Extension ladder
• Rope
• Corrugated metal sheet
• Measuring tape
• Knife
• Saw

Instructions

Pick the Tree

1. Identify deciduous trees for this project. Evergreen trees contain pitch (thick sap) that can ruin clothes and stick to anything it comes in contact with.

2. Choose an older tree with lots of space between large branches. Avoid trees where the bark has been removed or the limbs have no new growth, because these limbs and the tree could be unhealthy and frail.

3. Measure up the trunk of the tree to the nearest large branch. Look for branches no higher than 8 to 10 feet off the ground. Pick branches that are nearly even with each other and would support a person. If there are multiple branches growing at a 45-degree angle, use those as braces for the treehouse.

Setting Up Support

1. Determine the width and length of the treehouse floor. These measurements will determine the size of the support braces.

2. Measure and mark the height of the treehouse from the ground by notching a mark in the bark. Measure the length from the tree to the furthest extent of the treehouse floor. Mark this measurement with a notch in the nearest branch. Measure the distance from the base of the tree to the notch in the branch. Use these measurements to determine the bracing board sizes.

3. Cut sets of 2-by-6 lumber measuring the distance from the tree to the notch in the branch, and the distance from the tree base to the notch in the branch. These become your braces for the floor. Cut a set of blocks to support the arms of the brace from the tree.

4. Use a ladder to reach the markings in the trunk. Drill screws through the blocks into the trunk at those marks.

5. Toss a rope over a nearby branch. Tie one end of the rope to the middle of one of the horizontal boards. Hoist the board up into position by having a helper pull the rope to lift the board.

6. Position the board with the wide face up. Screw the end of the board into the top of the block.

7. Position the bracing board between the base of the tree and the end of the horizontal beam. Nail the bottom of the brace to the block either directly into the block face or alongside the block. Screw the top of the brace to the underside of the horizontal board.

8. Repeat Step 5 through 7 to attach the second brace. You should have two triangular shapes jutting from the tree below the chosen branches.

9. Cut the floor boards and position them side by side across the supports with the wide edge facing up. Make the ends flush. Nail the floor boards into the supports.

Building the Structure

1. Construct the walls on the ground. Build a basic framework by nailing studs to top and bottom boards every 3 feet.

2. Nail plywood sheets to the wall frames. Place the sides of the sheets halfway across the width of the narrow edge so each stud supports two sheets. Cut out your windows and door.

3. Stand the ladder against the braces and use it for access. Using the rope again, hoist one wall up at a time. Position the wall on the floor and nail it into place. You will need either a helper to hold the wall up until other walls are in place or a beam placed at a 45-degree angle from the top of the wall to the floor. Repeat this step for each wall.

4. Build a fifth framework similar to the walls. Nail corrugated metal to the frame. This becomes the roof.

5. Measure and cut a board the length of one wall. Nail the board to the top edge of the wall with the wide edge facing up.

6. Hoist the roof up to the top of the treehouse. Position the roof so one end rests on the added board while the opposite end rests on a wall. Make the ends flush. Hammer nails through the roof frame into the board and wall at an angle.

References

• Martha's Vineyard Magazine: Building a Tree House; Geoff Currier
• Thetreehouseguide: Construction Tutorials; Knee Braces