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2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  jwoodcraft 
#1 ·
So I want to build a treehouse in the woods...

As I have mentiuoned before I joined an Army Veterans private forest society. We cna go there to destress, light a fire, build am shelter, do some fishing. I asked my kids what type of shelter we should build and they immediately asked for a treehouse fort.
So I watched some youtube videos and there are these wood screw bolts that you can buy that allow the tree to continue to grow without throttling it. They were around $100 each and IO need to buy two and improt them to the UK. I have no idea what they are called - can anyone help?

I also need the othr support brackets to make the legs etc to keep the paltfrom stable. This is a build on a single tree trunk. Any ideas for me?
 
#2 ·
No clue of the parts that you need are other than I thought they were called something like a compression fitting.
I would recommend doing the tree house separate and just building it near it or build a deck over to it. I've built several ground blinds near trees and it's amazing how even large trees move inches when a good wind comes through. Several years ago there was a nice big maple behind my house I was gonna build a tree house on for the kids. About a month after considering it the tree started dropping branches. It ended up having the center rotted out and I had to cut it down.
 
#4 ·
The tree house needs to be structurally sound independent of the tree. If supported by heavy outreaching branches, you do not need many lag bolts into the trunk. Consider having a retractable or canvas roof. Choose a tree that typically lives more than fifty years. My tree houses survived for 20 years or so - the trees did not die to cause it.
 
#5 ·
I think they're just called TABs (Tree Attachment Bolts). I'm currently building a treehouse as well and decided ultimately to build it around the tree rather than on the tree. I didn't want the structure dependent on the tree at all. But my decision was based on wanting it to be a long-term structure. Ones that are integrated into the tree are much cooler ;-)
 
#6 ·
How to build a weathertite roof that also lets smoke out for my treehouse

So. If and when I finish my treehouse platform I was thinking about how to make a roof that is sealed against the tree but also a chimney stack to let smoke out. My thought process so far is to build an umbrella framework around the tree and fashion a rubber or flexible material seal rather like the neck seal on a drysuit. Then include a capped metal smokestack coming out of the roof.

Does anyone else have any other ideas?

Thank you
 
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