subject: Top Treehouse Plans And Ideas [print this page] These days, the news can be depressing, & many people are turning to hobbies & entertainment for a distraction. , Instead of consumption, emphasis has recently turned to the creation. If you're looking for an escape? Why not build a treehouse? The benefits are twofold: You can indulge your creative side & let your worries while travelling a safe haven for your child - or your inner child.
"Tree houses grow in popularity & in numbers," says Robert Miskimon, author of The Complete Guide to Building Your Own Treehouse: For parents & adults who are Kids at Heart. " It's possible to build a functional tree house with the barest of materials - including materials you can find & bring back ". "
Build a backyard sanctuary can be a special project to share with your children. Stimulate their creativity & get them outdoors with the added advantage of increasing the quality family time.
"But treehouses aren't just for kids anymore. Adults get in on the act, too - take Corbin Dunn, 31, an Apple employee who took up permanent residence in a tree house in Santa Cruz, California 5 years ago.
Want to create 1 of these towering getaways, but don't know which nail to hit first? To begin designing & building your ultimate treetop port, follow these 7 basic tips:
Use new wood support beams: It is probably the most critical structural & safety components in your tree house. She must be of good quality wood & sufficient size to support the weight of your structure to suspend. Avoid knotty pine because of its reduced load capacity.
Make sure recycled wood: Often, it's interesting & odd-shaped pieces of wood was found to give a tree house their own personality & appearance. But when it comes to recycling old pieces of wood for structural members, you should carefully examine them before use. Inspect the tree for any signs of decay, rot, insect damage or cracks.
Avoid bolting girders directly between trees: Even at a lower level, large trees can experience significant traffic in strong winds, allowing the bolts to break. The best way to attach the beams is by means of a flexible joint at 1 end, so the structure slide, rather than shear, in this situation.
Use large bolts, not nails, support: A single, large lag bolt in each attachment to a tree not only cause less damage to the tree, but also more structural support. Cheque support scores of law bolts & overbuild every joint to support 3 times the estimated weight of the structure of people in it.
Do not tie ropes, straps, or cables around the tree: They'll eventually strangle the tree & cause it to die. To allow for tree growth, provides a 2-inch gap around the tree if it'll pass through the floor & a 3-inch space if it passes through the roof. Notice behaviour similar trees in wind storms to get an idea of how much power you need to make up for.
Build your tree house in the sections on the ground & hoist them into place: It's important both from a safety & convenience standpoint. Involve your children here - has built pieces hoist them up with a rope & pulley.
Use diagonal braces to provide the greatest amount of support as possible: It's because of the inherent structural strength of a triangle than a square or rectangle. Once you've aligned the beam & brace over each other, making a notch on the underside of the beam using a jigsaw, put the bar in the slot & screw or bolt the beam to the brace.
