Tree house
Encyclopedia
Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or building
s constructed around, next to or among the trunk
or branch
es of one or more mature tree
s while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, observation or as temporary retreats.
, houses are either fastened to trees or elevated on stilts
to keep the living quarters above the ground to protect occupants and stored food from scavenging
animals. The Korowai
, a Papuan tribe in the southeast of Irian Jaya, live in tree houses, some nearly 40 metres (131.2 ft) high, as protection against a tribe of neighbouring head-hunters
, the Citak.
Tree houses are an option for building eco-friendly houses in remote forest areas, because they do not require a clearing of a certain area of forest. The wildlife, climate and illumination on ground level in areas of dense close-canopy
forest is not well suited for human habitation.
is commonly used for structural parts and cladding
due to its strength, light weight and low cost. Steel
is used for brackets, cables and bolts, including specialized tree bolts capable of supporting up to 6000 pounds (2,721.6 kg). Builders of tree houses sometimes use recycled materials or parts, such as reclaimed window frames, doors and used lumber. One motivation for this is to promote sustainability
by re-using resources. Reclaiming materials can also save money compared with buying new materials and can add a retro
or abstract
style to the design of the structure. Fabrics can be used to produce non-rigid temporary structures that are more like tree tent
s than tree houses.
Tree houses supported by stilts
do not need the tree to take any of the weight stress of the building material
s and potential strain
and injury cased by puncture holes. Stilts are typically anchored into the ground with concrete although new designs, such as the “Diamond Pier”, accelerates installation time and protects sensitive root systems. Stilts are the easiest method of supporting larger tree houses, and can increase structural support and safety. Adding stilts to tree houses built with other methods of support is an option to increase stability and safety.
Friction and tension fasteners are the most common method of securing tree houses. These include nails, screws and bolts. Because this method requires punctures in the tree, the fewest possible number of these should be utilized to minimize stress. Nails are generally not recommended to attach a tree house to a tree. A development called the treehouse attachment bolt
which can support greater weights than earlier methods, is now commonly used by many tree house companies worldwide.
Tree houses that use this design are among the least cluttered and unique types today. Rope
and cable
are the most used methods of suspension. Suspended tree houses are among the most difficult to construct and access.
Since the mid-1990s, recreational tree houses have enjoyed a rise in popularity in countries such as the United States
and parts of Europe
. This has been due to increased disposable income, better technology for builders, research into safe building practices and an increased interest in environmental issue
s, particularly sustainable living
.
Increased popularity has, in turn, given rise to demand for businesses covering all building and design
work for clients. There are over 30 businesses in Europe and the USA specializing in the construction of tree houses of various degrees of permanence and sophistication, from children's play structures to fully functioning homes.
In some cases tree houses are given exemption from normal building regulations, as they are not considered to be a building in the normal sense of the word. An exemption may be given to a builder if the treehouse is in a remote or non-urban location. Alternatively, a tree house may be included in the same category as structures such as garden sheds, sometimes called a "temporary structure". There may be restrictions on height, distance from boundary and privacy for nearby properties. There are various grey areas in these laws, as they were not specifically designed for tree-borne structures. A very small number of planning departments have specific regulations for tree houses, which set out clearly what may be built and where.
. This method may be used in protests against proposed road building or old growth forestry operations. Tree houses are used as a method of defence from which it is difficult and costly to safely evict the protesters and begin work. Julia Butterfly Hill
is a particularly well known tree sitter who occupied a Californian Redwood for 738 days, saving the tree and others in the immediate area. Her accommodation consisted of two 3m2 (29 sq ft) platforms 60 m (200 ft) above the ground.
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
s constructed around, next to or among the trunk
Trunk (botany)
In botany, trunk refers to the main wooden axis of a tree that supports the branches and is supported by and directly attached to the roots. The trunk is covered by the bark, which is an important diagnostic feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the...
or branch
Branch
A branch or tree branch is a woody structural member connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree...
es of one or more mature tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, observation or as temporary retreats.
Practical uses
In some parts of the tropicsTropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
, houses are either fastened to trees or elevated on stilts
Stilt house
Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...
to keep the living quarters above the ground to protect occupants and stored food from scavenging
Scavenger
Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...
animals. The Korowai
Korowai
The korowai, also called the Kolufo, are a people of southeastern Papua . They number about 3,000. Until 1970, they were unaware of the existence of any people besides themselves....
, a Papuan tribe in the southeast of Irian Jaya, live in tree houses, some nearly 40 metres (131.2 ft) high, as protection against a tribe of neighbouring head-hunters
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
, the Citak.
Tree houses are an option for building eco-friendly houses in remote forest areas, because they do not require a clearing of a certain area of forest. The wildlife, climate and illumination on ground level in areas of dense close-canopy
Canopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
forest is not well suited for human habitation.
Materials
Tree houses can be built with a wide range of materials. WoodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
is commonly used for structural parts and cladding
Cladding (construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements, or for aesthetic purposes....
due to its strength, light weight and low cost. Steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
is used for brackets, cables and bolts, including specialized tree bolts capable of supporting up to 6000 pounds (2,721.6 kg). Builders of tree houses sometimes use recycled materials or parts, such as reclaimed window frames, doors and used lumber. One motivation for this is to promote sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
by re-using resources. Reclaiming materials can also save money compared with buying new materials and can add a retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
or abstract
Abstraction
Abstraction is a process by which higher concepts are derived from the usage and classification of literal concepts, first principles, or other methods....
style to the design of the structure. Fabrics can be used to produce non-rigid temporary structures that are more like tree tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
s than tree houses.
Support methods and new technology
In modern tree house construction, supporting the structure can be summarized by the following methods:- Stilts
Tree houses supported by stilts
Stilts
Stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person or structure to stand at a distance above the ground. Walking stilts are poles equipped with steps for the feet to stand on, or straps to attach them to the legs, for the purpose of walking while elevated above a normal height...
do not need the tree to take any of the weight stress of the building material
Building material
Building material is any material which is used for a construction purpose. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, sand, wood and rocks, even twigs and leaves have been used to construct buildings. Apart from naturally occurring materials, many man-made products are in use, some more...
s and potential strain
Strain (injury)
A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon in which the muscle fibres tear as a result of overstretching. A strain is also colloquially known as a pulled muscle...
and injury cased by puncture holes. Stilts are typically anchored into the ground with concrete although new designs, such as the “Diamond Pier”, accelerates installation time and protects sensitive root systems. Stilts are the easiest method of supporting larger tree houses, and can increase structural support and safety. Adding stilts to tree houses built with other methods of support is an option to increase stability and safety.
- Friction and tension fasteners
Friction and tension fasteners are the most common method of securing tree houses. These include nails, screws and bolts. Because this method requires punctures in the tree, the fewest possible number of these should be utilized to minimize stress. Nails are generally not recommended to attach a tree house to a tree. A development called the treehouse attachment bolt
Treehouse attachment bolt
Tree-house Attachment Bolts or TABs, also known variously as Tree Anchor Bolts, Artificial Limbs, GLs , HLs , STFs are specialized hex cap screws, engineered specifically for treehouse construction...
which can support greater weights than earlier methods, is now commonly used by many tree house companies worldwide.
- Suspended connections
Tree houses that use this design are among the least cluttered and unique types today. Rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
and cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
are the most used methods of suspension. Suspended tree houses are among the most difficult to construct and access.
Popularity
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This has been due to increased disposable income, better technology for builders, research into safe building practices and an increased interest in environmental issue
Environmental issue
Environmental issues are negative aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment. Environmentalism, a social and environmental movement that started in the 1960s, addresses environmental issues through advocacy, education and activism.-Types:...
s, particularly sustainable living
Sustainable living
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...
.
Increased popularity has, in turn, given rise to demand for businesses covering all building and design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
work for clients. There are over 30 businesses in Europe and the USA specializing in the construction of tree houses of various degrees of permanence and sophistication, from children's play structures to fully functioning homes.
Building regulations
Many areas of the world have no specific planning laws for treehouses, so the legal issues can be confusing to both the builder and the local planning departments. Treehouses can be exempt, partially regulated or fully regulated depending on the locale.In some cases tree houses are given exemption from normal building regulations, as they are not considered to be a building in the normal sense of the word. An exemption may be given to a builder if the treehouse is in a remote or non-urban location. Alternatively, a tree house may be included in the same category as structures such as garden sheds, sometimes called a "temporary structure". There may be restrictions on height, distance from boundary and privacy for nearby properties. There are various grey areas in these laws, as they were not specifically designed for tree-borne structures. A very small number of planning departments have specific regulations for tree houses, which set out clearly what may be built and where.
Protest communities
The tree house has been central to various environmental protest communities around the world, in a technique known as tree sittingTree sitting
Tree sitting is a form of environmentalist civil disobedience in which a protester sits in a tree, usually on a small platform built for the purpose, to protect it from being cut down...
. This method may be used in protests against proposed road building or old growth forestry operations. Tree houses are used as a method of defence from which it is difficult and costly to safely evict the protesters and begin work. Julia Butterfly Hill
Julia Butterfly Hill
Julia Butterfly Hill is an American activist and environmentalist. Hill is best known for living in a -tall, roughly 1500-year-old California Redwood tree for 738 days between December 10, 1997 and December 18, 1999...
is a particularly well known tree sitter who occupied a Californian Redwood for 738 days, saving the tree and others in the immediate area. Her accommodation consisted of two 3m2 (29 sq ft) platforms 60 m (200 ft) above the ground.
See also
- Chene ChapelleChêne chapelleThe Chêne chapelle is an oak tree located in Allouville-Bellefosse in Seine-Maritime, France.The oak tree is between 800 and 1,200 year old. It is 15m high and its base has a circumference of 16m...
- Fab Tree HabFab Tree HabAs a direct contribution to building knowledge in the fields of architecture and urban design the Fab Tree Hab supposes ecology as the main driver for dwelling...
- a house made of living trees at MIT - Out'n'AboutOut'n'AboutOut 'N' About is a southern Oregon company that operates treehouse bed and breakfasts and assists with the construction of treehouses. It located about Southeast of Cave Junction, Oregon,-Treehouse Treesort:...
A tree house oriented bed and breakfastBed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
in Cave Junction, OregonCave Junction, OregonCave Junction, incorporated in 1948, is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,883. Its motto is the "Gateway to the Oregon Caves," and the city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redwood Highway and Caves Highway... - Stilt houseStilt houseStilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...
- Tree climbingTree climbingTree climbing is a recreational or functional activity consisting of ascending and moving around in the crown of trees.Use of a rope, helmet, and harness are the minimum requirements to ensure the safety of the climber. Other equipment can also be used depending on the experience and skill of the...
- Tree climbing
External links
- The Treehouse Guide - Resource compiling links to building guides, notable treehouses, and treehouse building businesses
- Elevated Living Tree Houses - Company based in Portland, OR that builds eco-friendly, custom tree houses
- Finca Bella Vista tree house community in Costa Rica