Have you ever thought of putting to good use those pieces of wood you got lying around the house? Why not give your kids a little treat by building their very own treehouse?
The first thing you need to do is look for a safe venue. This means that the tree where you are supposed to build the treehouse must be big and strong enough to support the structure. Aside from that, the tree should also be healthy so as for it to be able to withstand the test of time and weather.
Just keep in mind that the larger the treehouse that you plan to build, the larger the tree that you will need. Ideally, a tree with at least fifteen inches of diameter and four to ten feet in height would serve as a good foundation.
Once you have found a good and sturdy tree in your backyard, you could start gathering scraps of wood you have lying around the house. Make sure these pieces of wood are in good condition for the safety of your kids.
If it happens that you are to buy wood for the construction of the treehouse, it is best to buy hardwood as these are made from wood of strong and rot-resistant trees. Plywood is also ideal to be used for the flooring.
The construction of the treehouse starts with the platform, ideally made with boards that are at least a third of an inch thick. The platform should be made extremely close to the trunk of the tree and must be thoroughly secured at the base. In constructing the platform and attaching it to the tree, it is best to use galvanized nails as it helps make the structure sturdy without harming the tree.
After securing the platform into place, the floors are to be constructed next. For this, use plywood that is at least two-ply to make sure the flooring is strong enough. Start by connecting pieces of the hardwood boards in parallel and then nailing the plywood over in place. The number of boards and the size of the plywood depend on the size of the treehouse being constructed.
As for the walls, nail pieces of rectangular hardwood upward to the sides of the platform, spaced accordingly and taking into consideration any branches of the tree that may intrude the structure. You have the option of using plywood to serve as the wall of the treehouse or adding more rectangular hardwoods in between the ones already put up for better ventilation. After that, the roof may be constructed using two pieces of plywood supported by a piece of rectangular hardwood with the same length as that used on the walls.
Construct a set of stairs that may vary depending on your kids capabilities such as classic step-by-step stairs, spiral stairs or ship ladder stairs. Finally, paint the treehouse with your kids and give it a fresh coat of varnish every month to maintain its quality. Now your kids have a nice place to play in during the summer.
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