Treehouses

[Redguard]

Did any of you have one when you were a kid?

I didn't, but I always wanted one.

I hope to have one for my kids... once we get a house with a backyard in it.

Do kids still use them, or are these a thing of the past?

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

Treehouses never go out of style. We have a lot of trees on our property but they are 80-plus feet with no lower limbs so hubby is making them a fort instead.

Personally, I'm a big fan of swapping out the tv for a treefort any day of the week.

 

[Redguard]

I wonder if there are any companies that build them? It wouldn't be hard... they have companies that build decks for backyard barbecues... so why not do a little redesign and build an elevated fort with a ladder and emergency rope? (Pretty much a treehouse, without the tree).

 

[PegasusOnFire]

They have companies like that here in Iowa

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

Isn't the fun though getting out there with dad to build a treehouse out of old wood scraps? My hubby, my brother and my brother-in-law worked together to build one at my parents for all the kids. It was a pretty nifty group project and they had fun just planning and arguing over the design.

 

[Leanna]

I had a treehouse but then one storm the branch fell off the tree and so did the house. Doh! My dad built it, he is an architect and it was cool, but no one knew until then that the tree had a carpenter ant problem........

I think forts are better and a lot safer, forts off the ground are good too, just keep them low enough to lower the chances of broken limbs when young child decides to leap.

FYI leapt out of my second story apartment repeatedly as a 6 year old, for fun, onto a "blanket" that my best friend and I laid to protect ourselves, lol, the babysitter was my best friend's mother and obviously was not paying attention that day. I never had a broken limb though.... I guess I was a good jumper.....

 

[Joykins]

My parents built a large platform under a weeping willow about 5 feet off the ground (with a rope ladder) and called it a treehouse

We had a lot of fun with it. We were able to climb over from the tree to the platform, until a friend broke that branch enough to scare us. I think the stupidest thing I did on it was grab a bunch of weeping willow branches and try to swing off the platform like Tarzan. Got all the wind knocked out of me, when they broke and I fell

 

[Leanna]

Hehe..... my treehouse was in a weeping willow too. It was HUGE, more than 50 years old. It had a tire swing.

 

[wanderingone]

no treehouse for me ... when I was little we lived in a VERY urban area... and when I was older we had no tree...in the backyard... and as an adult we've ALWAYS lived in a large city in apartments... so that's not an experience we've had. I think if you can build one go for it. I think kids are forever looking for their own space and a treehouse certainly fits the bill.

 

[CarrieAg93]

We recently moved to a house on 2 acres with the back acre being pretty densely wooded. I'm sure when our boys get a little older DH will help them build a treehouse/fort. I'm not sure who will enjoy it more, DH or the boys.

 

[BeanMak]

My boys and their friends built a tree house in our maple tree over th course of a couple of summers when they were 9-11. They collected craps of wood, and there was enough nails in that tree, that I am suprised that it hasn't acted like a lightening rod!

 

[dews]

I always wanted one, like what the Ewoks had.

I heard that they are popular in Britain.

 

[horseluva42792]

I am 13 and still want my dad to biuld me a treehouse......He says no everytime

 

[snarfywarning]

We had a treehouse! We had a giant eukolyptus in our backward, and the tree was like 50 feet tall
the house was about 20 feet off the ground, I have no idea how I ever got up there, it started as us jut nailing planks to the tree, so that I could sit in the little pocket the tree had, but I had to pull myslef up on the last step by this branch that was sticking out. When they trimmed the tree for the winter or whatever, they cut off my supportingbranch!!! so we couldnt make it up there anymore.


I will definatly build a treehouse or a off the ground fort for my kids! They are awesome placesto just get away.