Start a franchise. I know some good carpenters / craftsmen in South America. Can they be installed at jungle canopy level ? 150+ feet ? Jungle penetrator, repelling kit optional for fire escape ?
Good points. If you are building without permits you are exposing yourself to tremendous liabilities.
permits are another way to increase tax liabilities on the property holder......... yuck... i want more freedom.. if i wanna build a 150 ft high tree for with a zip line... i wanna not hear about the risk i'm already taking from some bureaucrat..
one bedroom log cabin in the trees would be very interesting. i don't know who would buy it but the idea seems pretty enough. you probably can't be single though. i don't know how many drinks it would take for a woman to say sure lets go back to your place in the middle on the woods built of trees haha
I agree with your sentiments. But I was speaking of the builder. If one of his treehouses crashes with a couple of kids in it, or even if a drunk falls out of it, the builder will be in trouble. A tree house you build yourself, on your own property for your own grandkids is one thing. But a commercial enterprise is something else entirely.
Hi O_A, These are all good questions, and there are likely more questions that you will have before making any final decisions. The answers are mixed and complicated but I will attempt to answer them as time permits me to. 1. Engineered properly for safety? Yes and No. Is it safe? Absolutely. Any structure that I build will without a doubt always meet and usually exceed engineering requirements for strength and safety. For instance, a 6x6 fir post has been rated and will support around 26,000 pounds using vertical compression strength. This holds true whether it's on ground level in Minnesota or 150' in the air in Belize. Joist spans and all other components of the structure, too, will at minimum adhere to the same test proven guide lines that a conventional structure on the ground would have to meet. Have all of the structures that I have built been given an engineer's stamp of approval? No. This can usually be acquired at an extra cost that pertains to the individual project. Do we follow National Building Codes and NEC standards? Again, Yes and/or no. Building codes are usually more localized and may vary to some degree, while Electrical codes tend to follow more along the National guidelines. For instance, in our area the minimum required height at which a rail needs to be is 36 inches from the top of the decking when the decking is more than 24 inches above the ground. The spaces between the spindles must be less than 4 inches. We would always meet or exceed the local requirements in a tree top the same as we would from your 2nd or 3rd story balcony of your home. I would at this point mention to you that code enforcement cares little about the methods in which these spindles and rails are attached. They don't care if you just pound a nail through the spindle into the top rail so long as it sticks. I do care, and so should you. The spindles we install will always be pre-drilled before a fastener is applied. Why? Because if you simply drive a nail through the end of a board without drilling a hole first, this will no doubt displace wood and promote splitting over time. After pre-drilling is finished, a corrosion resistant screw will then be used as well as heavy duty exterior construction adhesive to attach the spindle. Nearly all joints will be treated in this way, as well as some notching/mortise and tenon techniques in many places for maximum strength. Code enforcement will also not care whether or not the boards are sealed, whereas all of our boards will be sealed from top to bottom , and end to end before they are applied. Not properly soaking the ends of boards in an exterior application is of the most common negligence I have witnessed in the construction industry (I have been involved in custom home building for more than 20 years), and this will always lead to severely shortening the life of the plank, and therefor the life of the structure. Barring natural disaster, our structures will likely outlast the roof, and the foundation(tree) of the structure, given proper maintenance in the form of paints and sealants, etc. 2. Are these installed with filed plans and permits? Maybe, but this decision will ultimately be left to the property owner and the local zoning/planning dept. It is ALWAYS the property owner's responsibility to ensure proper permits are in place- ALWAYS. Whether or not planning/zoning will allow for the construction of your project is a question I can't answer for you now. I will happily assist and lend my expertise and experience with planning/zoning if this is your decision to try and obtain proper permits. It could take quite some doing in order to convince the zoning department to allow for such a structure. Some entities or corporations, such as summer camps and amusement parks may have an easier time than others or individuals, as these types of structures are vital to their livelihood. If you are only putting up a small kids treehouse they may say just go ahead, and view it the same as putting up a playhouse or swing set. The larger and more elaborate projects will likely require more coaxing. Or, you could always decide to just go for it, and bypass permits, as I have done for my own treehouse, and as some of my clients have done with their own structures. If you go and look at a thousand treehouses, less than five or ten will likely have been permitted by the local building dept. If you decide to avoid requesting permission from the building dept., then there will always be the chance that they can come and put a halt to your construction or even have you tear it down. This will the majority of the time be due to reports or complaints from the neighborhood- which leads us to your next question. 3. Will it be in view of the neighbors? Are there deed covenants and conventions that will restrict these structures is this neighborhood? These are again questions for the individual property owner to evaluate. My son's treehouse is visible from the road and from parts of the neighbors' properties, but it is not intruding on their privacy. If you have good rapport with your neighbors and respect their privacy, as well as talk with them beforehand, you may find they are not only ok with it, but will encourage it so long as you invite their kids and/or them over from time to time to enjoy it too. Or maybe they will say "we would rather it have grey wood siding, or stucco, instead of pink painted plywood". If you have secluded property, you may just want to tuck it away and have it be your kid's secret clubhouse or your backyard office.
why did you go 24 on center here and not 16 and why 2x6 instead of 2 x 8 or 2 x10,and why on the left deck did you go even less than 24 on center
Hi Ammo, The structure is streamlined to diminish excess weight where ever is it feasible. 24 inches on center is both allowable and sufficient to support the flooring substrate and decking. If you look closely you will see that I have used a combination of 2x6 and 2x8 floor joists. I've even added some 2x4 supports within for extra strength as you can se beneath the lookout chimney. There are three interior 2x8 joists, as well as the outer band joists all being 2x8. The overall length of the front 2x8 band joist is 12 feet, but the longest load span of any 2x8 joist is only 8.5 feet, due to the cantilever system. This is well within the limits of the 2x8's span/load capacity. The three 2x6 joists you see beneath the building's interior, are spanning only 6.5 feet. Again this is more than sufficient in regards to the span/load capacity of the boards. The joists beneath the left side deck are actually spaced 23 inches apart on center. The reason for any of the unconventional joist spacing is because of the need to find key measurements that are a happy medium between the two trees and also to conform with the conventional lengths of framing/sheathing members. That's some eye you have there to be able to see the joist spacing on the left is one inch under 24...very impressed While there are 13 steps to the landing, the stringers themselves have only 12 steps. The stringers also have a 2x4 fused with glue and screws to the interior side of each stringer, where the tread meets the deepest part of the notch. This adds significant strength to the load capacity of the stringers. So with the added strength of the sistered 2x4's along with the narrow width of the stairs, a 3rd stringer isn't needed.