tree house question

[Emanuel Berg]

Hi guys, I'm building a tree house, here is a photo: [1] On one side on the first floor, as you see, a corner is missing. People walk on the walkways (terminology?) with no problem, but here they have to grab hold and make a little jump. Naturally I'd like to finish the corner. It is ~1 m2. From above, it looks like this:

--------- --------- --------- |----| |----| |----| |----| |----|

So my thought is I extend the bars below and from the inside, attaching with long self-drilling Torx wood screws... Like this, the dots being two new bars, screwed to the existing ones:

. . --------- . . --------- . . --------- |.--.| |.--.| |.--.| |.--.| |.--.|

Then I just put on more of the same, it is from pallets, mostly (see this photo [2]), but I have bigger pieces this time. So then it'll be:

---------------

---------------

--------------- |----| |----| |----| |----| |----|

I'm pretty confident this will work fine but because other people will walk there as well I thought I should ask. I know what ways to put the bars, to put the screws asymmetrically, and... yeah, is there anything more to it, like some rule of thumbs or something? Perhaps a rule how far the extensions must go into the firm side?

I didn't check (will do, next time) but I think the bars are two by four or to that extent.

Please correct terminology. If this post doesn't make any sene, I'll be back with better photos :)

TIA

[1] [2]

[knuttle]

I don't know the answer to your question, BUT that seems to be a rather large structure to be supported by trees of that size.

Have you made allowances fro the movement of the trees in the wind? The support trees look like pine, and from watching the ones in my back yard of that size know they move a lot.

[Emanuel Berg]

I didn't make any calculation whatsoever actually :(

Yes, it is a huge "structure". The trees does move a lot. One of them isn't even a tree, well it was once, but now it is a pillar I guess :)

[DerbyDad03]

So many questions...

How deep is that "pillar" sunk into the ground? Is frost heave an issue? How about movement due to the top-heavy-ness of the load? (i.e. torque on the pillar) What type of soil is it sunk into? Will is sink more on its own?

What about those ropes? What are they made of? Will they dry out and become brittle? Stretch and slip?

What is the joist spacing vs. the thickness of the floor boards? (It looks like very wide spacing and very thin boards)

It doesn't look like there is much (any!) room to walk around the corner posts. Are railings planned for the future?

I could go on and on, but the size and weight of that structure in relation to how it is supported is pretty scary. Once one item fails, the rest is sure to follow - hopefully not catastrophically.

[Gil]

Having looked at the photos, and considering the above comments, that tree house is just an accident waiting to happen. Take it down and build it properly before someone is injured or killed.

Gil

[Leon]

There is nothing quite as reveling as stick figure drawings.

There is nothing quite as reveling as stick figure drawings.

[Emanuel Berg]

You kidding, no it is very stable! Come visit yourself and see :)

[Emanuel Berg]

On the contrary, my idea worked. It was much simpler from below, even from a rope, than when I draw the ASCII :) but it's still not done by far...

[Emanuel Berg]

It is not a tree house like a real house, it is as much a a climbing thing! you climb up, between floors, and after a while, no need to attach anymore to the rope. but you still use them to go up and down :)

[DerbyDad03]

The ropes I was talking about are the one's used to lash the structure to the trees. That seems like an huge amount of weight to be supported by ropes to swaying trees. I guess to certain extent you need to allow for movement and the support ropes will certainly do that.

I just hope that there is never a rapid move in a southerly direction.

You do know that gravity sucks, don't you?

[Emanuel Berg]

You mean the ropes could suddenly fail?

[Just Wondering]

People joke that vacuums suck, but actually the surrounding air blows.

[DerbyDad03]

Yup. Suddenly or slowly.

Maybe they stretch a little, structure starts to lean. You don't really worry about it, then it leans a little more, putting stress on some other area, maybe pulling it away from some other support. Maybe that's where the failure occurs.

Who knows? I sure wouldn't want to be anywhere near it when it happens.

[Emanuel Berg]

Use a level every day to log if it starts to lean?

[Scott Lurndal]

When we built our treehouse in a stand of redwoods 25 years ago, we avoided puncturing the trees. The treehouse was triangular and supported by three trees, one at each vertex. Using 2x12s and threaded rod, we built a frame to support the treehouse that was clamped to the trees (one 2x12 on each side of the tree clamped with a pair of threaded rod on each side of the trunk). As the tree grew, we could simply loosen the rods a bit.

A triangular platform (on 2x8 joists), 8' walls, a window and a stairs on the uphill side for access with a transparent corrugated roof.

So far as I know (we moved), it's still there.

[Emanuel Berg]

Here are a bunch of old photos:

If you feel like it, anyone please fill me in what construction/woodworking terminology might apply...