Building a treehouse for your kids

By Hanke Huber Jun 17, 2010, 12:24 GMT

Hamburg - Elementary school children all over the world are familiar with the Magic Treehouse book series.

Jack and Annie are the names of the children in these books written by US author Mary Osborne Pope and first published in 1992. The siblings discover a treehouse that help them travel through time to distant lands - a promise that real treehouses can also make.

'In a treehouse you're close to nature. It can be a quiet place, but it also has something adventurous about it,' said Andreas Wenning, an architect and author of a book about treehouses, referring to the special emotions they evoke. More than anything else, a treehouse gives children the feeling that they are in suspension, totally removed from the ground.

The first step on the way to building a treehouse is to find a suitable tree.

'The first criteria is that the tree is nice and green in the summer,' said Bodo Siegert of the German association of arborists in Bavaria. The second consideration is the condition of the trunk and branches. 'The tree shouldn't have any major damage such as cuts from loggers, depressions, water pockets or woodpecker holes.'

Damage at the point where the branches meet the tree trunk, tears in the branches or the trunk and fungus also are bad signs.

The best material to use to make the platform and the walls is oak, pine, spruce or another common wood.

'A treehouse for children as a rule mustn't be built to last for 20 years,' said Michael Prommer, trainer at a do-it-yourself academy in Cologne. 'But one thing that shouldn't be dismissed is a wood protector.' Pommer recommends glazes or oils that include a pigment and an appropriate level of UV protection.

Screws that won't rust are best for attaching the wooden planks, Pommer said. However, to attach the structure to the tree, screws are taboo. Rope or belts can be used so that the tree house hangs in the tree. But make sure the weight of the structure is distributed so there isn't too much weight on one branch. And, because trees grow up and out, the straps shouldn't be too tight. A tight wire wrapped around the trunk over time would strangle the tree.

'Wherever there is a contact point with the tree it must be even or if not, a rubber bumper should be placed between the structure and the tree,' Wenning said.

It's not always possible to avoid using a nail, and when they are used, it's important not to simply pull them out when taking the treehouse down, Siegert said. Instead leave the nails in the tree and saw them off. 'That protects the tree from further damage.'

Another important aspect of the construction is its safety. The treehouse railings should be stable, any nails that are used should not be sticking out and planks should not be loose. Spreading sand or sawdust in the area under the treehouse could lessen in injury in case of a fall. For Wenning, climbing through squeaking tree limbs is all part of the treehouse experience.