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How do I Choose the Best Free Tree House Plans?

By S. Gonzales
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 6,142
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Tree houses can be a special part of any childhood. With its privacy and position, children can escape the world and still watch it from above. If you're a parent who wants to provide your child with a tree house, you can do so by downloading free tree house plans and personally building them. To choose the best plan, consider the tree house's future occupants and the desired shape of the house, as well as its features, building materials, and instruction details.

Choose a tree house that is appropriate for its occupants. Some plans are specifically designed with children's safety in mind, while others are created to support the weight of entire families. If your family intends to visit the tree house together, it's important to make sure that the structure can sustain the weight of all of your family members at the same time.

Look for free tree house plans that include pictures. It's a lot easier to build one if you have pictures or color diagrams to help you along. Try to choose plans that include cutting lists, too.

Decide on what shape of tree house you want to build. Plans can come in many types of designs and can include simple, roofless tree houses; A-frame tree houses; or more complex designs that resemble little homes. Keep in mind that the complexity of a tree house will dictate how much work, material, and time will need to be invested in it. Make sure that the design you choose is compatible with all building regulations and restrictions in your area.

Select a tree house that contains all of the features that you are looking for. Trap doors, climbing walls, swings, and slides are included in many plans. If they aren't included, the design should make the installation of additions easy. After a floor or platform foundation has been successfully installed, a tree house should be no more difficult to build than a small cabin or shack.

Consider what you have to work with. Trees need to be sturdy enough to support the structure or at least act as one leg of a multiple-post tree house. You can build a tree house even if you don't have a suitable tree in your backyard. These tree houses are called "treeless tree houses," and plans for them usually are available with other free tree house plans. Good plans also include lists of materials, tools, and tips, and they even can come with instructional books.

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Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By golf07 — On Jun 20, 2012

I never had a tree house as a kid, but always thought that would be a cool thing to have. Now they have resort areas where you can stay in a tree house.

These tree houses come with amenities and luxuries that I would have never dreamed of as a kid. I think a tree house is something that fascinates people of all ages.

There is just something special about being high up in the tree tops and being surrounded by nature. I think the feeling of privacy is also something that always fascinated me.

Someday I hope to be able to stay in one of these fancy tree houses and fulfill a childhood dream.

By SarahSon — On Jun 19, 2012

My husband is pretty handy when it comes to building, and our kids have talked about having their own tree house for quite a while now.

I was surprised how many free tree house plans and designs there were online. We took several different plans and made our own design with features we liked from different plans.

The biggest thing is making sure we don't make this too big or elaborate. I can see how easy it would be to get carried away and spend more than we intended.

We really want something that is simple, yet private and big enough for them to play in. I also want to make sure both of us can easily get to the tree house. It would be fun to camp out there one night and also good just to be able to keep an eye on them.

By sunshined — On Jun 19, 2012

My boys would love to have their own tree house, but we don't have any trees in our yard that would work for this. Any trees we have are too small or the wrong kind of tree.

I was excited to know they have plans available for treeless tree houses. This would be the next best thing if they can't have an actual tree house.

As long as they have a place outside of the house that is their special place I think they would be happy. I think every kid dreams of having their own tree house. I know I did, and would love to make something like that for my boys.

It might actually be easier than building a tree house in a tree. I always thought the logistics of that were kind of hard. Just thinking about how you would get all your materials up a tree takes some thought and planning.

By honeybees — On Jun 18, 2012

When my son and I decided to build a tree house, we didn't spend much time on the tree house design. We just saw a perfect tree for a tree house and started building with some lumber we had around the house.

The first thing we did was lay the foundation. I don't know if it was lack of planning or skill, but both of us kind of lost interest before the tree house got much further than that.

I think if we had spent some time studying plans and pictures before we started building it, we might have been more successful. It was fun to imagine and think about, but it took more work and skill than we thought it would.

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