Building a treehouse with my 8yo, need advice on safety

Aug 6·1 min read

So I've got this massive oak tree in the backyard and my son has been begging for a treehouse. I found some plans online and I'm pretty handy so I think I can do it. My wife is nervous about safety which is fair. I'm planning to use galvanized bolts, pressure treated wood, and keeping it like 12 feet up max with solid railings. Anyone here built one? What am I missing? What would you tell your wife to make her feel better about it?

3 comments190 views

Comments(3)

JJake M.RegularAug 8

This is awesome but definitely get a structural engineer to check it out or at least watch some serious tutorial videos. I'm not trying to be a downer but treehouse injuries are no joke. Once you nail the safety stuff though, your son is going to remember this forever.

BBrandonRegularAug 7

This is goals right here. My 5 year old would lose his mind if I told him we were building a treehouse. How far along are you in the planning stage?

CCarlosRegularAug 7

So jealous of your oak tree. We've got two kids and no decent trees in our yard. For safety, make sure whatever platform you build has railings that are at least 36 inches high and the boards don't have gaps bigger than 3-4 inches. Also invest in a good rope ladder instead of nails in the trunk.