If you have children, no home is complete without a treehouse. Besides the fact that treehouses provide kids with hours of entertainment, they can also confer ancillary benefits that are hard to quantify. For starters, treehouses can improve property values by boosting curb appeal. When building any type of treehouse, keep the following tips in mind.
Location, Location, Location
Before you head off to Home Depot and get all the necessary supplies, you need to spend some serious time storyboarding the build process. Pick a tree with low, sprawling branches such as an oak or a maple. Furthermore, consider issues like wind, shade and privacy before you start to nail up supports.
Choose Your Materials Wisely
A treehouse built with subpar materials will fall short in the longevity department and disappoint the kids. Pick out stout oak 4×4 posts for the structural elements and top them off with pressure-treated pine for the floors and railings. Use quality plywood for the interior walls and seal it to avoid rot.
Make Multi-Use Your Mantra
Treehouses that are simply shacks suspended above ground will quickly bore youngsters no matter how well-built they may be. Incorporate elements such as swings, rope ladders and even zip-lines to get more from your treehouse. As long as you’re putting in the effort, you might as well add all of the bells and whistles.
Bake Safety Into the Recipe
You don’t want the kids to get hurt when they’re frolicking among the branches. Make sure to bolt handles and permanent rails into the truck so that adolescents are less likely to slip and fall. If you want to go all out, add a few safety nets around the edges.
Heed Aesthetics When Designing
An unadorned treehouse quickly turns into an eyesore over time as it’s battered by the elements. Shingle the roof and paint the exterior walls so that they match your home. Kids will naturally gravitate towards a treehouse that looks appealing and your neighbors won’t complain about a shoddy structure in your weeping willow.
It’s More Than a Treehouse
While many young kids will no doubt love a full-featured treehouse, it’s usually the improvement in home value that will appeal to adults.
Sean Young
Sean has been a Mortgage Loan Officer in the great State of Colorado for the last 25 years, a nationally recognized real estate blogger who loves teaching Social Media, Real Estate Technology, and Continuing Education classes. Sean provides weekly Real Estate Agent Tuesday Webinars that give the latest marketing strategies and tips on how to grow, build, and increase your visibility, credibility, and brand as a Real Estate Agent. Looking for a Home Loan? Sean and his team can provide you with the expertise, professionalism, and customer service that will ensure that your transaction goes smoothly.
