7 Treehouses That Will Make You Green With Envy
By Pro.com
Treehouses – every kid wants one and every adult secretly wishes they hadn’t outgrown theirs. The treehouses of today have taken on a world of their own ranging from the simple styles with platforms and branch ladders from our youth, to more resort-like canopy escapes of today.
You can attempt to build a treehouse yourself and make it a family project, however, if you’d rather leave the work to a professional contractor, it will cost on average to build a 10x10x6 treehouse in the Orlando, FL. area around $1,600 - $2,000 for labor only. No matter where your leafy dreams lay, here are seven of our favorite designs for treehouses to help inspire you and your family to get out there and play.
1. Keep It Basic
Treehouses don’t have to be super elaborate. At its most basic qualification, it’s a tree-based getaway. You can create yours as a simple house-like structure, or one with a minimal, elevated platform.
2. Build a Bridge
Have two trees next together? Build a platform between the two for an extra-fun, extra-long treehouse with more than enough room for all of your kids and their friends.
3. Top a Stump
If you have tree that was recently shortened, don’t worry, you can still make a treehouse out of it. Build a fun little cottage on top of the stump for the same effect as a treehouse, but without the meddling branches. To decorate it, you can plant a climbing vine in and around the house for a beautiful floral drape, or for added fun, attach a slide since the elevation isn’t too high.
4. Use Elevation Changes
If your home sits on land that changes in elevation, use it to your advantage. Though not a traditional treehouse, the nets, fire poles, swing sets etc. that you can install make up for the lack of a trunk.
5. Two-Story Ground Level
Afraid of heights? Give your kids the similar experience of being up in a tree by building the house around the tree instead of in it. Then, you can add a second story for that high-up feeling, and with the house on ground level, your kids will still feel safely grounded.
6. Explore New Shapes
Just because it’s called a treehouse doesn’t mean it has to look exactly like a house. Explore cool shapes or fun designs. Whether it’s abstract, round or triangular – it’s your kids’ (or yours!) escape.
7. Climb Indoors
Whether you have allergies or your location’s weather makes an outdoor treehouse inaccessible most of the year, consider building a faux treehouse indoors. Elevate the abode, add slides or rock walls the same as you would an outdoor house, and paint the walls to look like leaves.
Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services -- especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.
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