Tree House Design Ideas

1. Allow the Trees to Grow

Trees grow and trees move in the wind. They’ll move together and apart and sideways—you have to allow for that movement. The trees will win in that struggle. If you’re creating a tree house that connects to more than one tree, bolt the tree house to the largest tree. Every other connection should use “floating brackets,” which move without being encumbered by the house.
2. Limit the Number of Holes in the Tree

That limits the amount of pathogens or funguses that can make the tree sick. Keep the penetrations about 18 inches away from each other and never situated in a straight line, which can cause the holes to grow together into a single, damaging wound.
3. Don’t Put Wood Against the Tree

If you have wood against the tree, that connection will catch water and the beams will rot. Try to keep the beams about three to four inches away from the tree using a TAB (tree-house attachment bolt).
4. Build for the Future

Think about how long you’re going to use the tree house and add five years to it. Then build with that time frame in mind as you allocate space for growth. Depending on the scope of the project, make the house adult size. The kids will leave someday, and then you’ll still have it in the tree.
5. Use Your Imagination.

We build a lot of climbing walls on tree houses. We once even built a Japanese soaking tub in a tree house. Ziplines, custom slides, portholes in the floor are also fun. (For the latter, carve out a hole and put heavy duty glass in the floor so you can look straight at the ground.) Have fun with the materials too. Think: salvaged lumber, sticks, branches. If you remove limbs from the tree, keep them to use for railings. Allowing your imagination to run wild is what building a tree house is all about.