The qualities of great tree house builders

Question Submitted by Samuel N.

I have this perfect tree on my land and I am looking for some tree house builders to put something cool up in it. Obviously, anyone that can build will be able to do something, but I want a professional tree house builder to come in and do it right. How would I go about screening companies?

Professional Tree House Builders = Professional Results

Good for you! Many people are just interested in hoisting a bunch of wood up in a tree and nailing it directly to the branches and calling it good. What these people don’t know is that they can be putting their lives in danger by not considering the health of the tree and how to build a tree house that is light enough, but solid enough to withstand weather.

How to pick the right tree house builder

Most professionals will have an arborist on staff or one they contract out to come look at your tree. You would be suprised at the little things that might disqualify your “perfect tree” from being a tree house candidate. Things like:

• Type of tree
• Types of soil the tree is in
• Pre-existing branch damage
• Weak root system
• Bug infestations
• Age of tree
And many more factors will determine whether you can build in that particular tree and how heavy your structure can ultimately be. A professional arborist will know this stuff pretty easily. And since you are looking for professional tree house builders, you are looking to build a premium tree house. It would be a shame to spend all that money only to discover one of the above factors might be killing your tree and damaging your tree house.

Beyond that, ask to see a portfolio of all the tree houses they have built in the past. Pay attention to how detailed they build and how that fits in with the tree house you are picturing in your mind. To be blunt, if they don’t have proof of any tree houses they have built, then they aren’t tree house builders.

Ask if there are any of their tree houses that you can look at. A professional builder will know one or two of their clients who would be overjoyed to show you around up in their tree house. The older the tree house, the better. IF no, then simply ask for some addresses for tree houses they built that can be seen from the street.

There are a few things you are looking for when inspecting their work. Check to see if the tree house still looks level. Look at the roof and any connections near branches. Are they damaged or stressed? Look at places where the tree house meets the tree. Are there any signs that the house is doing harm to the tree.

Real tree house builders will know exactly how to prevent these issues and the tree house will have been built to foresee any future problems.

There really is an art to building tree houses since you are putting a solid structure on a living, changing foundation. If your builder can prove that he has built some structures that have withstood the tests of time, then you have your perfect tree house builder!

If you are still contemplating building your tree house yourself, don’t do it without the right tree house plans to do it right.

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