Archive for the General Tree House Blog Category
Posted on February 2, 2010 with No Comments
Most people, when building tree houses, never consider winter construction because they want to be inside when it’s cold outside. But there are a few good reasons to build during the winter. Building tree houses during winter may reduce construction induced stress on the host trees. Here’s 3 reasons why:
Building tree houses in winter is good for the trees and fun for us too!
1. If you need to wound a tree for building a tree house or general pruning, the dormant winter season is the best time of year to do it. The scent from tree wounds can attract insects that spread oak wilt or Dutch elm disease. We’re also concerned here in Pennsylvania about the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer. But insect and fungal activity is at a minimum during the winter so the transmission risk is very low.
2. Building in winter, just previous to the growth season, will also permit the tree to direct its spring vigor toward responding to the attachment point injury and the weight and wind sail forces from the new tree house. The tree will grow reactive tissue around the attachment points which helps the tree compartmentalize or “wall off” the wound. This extra growth, over time, is beneficial for the strength of the tree house and resists spread of decay in the tree. Trees also grow more and thicker structural roots on an as needed basis, so they will grow more roots to respond to the added wind sail effect created by tree house walls and the overall weight of the structure. These factors immediately shock the tree, but it will likely regain balance over a couple growing seasons. A tree house built at the end of winter, just previous to the onset of the spring growing season, will have the full benefit of that year’s reactive growth to help the tree adjust to the new wounds and loading.
3. Soil disturbance, one of the most serious tree threats during tree house construction, is much reduced during winter when the ground is frozen. Foot prints and vehicle tires can seriously reduce the ongoing health & vigor of trees when they compact the soil. Trees need air spaces between soil particles to aid in absorbing nutrients. But frozen soil becomes rigid, protecting those tiny air spaces from compaction.
Winter can be a great time for building tree houses. It may not be when most humans would think of tackling an outdoor project, but when we consider the arboreal benefits, perhaps more of us will wear an extra layer and build our tree houses over the dormant winter season.
Posted on September 27, 2009 with No Comments
Question From Peter:
“I’m thinking of using 4-5 trees as supports for a 12′ yurt platform. The platform would be only 1-2 feet up from the ground and placed on 2 (very) roughly parallel beams attached to 4 trees (each between 2 trees), with possibly a diagonal beam additionally attached to one of those trees and extending to a fifth tree (for center support).
trees, measurements, and treehouse platform layout
The distance between edge of platform and bark of tree would range from about 6 inches to 5 ft. (if there’s a center beam) or 3 ft. (if there’s not). I’m attaching a site diagram, for your reference. I believe the trees I would be using are pines. Their trunks are between 1 and 1.5 feet in diameter at 1 ft. above the ground, and they are very tall. It looks like their foliage is in the top third.
My questions are these: (3)
1. Would there be movement to worry about that close to the ground? If so, should I use fewer trees and partially support the platform from the ground?
2. Should I support the platform from the ground, regardless of how many trees I use?
3. While I am aware of hardware options, my preference is to use slings and/or lashings to attach the beams to the trees, with a layer underneath the straps to protect the bark. I would take down the yurt and platform on a yearly basis in order to adjust the straps, but otherwise, they would stay up year-round. When I’m gone from the site, I would remove the beams from the trees. Would this work? I’m aware there have been efforts to build treehouses without hardware, but can’t seem to find info about this on the web.”
Thanks for the questions, Peter, and I’ll tell you what I think.
1. If I were you, I would place several buckets upside down around a sample tree in the stand where you will build the treehouse yurts. Then place small boards on top of the buckets so that they run tangentially to the tree around it and are only about a half inch from the bark. Then go out there on a windy day and watch/measure how much the trees move at 1 foot high. They will certainly move, but I don’t believe they will move enough to affect your decision of what type of treehouse attachment to use. The principal is that the lower to the ground you are, the less the trees will move. However, what little movement they make becomes more difficult to stop due to leverage. Even if you theoretically could stop that movement, you might not want to because it will interfere with reactive root growth which strengthens the tree. Typically, I would use a floating bracket for attaching the treehouse to traditional fasteners like garnier limbs, but this is leading into your other questions.
2. If tree friendly construction is your primary goal, then you should consider using 100% ground support instead of attaching to the trees or using removable slings. The holes will damage some small roots, but with careful digging, this damage will be far less than penetrating fasteners. Either way, don’t forget that foot traffic around the treehouse during and after construction is often a much greater threat than using penetrating fasteners. I’ll also mention that you are diverting rainwater that would otherwise fall under the treehouse yurts and affecting where needles will build up over the years, but these issues are not as important as the above.
3. Some Japanese treehouse builders in the late 1990s did not want to penetrate the bark with fasteners, so they used large clamps. I understand that this practice has been found to do less short term damage, but more long term damage to the trees. Plus, it’s hard to get the clamps tight enough not to slide down the tree under the dead load alone… If you are committed enough to sling and resling the trees every year, then it might work out for you that way. Several arboretums in the Philadelphia area have held treehouse building events in the past few years and all of them had rules about not penetrating the trees. In my opinion, some of the non-penetrating methods were more damaging to trees than our normal practice of penetrating. If you go this route, please spend the extra money to get larger, wider, tree saving slings. These will have a greater bearing surface on the bark and will be less likely to cause grooves under the sling. They will also have higher load ratings so they will last longer when left out in the rain & UV. The primary concern, in my mind is that you are making regular work for yourself this way that may not get done enough, or that the slings may do surface damage to the bark a little bit at a time, especially while being taken down and reset, regardless of how careful you are about it.
Please leave a comment here after you consider all of your research and decide what to do. We’d also like to see a picture of your finished treehouse yurts! Thanks, and happy treehouse building, -Dan Wright
Posted on June 1, 2009 with 1 Comment
Top 7 Reasons People Build Tree Houses
1.Tree Houses are Escapes from the “Normal.”
To many, the appeal of tree houses is that you don’t see them every day. True tree houses, that is, structures supported by trees or built closely around them, are less common than pools, boats, play sets, gazebos, or fancy flower beds. Many who build tree houses are simply seeking something different from what everyone else has.
2. Nicely Finished Tree Houses Expand the Borders of the Home.
Some tree houses are connected to a ground house by a bridge or stairway from a deck. But even if it’s a short walk down a wooded path, tree houses practically extend the use of the home. As guest rooms, tree houses are unmatched in novelty. As a result, as bed & breakfast units, they generate higher than average rental rates. Well built tree houses can have all modern comforts of ground houses and some tree houses are even built as permanent homes.
3. Tree Houses are Iconic Imaginative Places.
You don’t have to look far into kids culture to find tree houses. Cartoon and book characters have disproportionately more tree houses than the average real kids who want to be like them. Tree Houses are homes for Ewoks, and Elves if your imagination takes you into the world of fiction.
4. Tree Houses get the Kids out of the House
Most tree houses are kids tree houses, and many parents build aerial retreats to get the kids outside in the fresh air rather than in front of the computer or television. Active play is good for kids of all ages. Tree houses, with their climbing features, swings, zip lines, and places to play and hide definetely fall into the category of “active play.”
5. Playsets are not as cool as Tree Houses.
Playsets may call themselves “tree houses,” but they have a completely different function and appearance. Playsets are typically only 4-6 feet high, have notoriously small square footage (to make them cheaper) and kids grow out of the plastic slides and small features by age 9 if not earlier. Tree Houses, on the other hand, can be built to appeal to the whole family.
6.Tree Houses make Fantastic Gifts or Special Rewards.
Many Tree Houses are birthday or holiday gifts. Sometimes grandparents build tree houses to make their yards more fun for the grandkids. The most popular time to build tree houses is the beginning of summer, which is where graduation events coincide with outdoor weather.
7.We all Innately Want to Build Tree Houses!
The desire to build tree houses comes from our instinct to create our own space. As small children, we love to hide under blankets. Next, we are moving furniture around to make walls. Before long, we are grabbing hammers and nails to start building tree houses. Why fight nature? Come on, you know you want to!
Now it’s your turn: Not that the above aren’t sufficient, but what other reasons can you all think of for building tree houses?
