1. Planning Phase.

++
2. Preliminary Structural Design.
3. Estimation of Loads.
4. 4. Structural Analysis.
5. Structural Analysis.
6. Revised Structural Design.


Basics – Which timber for treehouse construction?
 Support Element – Wood Struts
 Support Element – Triangle Constructions
 Reinforcing Constructions

Wood type:
The construction timber should be suitable for outdoor use, as it is freely exposed to environmental
influences (rain, humidity, moss, …). Woods such as larch or Douglas spruce are best suited for all
exterior treehouse parts – these are light, have sufficient strength and can be processed well!

If the wood is screwed directly to the tree or lies in the splash area on the ground (e.g., stilt base or
stairs) it should be particularly resistant (oak, robinia, etc.). Disadvantages of these noble hardwoods
are the high costs, the heavy weight, and the difficult processing (effort, tool wear).

Beam dimensions:

The timber must be dimensioned in such a way that it can withstand the “worst case”: the beams is
wood.

Wood-wood connections:
In contrast to structures on the ground, we often have alternating loads (wobbling, swinging, leverage
and torsion) in the treehouse:

 Classic carpenter joints (lap joints, etc.) should be avoided, as these weaken the cross-section
of the beams and are pooling points for water – work better with smooth joints and lots of
screws.
 Use long wood screws, partially threaded, galvanised

 Screw heavily stressed areas more often

 Very heavily stressed joints are reinforced with angle plates or PU glue

Bracing: Square passes – triangle persists!

This is one of the most important construction rules in building – no matter whether horizontal or
vertical load, no matter whether supporting structure, floor, walls or roof – to prevent your surfaces
from tilting you have to brace them with triangles.
Consoles as lateral Support Elements
Brackets are versatile and suitable for small supporting structures. Several brackets can be used to
build small platforms on a tree.  There are two variants:

GTS Side  + Wood Screws

If the beam is screwed directly to the tree, the rough bark should be removed and the wooden beam
adapted to the shape of the trunk. Since the beam lies directly against the tree, there is a risk that
moisture will collect and be absorbed through the front wood. To prevent this joint from rotting
prematurely, you should use sturdy wood such as oak, robinia or very slow-growing larch.
GTS Side  +  Strut Support Safety
Advantage of the construction with Strut Support Safety:
 Easier assembly
 Height-adjustable at a later stage (if strut sags under load)
 No water accumulation
 Tree can better wrap around bolt
Triangle Construction
Let’s move on to the most important supporting element in treehouse construction – the “triangular
construction”!

The triangle is formed from two additional struts held together at the bottom by a “Bracket” – the
load is transferred into the trunk via both GTS Screws!

The triangular construction is inherently rigid and cannot tilt sideways.

Nevertheless, the triangle remains easily rotatable around the trunk axis – thus wind fluctuations are
dampened.
The advantages of triangular construction are:
 Triangles are immovable and rigid
 The platform can cantilever widely / protrude laterally
 The screws are below each other, fewer vessels are cut through
 No opposing screws – the trunk can be slightly thinner
 3D triangles allow for very large platforms, whether in one or more trees
 A lot of freedom in design!
Reinforcing Elements – increasing the load-bearing capacity

When do you need supporting elements?

 Your treehouse is getting very big & heavy – your tree screws are reaching their load limits!
 The wood of the tree is soft (poplar, willow, spruce, pine, fir, Douglas fir).
 You notice during or after assembly that parts of the platform wobble or tilt.
 You subsequently extend your treehouse or the platform.
There are two ways in which you can increase the load-bearing capacity and thus safety:
Smaller loads up to 500 kg can be attached directly to the GTS Safety.

A load-bearing steel or Dyneema rope should have a minimum diameter of ø 8 mm (0.3 in) for larger
loads.
Planning phase.

Design process of a tree house

1. Check the planning/building regulations in your area

 In urban areas planning regulations can easily demand that your treehouse is removed on safety, distraction or
regulatory infringement grounds.
 Every area is different, but some general guidelines apply.
 Ask officially before you build.
 Speak to your neighbours before you start, because they are most likely to object to a treehouse. Discussing
your idea before you start will make it much easier to get their approval.

2. Design the treehouse plan before you start cutting any wood

 Involve the client. If the treehouse is for your children, ask them what features they would like and let them
help with drawing up the plans. Make sure they feel that it is their own treehouse.
 Map the supporting trunks or branches at your proposed floor level. Use string to mark the height on each
trunk and draw the layout on squared paper.
 Work out the best support method for your particular site. Sometimes designing is easier if you use fewer
trees.
 Lay out the floor to work out the size limits for the walls and any outside deck.
 Draw the house to fit on the floor. The Sketchup web app works well and produces a 3D model that helps to
anticipate problems early on.

3. Keep supports separate to the house framework

 Aim for a level floor capable of taking the entire weight of the house. The house should be rigid and attached
to a solid, flat floor to prevent any twisting of the structure.
 Avoid fixing any walls or parts of the roof to branches passing through.
 Walls need to be load-bearing and rigid enough to support their own weight plus the roof.

4. Allow flexibility in the supports if you use more than one tree

 If more than one tree is used they must be allowed to move in the wind or the treehouse can be easily
damaged.
 Use either metal brackets or cables to allow flexibility.
 Building between two trees is the easiest system for large treehouses. Using more trees means allowing
movement in different directions, which is hard to absorb.
 A popular flexible design uses a rigid floor unit that can slide over beams below, allowing the beams and the
trees to move independently.
 To reduce excessive movement, bolt one part of the supports to the largest tree of the set, allowing the other
end(s) of the support(s) to move flexibly.
5. Use single large bolts for attachments to the tree

 Single puncture wounds at each attachment point cause much less tree damage.
 Large bolts are much stronger than screws or nails.
 Lag bolts are preferable to through bolts as less damage is caused.
 Check fastening ratings and always overbuild each joint to take at least three times the projected weight of
materials and occupants.

6. Avoid restricting tree growth

 Don't tie straps or ropes around the tree as this will strangle it over time.
 Add spacers between beams and the tree to allow room for growth during the lifespan of the treehouse, or use
very large bolts which have plenty of the shaft exposed and mount items on the end.
 Allow a 2" gap around the tree if it passes through the floor.
 Add at least a 3" gap around the tree if it passes through the roof (more if the tree flexes much in the wind).

7. Build as much as possible on the ground

 Building on the ground is safer.

 Using power tools is easier.
 Parts will be prepared faster and more accurately than if constructed in the tree.
 Design the treehouse in separately built sections that can easily be joined together—supports, floor, walls and
roof. These can then be raised into the tree with a pulley and quickly secured in position.
 In remote locations prepare a proper work area before you start. This is a lot

Preliminary Structural Design.

Beams will provide the main support for the treehouse, so it’s important to make sure that they are strong enough
to do this. Here we’re using 3″ x 12″ (75 mm x 300 mm) C24 grade timber beams. Each beam is fixed to two
TABs (dynamic triangle assemblies) – one at each end. In case you missed it, we covered the dynamic triangle
assembly in our last post. So, in other words, each TAB carries quarter of the total load of the treehouse –
assuming we have a fairly even weight distribution throughout.

PLATFORM DESIGN
Once the beams are in place we can start building the platform that lays on top of them. Here we’ve got two
separate platform assemblies, one for each pod. Both are made using 2″ x 10″ timber (47 mm x 250 mm).
Building a platform is like building decking for your patio – you have your rim joists as the outside border
and common joists running perpendicularly in between. Galvanized joist hangers make sure the common
joists stay in place. The platform shown below is for the sleeping pod.

) STUDWORK FRAME

The basic wall frame has vertical studs between the top and bottom plates with noggings  (the short
horizontal bits) in between. Traditionally the verticals have a 14″ spacing but with a single storey treehouse
we can use larger spacing – in this case it’s 583 mm centres. Some of the walls do have windows, so at these
locations we need to put a horizontal sill and a header to create the rough opening. For the doors, there’s
only a header along the top. When building a conventional house, the standard ceiling height is usually 2.4
meters. But since there are no standards for treehouses this could be anything we want it to be. Here we have
a slanted roof which means one end of the pod will have a higher ceiling than the other end. At the lower
end the ceiling height is two meters, and at the front of the pod it’s just over two and a half meters.

 WALL CLADDING

On the exterior side we want to use plywood that’s fit for outdoor use, which would be marine plywood. Although
they are intended for outdoor use, it’s still a good idea to finish the panels to prevent decay and discoloration [3].
The basic sheet size is 2440 mm x 1220 mm (8′ x 4′) so we need to cut the panels in a way that the joints line up
with the vertical stud centres. This gives us something to screw/nail the panels onto.

Estimation of Loads.
TREEHOUSE WEIGHT CALCULATION
This can be a bit tricky and requires bit of guesstimation, especially if doing it by hand. Luckily we’re using
design software which does the number crunching for us. It does this by calculating the volume of the solid
and multiplying it by the mass density of timber. We can use 420 kg per cubic meter to gives a pretty good
estimate. The weight for the sleeping pod comes out as 980 kg – which will roughly be the weight of the
other pod as well. Keeping in mind that this is the dead weight and doesn’t account for people or any
furniture etc. With a span of just over 3 meters, our 3″ x 12″ beams will easily support three times that
weight.

Structural Analysis.