Treehouse Structure

I wanted to give my kids the chance to feel like they’re camping deep in the woods, miles from civilization, despite actually being just a 1-minute walk from the house. I plan to outfit it with a little desk and a power supply that can run a laptop computer for a few hours. I look forward to responding to work emails for an hour in the treehouse instead of my standard indoor office. Maybe the kids will find inspiration for creative writing assignments up there too.

It’s a very simple, shed-style structure built on a platform (platform here: https://www.fichte-project.com/projects/treehouse_platform). Despite the simple structure plan, construction was made more difficult by the height off the ground (it’s ~12-15 feet off the ground) and the inaccessibility of the outside surface of the walls once they’re standing. It has a window on each wall – I wanted it to feel very bright and connected to the world outside.

Being a novice builder, I learned a lot about building: how to frame a wall, how to install a window, etc. My initial plans had two big changes: 1) Having previously made a roof for a woodshed using purloins, I planned for a purloin-supported roof that covers both the entire platform (not just the structure). Because this roof was made out of plywood and asphalt shingles (as opposed to metal, corrugated panels on the woodshed), I learned a purloin-style support structure is inappropriate and the plywood would sag over time. I had to switch to a traditional rafter structure. The other big change: I thought it’d look nice to have the outside finished with cedar shingles, but I neglected to consider the time required to finish the difficult-to-access outside walls with shingles. I switched to a plywood product that has a rough, semi-finished appearance (plytanium) that’s suitable as sheathing and an outside layer.