Extreme Tree Houses

[TMW]

http://www.news.com/2300-11395_3-6210710-1.html

 

[tockmal]

Very interesting article, thanks.

Here's one of my favourites.

 

[Zac]

http://treehouseshotelcostarica.com/

My wife and I spent a few nights here on our honeymoon last February. Highly recommended!

 

[moss]

Thanks for posting that. I think the "Hooch" design is my favorite.
-moss

 

[Oxman]

Finca Bellavista is a treehouse resort in Costa Rica.

 

[Oxman]

Here's Treehouse Point, in Fall City, Washington, the site of the 11th World Treehouse Conference this coming October.

 

[Oxman]

Quicktime VR 3-D full screen image of the Mountain View Treeway at Out 'N' About ( www.treeclimbing.com )

 

[Oxman]

This is a computer generated design of a treehouse by engineer Charlie Greenwood. treehouseengineering.com

 

[jerseygirl]

OK - so issues - how to adjust the house for growth and decline

OPPS - honey the tree is falling is not something I would like to hear

anyway

jz here - home on the ground

 

[Kman]

[ QUOTE ]
OK - so issues - OPPS - honey the tree is falling is not something I would like to hear

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm thinking it would be more like " Oh F&%K!!"
Just wondering...do you think the one on the topped tree with one small lead left started out as a full canopy but as winter set in and the need for firewood to keep it warm resulted in the removal of the rest of it... that BIG Sycamore on the way to U-Mass...now theres a tree to build a treehouse in!!!

 

[Oxman]

Good observation. The tree expands with age, pushing away connections with the treehouse.

One solution is the use of bolts with heads that extend out from the trunk. The foundation is attached to these artificial limbs, which allow a decade or more of growth to occur. After that time has elapsed, extensions can be added to the bolt heads to allow more clearance to prolong the life of the treehouse.

These limbs also have sleeves that slip over the bolt head, which can slide back & forth, as well as rotate. This becomes a suspension that can accomodate wind and tree bending. The treehouse 'floats' on metal feet that pivot on the artificial limbs.

Michael Garniers company, BrackeTree, BrackeTree sells a bolt product called a Garnier Limb, or GL. Various sleeves can be ordered that slide over the GL, and have welded flanges that provide for attachment to either beams or poles that form the foundation below the treehouse floor. To provide additional support, some of the GLs have a cable attachment flange that suspends the tip of the GL from above.

With proper design, the foundation can be engineered to require as few attachments as possible. Since each bolt removes sapwood used by the tree from circulation, the best treehouse designs are streamlined to minimize invasiveness.

As the artificial limb simulates a cavity, the metabolism of the tree walls off decay-causing organisms. This process happens out in the forest when trees are wounded by falling limbs or other natural events. The drilling process to install the bolts is similar to someone with broken bones having pins put in to stabilize the tissue after an injury. The tree adds new growth rings to the outside of the wound in subsequent years, which makes the installation even stronger as time goes by.

The decision to install a treehouse is not taken lightly. The site must be judged by specialists to be amenable to the proect. Each tree is evaluated with a systematic inspection that accounts for its roots, trunk, limbs, twigs and foliage. The potential for load bearing is matched with the size of the treehouse to be installed. Each treehouse is a unique design custom tailored to the variables of that location. The use of poles can even be used to supplement the foundation design, allowing a corner of the floor to be held up with a stilt that reaches to the ground.

Here is a typical 3 GL installation. One GL is under a platform beam. Two GLs are holding knee braces at a 45 degree angle below.