If you have decided to build a treehouse for your children—or for yourself—then you are going to need to spend a good amount of time on the planning stage. With the proper preparations, you can ensure that your treehouse is going to be safe and entertaining for many years to come.
Check Local Codes
Well before you even think about tackling this project, you need to research all of your local building codes. Every municipality is slightly different, but most will require you to pull a permit if the treehouse is considered to be hospitable. You will also need permits if you plan on running any electricity or plumbing to the treehouse.
Find the Perfect Tree
Finding the perfect tree is easier said than done, and you might want to speak with a residential tree care company at the start of this project. One of these companies will be able to help you trim all of your trees and determine how healthy they are. Even if a tree seems to be perfectly healthy, there could be internal damage that is compromising its integrity. They should also be able to give you more information regarding which types of trees tend to last the longest and grow the slowest.
Create Your Plans
Coming up with a comprehensive construction plan is another vital step in this process. That plan should include exact schematics and a complete list of all the supplies that you are going to need. You must also spend a little bit of time figuring out how the treehouse is going to be held in place. While some standalone treehouses have external pillars, you might be able to put anchors in the tree itself if it is healthy enough.
Allow for Future Growth
Trees grow very slowly, but some species can easily expand by multiple inches in a single year in the right conditions. That is why it is so important to ensure that you have ample room for the tree to grow. Anywhere where the treehouse is close to the tree, there should be at least a few inches of space.
Building a treehouse that is going to last for years can be a highly complicated undertaking, and this is one project where you never want to make any mistakes. That is why it is so important to spend some extra time on the planning stage of this process. A little bit of work beforehand is going to help you avoid some major setbacks down the road.
Author Bio
Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.