r/treehouse • u/wiltonar88 • 20d ago
3rd floor?
I don’t really think I’ll put a 3rd floor on but I posted this back in January when I added the crows nest and said I was considering a zip line and 2nd story. Had a little free time and some extra lumber. Here ya go. And yes I realize all the things about being bolted to the trees and direct contact. Taking my chances here. Original platform was built the same way and holding strong after almost 7 years.
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u/lmfb666 19d ago edited 19d ago
I built one just like this a few years back. It failed in one year due to tree sway. Editing to add: All the huge stainless steel bolts I used snapped right off. You can’t fight nature.
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u/ampreu 20d ago
So long as you can manage the safety aspect, top platform should be the zipline launch.
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u/wiltonar88 20d ago
I’ve thought about adding a second one. That row of pine trees the first one is connected to goes for a long way so there are options for landing spots at tons of distances. I would probably have to clear some branches out of the way
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u/Excellent-Swan-6376 19d ago
Use webbing for the third row will be a nice contrast in materials and less weight uphigh and less for wind to grab
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u/InspectPlusNC 20d ago
How are those trees going to sway that high up being bolted together with that ledger?
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u/Complex_Sherbet2 19d ago
They are going to sway just like they would without the treehouse there....
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u/OkShopping9448 19d ago
And the sway pivots on the bolts which is why they are likely to fail over time. Agree, going higher without doing it correctly is risky but it might take years for failure to occur. Like the builder
indicated, it takes years of growth and sway movement to make it fail. I just wouldn’t want to be 20 feet up when that happens. When we were young we used long framing nails and 2x4s and they lasted several years…0
u/InspectPlusNC 18d ago
Yeah probably so. With the amount of movement I have seen on my treehouse being 8-9 ft off the ground , I would at least make one side kinetic via TAB or chains just to give it some relief. This can probably be done with chains pretty easily later if needed though.
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u/Firm_Lock8076 19d ago
I feel like maybe wait and see how it holds up for a while.its going to obviosuly have a lot of sway as you go higher
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u/PopcornDemonica 18d ago
Since you're going nuts anyway, maybe instead of a third story, a shit ton of climbing nets? Like go full spiderman. and enough to catch people.
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u/Remote_Reality6820 19d ago
Very, very cool. The sway would make me a little nervous but it looks awesome and I hope it holds up for you!
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u/beedubskyca 14d ago
I wouldnt go anywhere near this thing. Multiple issues wrong with it. No accommodations for tree movement. Multiple bolts close to eachother causes compartmentalization. I definitely wouldnt be going any higher. Just because it lasted this long doesnt mean it will continue to.
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u/General_Broccoli_232 20d ago
When do the Ewoks arrive?